Barack Bowl

[Marnieworld]

Barack Bowl
By Michael Powell

Barack Obama spent Saturday evening in a close encounter with the fierce urgency of a gutter ball.
In search of game, a friendly crowd and really good photo ops, Senator Barack Obama and Senator Robert Casey rolled into Pleasant Valley Lanes in Altoona to cheers from patrons, report our faithful press pool reporters. Several bowlers ready to bite into French fries lathered with ketchup and American cheese—it’s a Pennsylvania thing; you wouldn’t understand — stopped mid-munch, put down their beers and watched a presidential candidate walk into their midst.
Mr. Obama takes no small pride in his athleticism but he was back-pedaling from the start. “I just want to point out that the last time I bowled was 30 years ago, when I was 16,” he cautioned the crowd gathering to ask for his autograph and a photo.
Whatever.
Roxanne Hart, a 43-year-old gal from Altoona, asked if he wanted to bowl with her. Mr. Obama and Mr. Casey shed dress shoes for bowling shoes—a blue and white Velcro number for Obama, size 13 ½ — and entered their names into the overhead monitor. It was BAR and BOB against ROX.

Rox won in a walk.
Mr. Obama picked up a ball, cued up all confident-like, and sent the thing into the gutter. “We’re just warming up,” Mr. Obama assured himself, maybe.
So it rolled, one desultory frame after another. Rox hit spare upon spare; Mr. Obama knocked a few pins here and there and announced that his goal was to beat Mr. Casey. “I can’t beat Roxanne,” he said.
Mr. Obama, it turns out, was a weak centrist. His balls rolled down the center of the lane, but much too slowly to knock over more than a half dozen or so pins. “You notice I’m getting better?” he asked.
The patrons kept taking cell phone and camera shots, and urging friends to drive to the bowling alley to catch this scene.
“Let me tell you something,” Obama said to the crowd. “My economic plan is better than my bowling.” A man standing at the next lane called out, “It has to be.”
Mr. Obama laughed and gave him a hug.
Finally, in the seventh frame, Obama made a spare, cleaning up one pin. “Yes I can!” he started chanting after a couple admirers at a nearby lane started it. “Yes I can!”
As to politics, maybe. As to bowling? No, he really can’t.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/barack-bowl/

[Double T]

1. obama bowls like he votes.................

He gets the ball rolling but LITTLE or NOTHING ever happens. 'SPARE' US ALL BO and END your campaign!!

[stellanoir]

2. Yeah he should end it because he's winning.

You had to roast him for being a good sport. Didn't you?

This is more his game and great fun.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x128161

[greguganus]

3. He can't bowl? OH SHIT! Wait until the Hillbots latch on to this!

I can hear it now: "Obama lost his balls to a woman last night", "Obama has the balls but not the skill to use them", "Obama ends up in the gutter", etc.

[JayFredMuggs]

5. Well stated!

We all need a sense of humor about this campaign! Thanks for the laughs!

[BumRushDaShow]

4. This is hilareous because like him, I haven't bowled since I was 16, 30 years ago!

:rofl:

And bowling was a big thing over here in Philly in the '70s and has made a come-back (at least from the media perspective) big time, with modern bowling lanes opening up and renovations happening to the few lanes that survived during the slack times. "Bowling for Dollars" used to be a popular show (and I recently found out that it is still running - on ESPN, where classic shows are also rerun). Good to see it making a resurgence with a new generation.

[globalvillage]

6. There are photos at barackobama.com

This is awesome. He's a worse bowler than me! Not too many can claim that distinction.

GObama!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/caitlinharvey/gGB5RD

[Guava Jelly]

7. 13 ½ shoes..Geezus..You know what they say about big hands and feet

Big shoes and gloves.:yoiks:

[GoldieAZ49]

8. could be he just didn't have the right balls to choose from

it happens

[Guava Jelly]

9. Or maybe he should contest the bowling pens

See if he can get them knocked down at the convention :eyes:

[Marnieworld]

10. I laughed out loud when he yelled "Yes I Can!"

This man's sense of humor is really growing on me. He really isn't an egomaniac to be so self-deprecating and to risk looking foolish in front of people with such shitty bowling. I wish I was there. I would have shared my cheese fries.;)

[Guava Jelly]

11. I have grown more and more fond of him as a person and a candidate

Not to mention his speeches normally leave me a little misty eyed.
I also love the fact that he bowls worse than I do.