Obama Apologizes To Nancy Reagan For Joke About Seances

UPDATE: AL BROOKS: LIGHTEN UP AMERICA

WASHINGTON — President-elect Obama called Nancy Reagan on Friday to apologize for joking that she held seances in the White House.

At a news conference in Chicago, Obama said he had spoken with all the living presidents as he prepares to take office in January. Then he smiled and said, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances."

The 87-year-old former first lady had consulted with astrologers during her husband's presidency. But she did not hold conversations with the dead.

Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect later called Mrs. Reagan "to apologize for the careless and offhanded remark." She said Obama "expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share, and they had a warm conversation."

It actually wasn't Nancy Reagan who was linked to conversations with the dead; it was Obama's top Democratic challenger for the presidency, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

In either case, use of the word "seance" might be overstated.

Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer to help set her husband's schedule, wrote former White House chief of staff Donald T. Regan. The revelation created a furor and President Reagan even broke with his policy of not commenting on books by former White House staffers.

"No policy or decision in my mind has ever been influenced by astrology," Reagan said.

In his book "The Choice," Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward described how Clinton consulted with a spiritual adviser who led her through imaginary conversations with her personal hero, Eleanor Roosevelt. Newsweek magazine, which was promoting the book, characterized the visits as "seances," a term that White House officials quickly tried to squelch.

"These were people who were helping her laugh, helping her think," said Neel Lattimore, Clinton's spokeswoman. "These were not seances."

Comments

[Brooklyn49]

02:16 PM on 11/09/2008

The apology made the comment way more meaningful than it was; for heaven's sake, is nothing allowed anymore? It's not as though he ridiculed someone's need to go to Mass or something of an equally spiritual/religious nature. He made a comment about a seance: it demonstrated recall of silly political history. Nancy Reagan got to me only when I watched her profound sadness and evidence of loss following the death of her husband: it was a humanizing, everyman moment. Other than that, I don't really recall too much that spoke to sensitivity on her part. For those of us less "cosmic" than seancers (I made that up, and if there's a more formal word, I apologize for not caring), I think the concept of a seance is bizarre; this is a nonissue.

[debb17055]

09:00 AM on 11/09/2008

Wow, I got through the first page of the comments and thought. how petty, don't you have anything better to do? So I scrolled up to see just how many comments were posted.1121 at last count. I suppose ignorance is bliss

[aedelbert]

11:38 PM on 11/08/2008

After eight years of Bushisms both stupid and offensive, does anyone really have the cajones to say this matters?

[sunzen]

07:00 AM on 11/09/2008

Yes i have the cajones to say it matters for this reason. It is a pattern of somewhat insensitive off the cuff comments when he is not reading a script...he has a problem with confidence in his words and thoughts when he is not reading a script. Often it makes him look arrogant and cold. And i dont think he is.

[annschneider1]

11:19 PM on 11/08/2008

It was a joke and it was funny. Does no one remember the mean spirited things Reagan said? ....on purpose.

[Palmz]

10:40 PM on 11/08/2008

If that's all they got, they got nothing.

Séances?

I guess whoever was involved in it was not too proud if O needs to apologize.

[rican28]

10:29 PM on 11/08/2008

Just wait few more weeks and look for the field day ALL media is going to have with the Mesiah Obama. No more happy times.....

[dajay]

12:16 PM on 11/09/2008

I agree. The fun is over for good now.

[dcarn2]

09:23 PM on 11/08/2008

It may have been in bad taste and he was man enough to own up to it.....but I must admit that gave me a good laugh!

[harriettubman]

10:08 PM on 11/08/2008

It was funny. LOL

[MsYellowDog]

08:24 PM on 11/08/2008

Message: Faux News and Rush Limbaugh---GET A LIFE, your advice is not needed.

[wadenelson1]

07:33 PM on 11/08/2008

Why the apology? Nancy hired astrologers and used their input to advise her husband.

[roshni]

09:44 PM on 11/08/2008

But Hillary had seances.
This is not like Obama even though it is not a big deal. He is usually self-deprecating.

[SueEll]

07:28 PM on 11/08/2008

He is a nice, polite man. Having good manners is seen by some as a weakness -- I think it shows courage.

[cswalker21]

07:26 PM on 11/08/2008

I'm glad he apologized; that was in pretty poor taste. But who among us hasn't blurted out something we regret while trying to make a joke? I sure hope the media doesn't latch onto this and try to make a big deal out of it (I'm talking to you, Fox News!)

[BosieO]

06:28 PM on 11/08/2008

OH gosh fu*king media!! LIGHTEN UP!!!

[robbie44]

06:22 PM on 11/08/2008

Just say boo!

[jemiltd]

05:59 PM on 11/08/2008

Lighten up and get a clue: The man has not had a chance to take a breath since he was elected Tuesday. He is exhausted and it was perfectly clear to me that he was exhausted when he made the comment. He is not perfect, no man or woman is. If any of you folks on the Republican side of the aisle who are currently all over this non-issue would have paid a fraction of the attention to what Cheney and Bush were doing while you were sleeping, perhaps there may have been a very different outcome, you think? How about giving the benefit of the doubt and come back in two years with your earnest point of view. Obama did not make the mess he is going to have to clean up, and all you can focus on is a joke? Please.

[Hatsone]

05:57 PM on 11/08/2008

Republicans do Seances?