El Presidente Obama celebrates 'Cinco de Cuatro'

Well, there goes some of the Latino vote next time.

President Obama greeted a White House crowd this afternoon gathered for a May 4 premature celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday honoring an upset military victory over the French, whose troops didn't do so well in North America and don't celebrate the same day much.

Anyway, in a well-intentioned attempt at Spanish and a joke about being a day early, Obama said:

"Bienvenidos. Welcome to Cinco de Cuatro -- (laughter) -- Cinco de Mayo at the White House. We are a day early, but we always like to get a head start here at the Obama White House."

Apparently unbeknownst to the president he wasn't saying "Happy May 4th." He was saying, "Happy fifth of fourth."

He could have said, "Feliz cuatro de mayo." But he didn't. So that explains the laughter.

He also said:

Cinco de Mayo marks a singular moment in Mexican history. Nearly 150 years ago, a ragtag band of soldiers and citizens, badly outnumbered and facing impossible odds, held their ground on a muddy hill to defend their nation from what was at the time the most fearsome fighting force in the world. 

That decisive victory at what became known as the Battle of Puebla ignited a pride in country and culture that Mexican Americans feel to this day.

And tomorrow, on both sides of our border, we'll pay tribute to our shared heritage by celebrating with friends and family, with love and laughter. We'll remember that America is a richer and more vibrant place thanks to the contributions of Mexican Americans -- (applause).

But everyone had a good time anyway.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[David]

You have got to be kidding! Do you seriously believe that Barack Obama doesn't know that "cuatro" means four and "Mayo" means 'May"? Really? I don't. It seems obvious to me that he used the joke phrase "Cinco de Cuatro" because it RHYMES with "Cinco de Mayo," not because he was unaware of how to say "Fourth of May."

[ARI ALLEN]

Super Typical -- the entire world is making fun of obama for saying "cinco de cuatro" without actually understanding the sophistication of a joke he was making:

It was "five minutes to four" when he was speaking... thats why he looked at his watch -- idiots... hope that shuts up those people who thought they were smarter than Obama!

[Pom Pom Girl]

OUr President Should Not Celebrate A Mexican National Holiday ANd Neither SHould You.

[Pom Pom Girl]

I thouught Justice was supposed to be blind. I thought that court rulings should be based on law and not feelings etc. . Outcomes should be consistent not based on things that make them arbitrary.

[rafael]

If you cannot trust this man to get his Spanish correct, can you really trust him with nukes? Clearly everything that comes out of his mouth is suspect.

Ha ha, just wanted to beat the conservative nuts to their punchline. Happy fifth of fourth.

[Dinah]

If NBC has to cancel MTP it serves them right. David Gregory has to be someone's nephew, illegitmate son, or Lover at NBC to get this coveted position. Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthew, Gwen Ifill would have been better choices then DG. As soon as NBC announced DG was going to be host of MTP I stop watching the show.

[Liah]

Hey People!

Don't make a big fuss about President Obama mistaken a foreign word.

And don't EXCUSE him with nonsense arguments (he didn't do), just acknowledge it the way he did it, by rephrasing the statement.

For all of us who already speak a second and third language understand better his situation.

At least, President Obama was attentive and thoughtful by speaking some Spanish.

I am so glad that we Don't have an arrogant president.

[james hoffa]

but it doesn't rhyme though. like, at all.

[Annie in AZ]

I don't care that he messed up his words saying Happy fifth of fourth but did he really say "We'll remember that America is a richer and more vibrant place thanks to the contributions of Mexican Americans" ?? Richer? Seriously? Last I knew they were draining our welfare system, over loading our Child Protective Services, smuggling drugs into our country and kidnapping real American's. Hmmm... Good thing American is such a vibrant place with their addition. Whoever agrees must not live in or close to a state that borders Mexico.

[AntiObama]

From AP:
"Obama joked that it was "Cinco de Cuatro," botching a play on the Spanish word for "four" when he meant to say "Cuatro de Mayo," or the Fourth of May. He tried again, but he still did not get it right.

Moving past the jumbled translation, the president assured his guests that the White House wants to be early in commemorating the holiday"

Yeah- he was joking about his watch! That is why he said it again. Just like Leno/Conan or other professional comics have to say the same monologue many times (trying to correct their delivery each time) over before people can 'get' the radiant humor and laugh. Oh wait... That is not so.

His jokes are very sophisticated indeed: The fist 100+ days in office (we are just getting started here) are a laugh fest of the first order... To bad the gag is on the American Citizens!

I know already I am smarted then Obama... I hail from Chicago and I did NOT vote for that teleprompter clown.
That proves it to full effect by that one act alone.

The chosen one sucks as speaking in a foreign tongue as much as he does at leading the nation.

Obama can't make time to use Rosetta Stone? He may as well... He sure is not using his working hours to lead and improve America. He may as well learn to speak the rhetoric of socialism in other languages.

[James]

Mr. President, as they say, don't quit your day job... oh, wait...

[M. Ward]

No, it won't shut up those who can actually speak Spanish - those who know that the CORRECT way to say "five 'til four" would be "Son las cinco para las cuatro."
In President Obama's own words, "You know, it's embarassing when Europeans come over here , they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is 'merci beaucoup'!"
Apparently, President Obama can't even say "Cuatro de Mayo" OR the time correctly in Spanish.
Either way, it's embarassing that we have a president who cannot speak without a teleprompter lest he utter "um" and "uuh" dozens of times.
I guess the rest of us just "misunderestimate" President Obama's intellect and subtle humor.

[The Voice of Reason]

Not to mention, can you imagine if this had been George W. Bush that had made that little gaffe? The libs would have been all over him like white on rice!

Just like it was patriotic when Bush was in office to question your leaders, and now anyone who questions the Dear Leader Obama is called an extremist. This coming from the same people who rode around in cars with "Not My President" bumper stickers on them.

Pathetic.

[Bostonian with concern]

Nay, should we forget the almost infinite amount of faux pas (French for screw ups) from Bush so quickly as we judge Obama?

[Josh C.]

Hey Liah, what happened about you guys laughing about Bush pronouncing Putin? Hmmmm your jokes are coming back to bite you?

[Mike G.]

Wow! I never heard this until a few minutes ago and I had to verify it really happened. LOL! What a clown! Yeah, he's so smart he meant to do that. Riiiiggghhhhtttt... W was supposed to be the biggest moron ever in the White House huh... We just got a new contender. LOL!