Klein does not actually excerpt his own offensive quote; his link is to the first page of the Politico article, but he does not appear until the second page. Courage!

Obviously, I didn't mean to imply second-class status for disabled people. On the contrary, the distance and perspective that comes with physical deficits often leads to enhanced insight and abilities. The greatest President of the past 150 140 years--(Thanks, commenter flownover!)-- sat in a wheelchair.

Regardless of what he meant to imply, we can all read what he said. Klein offers this ironic gem, without irony:

So it is possible to write brilliant, nuanced commentary—on the war in Iraq, for example—without visiting th...

Klein does not actually excerpt his own offensive quote; his link is to the first page of the Politico article, but he does not appear until the second page. Courage!

Obviously, I didn't mean to imply second-class status for disabled people. On the contrary, the distance and perspective that comes with physical deficits often leads to enhanced insight and abilities. The greatest President of the past 150 140 years--(Thanks, commenter flownover!)-- sat in a wheelchair.

Regardless of what he meant to imply, we can all read what he said. Klein offers this ironic gem, without irony:

So it is possible to write brilliant, nuanced commentary—on the war in Iraq, for example—without visiting there.

Klein had better think so - his candidate formulated an entire peace plan for Iraq and Afghanistan prior to his first visit. That said, this next bit may explain Obama's retreat from his "Retreat At Any Cost" approach that won raves during the Democratic nominating process:

But it sure does help to understand a complicated situation in an unfamiliar culture if you can see it for yourself. Indeed, I believe the leavening effects of direct experience are especially valuable for those who are blinkered by ideology and debilitated by extreme views.

"Debilitated"? I suppose it is better than "crippled by extreme views", but not much.

Let's include the timeless "I'm sorry if you were upset" apology:

Still, it seems clear that my remark could be construed by some as insensitive—and if I have caused any discomfort to any disabled person, I apologize sincerely.

Construed by "some"? And is it only disabled persons that have legitimate grounds for offense?

What about people who have worked hard for the equal treatment of the handicapped - have they no right to an apology?

What a classless buffoon. TIME ought to sentence him to covering Joe Biden.