Gaffe-o-Rama: Boehner, Biden, Obama and Palin

(July 2) -- Talk about making a mountain out of an anthill. House Minority Leader John Boehner's poor choice of words to criticize financial reform legislation ignited a public spat that drew as much attention this week as the bill itself.

In a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review interview published Tuesday, the Ohio Republican likened the bill to "killing an ant with a nuclear weapon."

Democrats couldn't believe their luck. The White House and top Democrats on Capitol Hill scrambled to charge that Boehner was trivializing the financial crisis. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's communication chief told Politico it was like Rep. Joe Barton's infamous apology to BP. The Democratic National Committee rushed out a video ad attacking Boehner's remark.

President Barack Obama piled on during a town hall meeting in Racine, Wis., Wednesday. In an unusual move, he singled out the House's top Republican.

"He compared the financial crisis to an ant. This is the same financial crisis that led to the loss of nearly 8 million jobs. The same crisis that cost people their homes, their life savings," the president told the crowd. "He can't be that out of touch with the struggles of American families, and if he is, he should come here to Racine and ask people what they think.

"Maybe I'm confused," Obama continued. "Do you think that the financial crisis was an ant, and we just need a little ant swatter to fix this thing?"

(What is an ant swatter, anyway?)

Boehner swatted back. The ant reference was "not a judgment of the financial crisis," he insisted. Boehner said his point was that the compromise bill worked out by House and Senate conferees would give the government too much authority over the banking system and kill jobs.

But he didn't leave it at that.

"For someone who asked to be held to a higher standard, President Obama spends an awful lot of time making excuses and whining about others," Boehner complained at a news conference Thursday. "The American people want leadership from this White House and not childish partisanship."

The fact that his ant comment blew up into a controversy that even drew in Obama is a sign of Boehner's "increasing stature" and a "small taste of what he can expect should he become speaker of the House," noted Politico's Jonathan Allen and Jake Sherman. They also said Boehner's leadership is being tested as he takes a pounding from both sides.

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Wednesday, host Joe Scarborough -- who served as a Republican in Congress with Boehner from 1995 to 2001 -- accused the minority leader of being lazy.

"Every Republican I talk to says John Boehner by 5 or 6 o'clock at night, you can see him at bars. He is not a hard worker," Scarborough said.

A Boehner spokesman responded with a statement that when his boss goes out on the town, it's to drum up donations for the GOP -- and he's raised $27 million so far this year.

"I've always believed you only tease the ones you love," Boehner quipped when asked about Scarborough's criticism. "You can go back over the last 16 years and -- and look at my schedule, and you'll -- you'd be hard-pressed to find a night when I wasn't doing events for my colleagues and my candidates."

The reaction from Jay Newton-Small on Time's Swampland blog: "Best non-denial denial ever! I drink for you, my people. I suffer every drop of that loathed bourbon all for the GOP conference."

While Boehner's rhetorical blunder created the most buzz this week, he did have some competition. People were also talking about Vice President Joe Biden's momentary meltdown at a frozen custard shop in suburban Milwaukee.

Video of his visit to Kopp's Frozen Custard went viral over the weekend, adding another scene to Biden's gaffe highlight reel.

First, he walked in and asked, "Where's the ice cream?" Several employees immediately corrected him. It's custard -- not ice cream. (Shop manager Scott Borkin later explained the difference to Mediate's Tommy Christopher.)

After enjoying the frozen treat, Biden asked Borkin what he owed him. No charge, said the manager. "Lower our taxes and we'll call it even."

"Why don't you say something nice, instead of being a smartass all the time?" the vice president responded.

TV news cameras recorded the moment for posterity and pundits pounced. Just as Democrats did with Boehner, critics said Biden's wisecrack was a sign that he's out of touch.

"The disconnect between average, everyday Americans and this Administration is stark. Biden's 'smartass' comment is par for the coarse (no pun intended) for this bunch of Washington hacks," railed Right Pundits blogger Shannon Bell. "How dare that lowly custard shop worker say something clever to Biden and make him look like a fool. I guess Kopp's Frozen Custard can expect to be audited in the near future."

It could have been worse. Just ask the president -- on whom Biden dropped an F-bomb on live TV a few months ago.

Obama suffered his own verbal misfire Thursday during a speech about immigration. Quoting from "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, the president spoke of "huddled masses yearning to be free." The correct words from the sonnet about the Statue of Liberty are "yearning to breathe free."

"It wasn't a fluke," scolded Gateway Pundit's Jim Hoft. "The White House website even has the wrong words."

"The community organizer committed another hilarious gaffe, this time with the teleprompter delivering his remarks to him word for word," crowed Ian Lazaran on the blog Conservatives4Palin. His post included an appeal for donations to Sarah Palin's political action committee.

That would be the same Sarah Palin who praised her hero Ronald Reagan during a speech at California State University, Stanislaus, over the weekend.

"This is Reagan country, and perhaps it was destiny that the man who went to California's Eureka College would become so woven within and interlinked to the Golden State," Palin declared.

Reagan did attend Eureka College. It's located in Eureka, Ill. There is no Eureka College in California.

Glass houses, people. Glass houses.