Barack America and His Trusty Sidekick
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James Joyner | Sunday, August 24, 2008 |
Barack Obama’s vacation apparently wasn’t quite long enough, as he and his newly minted running mate had a gaffe-filled coming out party.
When introducing his running mate, Obama said, “So let me introduce to you the next president - the next vice president of the US of America, Joe Biden.”
And then when it was Biden’s turn to speak, the Delaware senator called the presumptive Democratic nominee “Barack America” instead of Barack Obama.
“My friends, I don’t have to tell you, this election year the choice is clear. One man stands ready to deliver change we desperately need. A man I’m proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next president of the United States, Barack America,” Biden said, per ABC News’ Sunlen Miller.
However the official Obama campaign transcript of Biden’s remarks sent to reporters omitted part of the misspeak, reading: “A man who will be the next president of the United States, Barack Amer – You know, you learn a lot of things being up close with a guy.”
No big deal, of course; candidates for president are in front of microphones several hours a day and are bound to make their share of mistakes — goodness knows McCain has. And, in the opinion of at least one journalist covering he event, Obama and Biden “shined” at the rally. Still, it’s an amusing exchange.
The “Barack America” thing might actually catch on. It’s a clever counter to all the nonsense questioning his citizenship.
I am mildly curious about the “US of America” formulation, which would be hard to trip on naturally. Does Obama routinely use that phraseology? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone use that combination.
Photo credit: Detroit Free Press. Story via Memeorandum.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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We finally get some comic relief in this campaign, courtesy of the Democratic Party. What a welcome change!
"I am mildly curious about the “US of America” formulation"
Possibly a reformulation of this...such as...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WALIARHHLII
I've never understood why verbal flubs like this make big news with some politicians, and not with others. Anyone who's ever tape recorded lecture notes or an interview and then transcribed it later knows that every human being on earth makes flubs, gaffes, says um a million times, etc.
The ABC transcript is wrong. If you listen to the audio, Obama doesn't say "US of America", he says "United States of America".
Personally, I want a Barack America t-shirt.
