Palin, Shriver target Obama for Special Olympics comment.
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she was 'shocked' to hear President Obama's offhand comment referring to the Special Olympics in an appearance on the Tonight Show on Thursday night.
"This was a degrading remark about our world's most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world," Palin said in a statement released Friday. "These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama's comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community."
Palin's son, Trig, has Down Syndrome.
California First Lady Maria Shriver, whose mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics, said she doesn't think Obama meant to offend anyone, but that this incident shows that "there is still much work to be done." Shriver's brother, Tim, is the current chairman of the organization.
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