"This is like Special Olympics or something."
— President Barack Obama, on The Tonight Show, referring to his pitiful bowling game (March 13)
Even before the interview aired, Obama apologized for implicitly poking fun at the disabled. On the plane back to Washington, the President called Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to say how sorry he was and to offer to have some Special Olympics competitors over to the White House for basketball or bowling. Meanwhile, Obama's staff tried to limit the damage in the press, and Shriver went on national TV to say there were no hard feelings. But even before Obama made the slipup, the idea of a lighthearted late-night appearance was seen as something of a risk for the President during harsh economic times.