During a fawning segment on a busy day of presidential traditions for Barack Obama, on Monday's CBS Evening News, fill-in anchor Harry Smith used the commander in chief's embarrassing pitch at the Washington Nationals opening game to tout ObamaCare: "If there had been a batter he might have been hit, but we are assured by the White House he would have been covered by the new health care reform law."
After showing a clip of the Obama's flubbed throw, Smith remarked: "Whoops." He then added: "In the broadcast booth, the President got a chance to analyze his performance on the mound." A clip was played of the President admitting: "This is heart breaking right here. You know, I was a little disappointed with the pitch, it was high and outside. I was intentionally walking the guy."
The segment began with Smith describing the annual White House Easter Egg Roll that morning: "Some 30,000 moms, dads, and kids from all 50 states crowded on to the South Lawn for a day of fun and games....The Obamas put their own special imprint on the event today, focusing on healthy, active living."
Smith also mentioned how "the President put on a basketball clinic for the kids." Perhaps the Early Show co-host was reminded of his own "basketball clinic" [1] with the President, following an interview [2] on Thursday in which Smith pitched worse softballs than Obama.
Here is a full transcript of the segment:
6:40PM
HARRY SMITH: Back in this country, so much of the presidency is about tradition and President Obama kept a number of them going today, beginning with the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House.
BARACK OBAMA: Happy Easter, everybody! We are thrilled that all of you could come!
SMITH: Some 30,000 moms, dads, and kids from all 50 states crowded on to the South Lawn for a day of fun and games. Rutherford B. Hayes was the first president to invite kids to bring their eggs to the White House back in 1878. The Obamas put their own special imprint on the event today, focusing on healthy, active living.
MICHELLE OBAMA: And we want every single one of you to have fun, to think about living a healthy life.
SMITH: The President put on a basketball clinic for the kids.
BARACK OBAMA [PLAYING BASKETBALL]: That's what I'm talking about.
OBAMA [READING 'GREEN EGGS & HAM']: I do not like them Sam, you see.
SMITH: And no sooner had the President read from 'Green Eggs & Ham' by Dr. Seuss-
OBAMA [READING]: I do not like green eggs and ham.
SMITH: -it was on to the Washington Nationals game to continue the tradition President Taft started a century ago, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
[CLIP OF OBAMA THROWING PITCH]
SMITH: Whoops. In the broadcast booth, the President got a chance to analyze his performance on the mound.
BARACK OBAMA: This is heart breaking right here. You know, I was a little disappointed with the pitch, it was high and outside. I was intentionally walking the guy.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: But you were throwing to a gold glover.
SMITH: If there had been a batter he might have been hit, but we are assured by the White House he would have been covered by the new health care reform law.
-Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here. [3]