Photo: nbc.com

President Barack Obama came so close to pulling off a flawless appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. But 20 minutes in, Jay Leno asked the President about his bowling skills. After that, the boys at Fox News kissed each other full on the lips and ran to write fresh copy.

It was the first time a sitting U.S. president has ever appeared on a late-night talk show, so one can only imagine the countless hours Obama's team devoted to his preparation. The bail outs, AIG, taxing bonuses...Obama hit Leno's couch like a well oiled machine. But when Leno asked Obama a seemingly innocuous question about bowling, no one was prepared for the President to go off script and equate his skills, or lack thereof, to those in the Special Olympics.

The show hadn't even aired yet and already his gaffe was being beamed and criticized around the globe. By morning, California's first lady, Maria Shriver, had to step up and to plate an issue a public wrist-slap. It was Shriver's mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was a founder of the Special Olympics, a nonprofit group for mentally disabled athletes.



Shriver, a Democrat who endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton last year, issued a statement which read in part, “While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone, the response that his comments have caused, coupled with the reaction of a primetime audience, demonstrate the need to continue to educate the non-disabled community on the issues that confront those with a developmental disability."

Shriver added: “Oftentimes we don’t realize that when we laugh at comments like this it hurts millions of people throughout the world.”

Before The segment aired, Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Maria's brother, Tim Shriver, to apologize. Tim Shriver was quick to accept the apology but noted in his statement, "Words hurt and words matter. Words can cause pain and result in stereotypes that are unfair and damaging to people with intellectual disabilities. And using "Special Olympics" in a negative or derogatory context can be a humiliating put-down to people with special needs."

Chairman Shriver also stated that President Obama "expressed his regret and he apologized. He said that he did not intend to humiliate Special Olympics athletes or people with intellectual disabilities. He was sincere and heartfelt, and said that he is a fan of our movement and is ready to work with our athletes to make the United States a more accepting and welcoming country for all people with special needs. "

Check out Obama's full appearance on The Tonight Show...