Obamateurism of the Day: OBAMA says he doesn't speak Austrian

hotair.com ^ | April 6, 2009 | Ed Morrissey

[Tolik]

George Bush’s critics rightly roasted him for his tortured syntax and waterboarded grammar, and used it to make the claim that the graduate of both Harvard and Yale was an idiot.  Well, perhaps, but I don’t recall him ever claiming that Austrian was a language.  It takes a highly-esteemed intellect, it seems, to miss the fact that Austrians mainly speak German:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr7zhnctF4c

 

Obama: It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There’s a lot of — I don’t know what the term is in Austrian — wheeling and dealing — and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics.

Austrians speak German and Italian primarily, as well as French — and I’m sure some Austrians speak languages ranging from Albanian to Swahili, being an intelligent and cultured people. However, none of the speak Austrian, because it doesn’t exist.

I got a deluge of e-mails on this, so thanks to all who sent the tip.  Other bloggers on this Obamateurism:

• American Thinker
• Jim Treacher’s Twitter message
• Josh Painter

Update: LGF claims they have a clip of Bush bowing to Abdullah, but he’s actually bending down to receive a medal from the Saudi king.  Bush is much taller than Abdullah, which would have made it impossible for Abdullah to get the medal around his neck otherwise.  We can question whether Bush should have accepted a medal from the Saudis, but he wasn’t greeting Abdullah with a bow.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day.

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Barcepundit: OBAMA SAYS he doesn't speak Austrian. It's unknown if he can speak Argentinean or Brazilian but, to his credit, his American is way better than his English.

[Jeff Chandler]

America owes Dan Quayle an apology.

[Jonny foreigner]

*lol* i´m austrian too and even i don´t speak austrian.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Ooooooooooh! He’s soooooo worldly, intelligent and articulate! /s *snort*

[relictele]

Next Teleprompter line:

ICH BIN EIN AUSTRALIAN!

[Tolik]

You, ignorant you, </sarcasm>

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

I’ve also noticed that the word ‘vulnerable’ had now officially become ‘vunnerable’ under this president......

[Above My Pay Grade]

Pardon my Austrian, but 0bama is an #$@&*#$!

[mojito]

Everyone know that the Austrians speak Australian!

Geez!

[Tolik]

Nah, Obama means well. That’s all that is important, don’t you know?

[patton]

etz’at ma klur.

[Tolik]

That was Greek too me. :^)

[Enchante]

re: speaking “Austrian”

Yes, but maybe you need to speak “Austrian” because after all the “smartest man in the world” already thinks that you do!

Just make up a new language and Obama will feel better.....

I just hope he doesn’t get too confused about what language people in England speak......

“I don’t know how you folks say it in English but.....”

England and America, two peoples separated by a common language (I think Churchill said that?).

[Always Right]

America owes Dan Quayle an apology.

A comic once joked about Dan Quayle saying he did not speak Latin when visiting Latin America, but it was a joke and not a fact. Regardless, the media reported that as a fact hundreds of times over many many years.

[Young Werther]

I thought Australiens were exstinky during the last great Asteriodian Impacto?

I wonder if he can speak Eyetailian?

[Sig Sauer P220]

I’m sure he’s fully fluent in Arabic though.

[Jonny foreigner]

etz’at ma klur.

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*lol* is this the secret austrian languange?
because sorry i didn´t understand a single word ;-)

[FormerACLUmember]

Obama is the biggest scam artist in all of human history!

Take a classic ghetto jive talker Three Card Monte hustler-idiot, give him an affirmative action Harvard socialist education, and... voila... you have Obama!

[patton]

Yes it is, and demonstrated by your bard, Klaus Lage.

“Jetzt ist es mir klar”, in German.

[FormerACLUmember]

Hey, I speak Austrian!:

Bama-osay is-say an-say ool-fay.