As mentioned in this thread, sometimes our Commander-in-Chief has an incident that can be described as less-than-presidential in dignity. Several come to mind:
Taft stuck in the bathtub.
LBJ and the gallbladder surgery scar.
Jimmy Carter and the rabbit.
Bush 1’s vomiting in Japan.
Clinton and the blue dress.
Bush 2’s choking on a pretzel*.
Any others?
*It may be said that some Presidents’ entire terms were an embarrassment . . . but that’s for another thread.
There was that time everyone told Andrew Jackson that the big state dinner was a costume party, and he was the only one that showed up dressed like a pimp.
Jimmy Carter and the Montezuma’s revenge comment to Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo.
LBJ lifting his dog by its ears for reporters.
Bush II’s uninvited massage of Merkel’s shoulders.
That was a commonly printed story of the day, but modern historians are divided over whether Jackson was actually in costume or simply naturally pimptastic.
Gerald Ford falling down the airplane ramp.
Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy urinating in public.
Ronald Reagan’s radio warm-up gaffe, where he said “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”
Is Jimmy Billy’s keeper? If we start talking Presidential brother’s embarrassments," this will be one very long thread.
I think the biblical answer to that is supposed to be yes.
I disliked Ronald Reagan with the heat of a thousand suns; it took Bush 43 to make me realize that he was not the worst thing that could happen to the Presidency. But I thought and still think that this was funny as hell.
Bush 41 spent several months making a big deal of carefully choosing exactly the right VP nominee, and then came up with Dan Quayle, who proceeded to be an ongoing embarrassment during his term of office. Bush wasn’t president at the time, but I still think it counts.
Does it have to be a US president? If not, how about something Ukrainian?
Man, even when you are the Pres it’s hard out there for a Pimp.
Well, considering in the day that Billy was seen as an embarrassment to Jimmy’s presidency, I think he counts as a “Presidential Embarrassment.” He seems to be more of an embarrassment to the presidency than, say, Roger Clinton.
(I left out Billygate, in which Billy buddied up with the Libyan government, as it seemed to be more of a legit scandal than merely an embarrassment, and it called into question Jimmy’s forthrightness with the public.)
Well, I don’t suppose it was really embarrassing, but the rodent running in front of President Obama’s lectern on the news this morning was pretty amusing.
Gerald Ford hitting spectators not once but twice at a single gold tourney.
George W.'s trying to exit through the locked door in China.
LBJ holding Him and Her by the ears. LBJ showing off his scar. LBJ flying straight to Rome for no other reason (that is known) than to give the Pope a bust of LBJ.
Clinton’s taste in mistresses.
Obama’s bowling game was a little embarrassing, and as I recall, his “throw the first pitch” in White Sox Park was pretty pathetic. On the other hand, his free throw is awesome, and when he killed that fly I was proud that he was my President.
Bush 43 had several, such as the time he tried to exit after making a speech but could not find an unlocked door; and Angela Merkel’s “stranger danger” reaction to his impromptu backrub.
Carter claimed to have seen a UFO.
Should be “golf” of course.
Clinton’s taste in [del]mistresses[/del] women.
To be fair, a lot of people in the military have seen (not “claimed” to have seen) unidentified flying objects, which they are supposed to report. It doesn’t mean he thought it was a flying saucer.
More embarrassing was Obama’s comment about the Special Olympics on the Tonight Show when teased about his bowling.
Bush 41 not knowing about price scanners at supermarkets.
Reagan not recognizing his own Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Which led to the important question: “Has a Ford driven you lately?”