Alright, I know this may seem trivial… Obama making a questionable joke about a former president’s wife is hardly front-page news (unless Gov. Palin said it), even if he got the details wrong (Nancy Reagan never held seances). But this does highlight a little of Obama’s inexperience; it also shows a difference between his TelePrompTer-fed demagoguery and his candid awkwardness.

People bemoaned George W. Bush for his verbal blunders. People attempted to use Sarah Palin’s awkwardness in interviews to prove her incapacity for the presidency. But I can’t recall either of them, in all of their solecisms, matching even this minor maladress of Obama’s.

I am sure the reporters and Obama thought it was funny, but as the President of the United States, Mr. Obama needs to understand that he sets an example to the entire country. His personally offensive mockings and disparaging remarks about persons of stature expose his immaturity.

Mr. Obama may have to guard his words more carefully than any other president in history. His dissidents will be looking for any reason to highlight his inexperience; his supporters will be underwhelmed and embarassed by any faux pas. This in itself is nothing new, but Obama created a more vigorous brand of supporters and dissidents alike during his presidential campaign, and they will both be as vigorous in their expectations.

As for Mrs. Reagan, I am sure she was graceful enough to overlook a naive comment by an inexperienced office holder. I am sure Obama was equally gracious in his apology to Mrs. Reagan. But for someone who touts his abilities in public speaking to manipulate an audience, he fell grossly short of his campaign demagoguery and answered a simple question like second-rate celebrity.