Obama Apologizes for 'Seances' Remark
President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan tonight, reports our colleague Jeff Zeleny, who passed along this statement from the transition team:
“President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologize for the careless and off-handed remark he made during today’s press conference. The President-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation,” said Stephanie Cutter, transition team spokeswoman.
One of the odder moments in President-elect Obama’s first news conference on Friday came when he was asked whether he had spoken to any “living ex-presidents” to prepare himself for the job.
“In terms of speaking to former presidents, I’ve spoken to all of them that are living,’’ Mr. Obama said, before zeroing in on that fact that he had been asked whether he had spoken to living people. “Obviously, President Clinton — I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any séances.’’
Mrs. Reagan was famous for consulting an astrologer, Joan Quigley, while in the White House. Ms. Quigley declined to comment on the president-elect’s remarks, said her sister, Ruth, who added, “My sister is not a medium; she’s an astrologer.’’
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Reagan, 87, who was hospitalized this fall when she fractured her pelvis, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Ms. Quigley described her work for the Reagans in a 1990 memoir called “What Does Joan Say?”...
Read entire article at NYT blog
“President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologize for the careless and off-handed remark he made during today’s press conference. The President-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation,” said Stephanie Cutter, transition team spokeswoman.
One of the odder moments in President-elect Obama’s first news conference on Friday came when he was asked whether he had spoken to any “living ex-presidents” to prepare himself for the job.
“In terms of speaking to former presidents, I’ve spoken to all of them that are living,’’ Mr. Obama said, before zeroing in on that fact that he had been asked whether he had spoken to living people. “Obviously, President Clinton — I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any séances.’’
Mrs. Reagan was famous for consulting an astrologer, Joan Quigley, while in the White House. Ms. Quigley declined to comment on the president-elect’s remarks, said her sister, Ruth, who added, “My sister is not a medium; she’s an astrologer.’’
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Reagan, 87, who was hospitalized this fall when she fractured her pelvis, did not immediately return a call for comment.
Ms. Quigley described her work for the Reagans in a 1990 memoir called “What Does Joan Say?”...