Obama's Special Olympic gaffe has Palin miffed

Washington, Mar.21 (ANI): Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, a mother to a child with Down's Syndrome, has expressed her shock over President Obama's comment about the Special Olympics on "The Tonight Show."

Obama joked his last bowling score was so low "it was like the Special Olympics, or something."

"I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics," Governor Palin said in statement released Friday.

"This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world," the Washington Times quoted her, as saying.

On Thursday, Obama attracted controversy again by saying that his poor bowling skills make him a likely candidate for the Special Olympics.

His spokesman, however, quickly said Obama did not mean any offense by his comment.

According to Politico, the late-night turn is a political risk for a president overseeing a recession.

Obama sought to mock his lackluster bowling skills by saying that he recently bowled a score of 129 in the White House bowling alley.

After the show's taping and en route back to Washington on Air Force One, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters that Obama had "made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics."

"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," Burton said.

Obama's comments came on the same day that he had appeared with California First Lady Maria Shriver, an early supporter, whose mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the athletic competition for the disabled in 1968.

He said he had been working on his bowling game just below his new residence and recently rolled a 129.

"That's very good, Mr. President," cracked host Jay Leno

"It"s like - it was like Special Olympics, or something," the president replied.

Obama realized his gaffe after the show was taped and before it aired nationwide.

Tom Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics board, told Good Morning America the president phone him to express his disappointment and to apologize for the remark. (ANI)