Friday, December 14, 2012

Friday Follies: 5 Most Embarrassing Presidential Moments

George HW Bush throws up on Japanese Prime Minister:


In January 1992, while at a formal dinner in Japan, then president George Bush became ill, vomiting on the Prime Minister of Japan, Kiichi Miyazawa, then fainting. Earlier in the evening, Bush had told his physician he was feeling unwell. This all happened at a presidential news conference and dinner in Tokyo. It was later famously parodied by Dana Carvey on Saturday Night Live.






George W. Bush gets a twofer...Dubya chokes on a pretzel, also gets a shoe thrown at him

President Bush -- scraped and bruised after a fainting spell -- extolled motherhood on Monday as another symbol of American patriotism, and gave the John Deere workers he addressed a lighthearted lesson to chew on.

"If my mother is listening, mother, I should have listened to you: Always chew your pretzels before you swallow," Bush said jokingly.

Bush lost consciousness for a brief time in the White House on Sunday evening while eating a pretzel and watching a professional football game on television. He fell from his couch and has a scrape and large bruise on his left cheekbone, plus a bruise on his lower lip, to show for his troubles. His glasses cut the side of his face.




President George W. Bush made a surprise appearance in Iraq today and it's safe to say he was not welcomed with open arms. During a news conference with the Prime Minister of Iraq, a reporter thought it would be a good idea to throw both his shoes at Bush. Bush dodged both shoes, so in case you're wondering none of them hit him.

While he was throwing his shoes, he was yelling "This is the end." According to Bloomberg, throwing a shoe in the Arab culture is a sign of disrespect.

Jimmy Carter Has Hemorrhoids


no video, for obvious reasons....
In 1978, Carter had to leave a Christmas party for White House staffers "to receive emergency treatment" for a painful hemorrhoid that left him "almost completely incapacitated from participating in any kind of public events"

For the first and only time during his Presidency, Carter cancelled all his scheduled events for the next day. He was given an injection of Demerol and slept at least part of that day. It was difficult for Carter to walk.

The problem was successfully concealed from the public -- for a time. On Christmas Eve, however, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt "announced to the world that his good friend Jimmy had hemorrhoids and made a public appeal for all Egyptians... to pray on this holy day that he would be cured. ...




Obama Wears Mom Jeans



According to the latest polls, President Barack Obama remains a popular commander-in-chief.

But when his jeans are taken into consideration, it's another story altogether.

After throwing out the first pitch at the recent MLB All Star Game, more attention was paid to Obama's "Mom Jeans" than his actual pitch.

On Monday's Today show, Obama actually responded to the criticism with typical good-natured humor.

"You are married to one of the most fashionable women in the world," said Meredith Vieira. "Do you want to defend the pants?”

"Michelle, she looks fabulous," says Obama. "I am a little frumpy. Up until a few years ago, I only had four suits. She used to tease me because they would get really shiny."

"I hate to shop," the President revealed. "Those jeans are comfortable, and for those of you who want your president to look great in his tight jeans, I'm sorry — I'm not the guy. It just doesn't fit me. I'm not 20."



Gerald Ford Falls

President Gerald Ford had a particularly amusing knee injury; apparently, it made him fall down. Or at least, that's what he claimed. While visiting Austria in 1975, the President's bum knee gave way and he tumbled down the Air Force One stairs. A few more falls (one was even up the stairs) combined with Chevy Chase's Saturday Night Live pratfall routine, earned the former University of Michigan football star a reputation as a bumbling klutz. Well, at least it's better than no reputation at all.


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