Did Obama invent a new holiday for Austrians? “Cinco de Cuatro”

For the 1000th time, if Bush did this, or Sarah Palin did this, or any other Republican did this. Today on the Mexican holiday Cinco da Mayo, President Barack Obama joked 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. It happened during an event at the White House on the eve of the Mexican holiday. (May 4)

“Welcome to Cinco de Cuatro – Cinco de Mayo at the White House,” said Obama, in what appeared to be an attempt to note they were celebrating on the fourth of May instead of the fifth.

Cinco de cuatro means “five of four” in Spanish.

Mary Katharine Ham says it best: “This from a unilingual man who’s embarrassed that more of us can’t speak French. If only he were as conversant in Spanish as he is in noted non-language ‘Austrian,’ this wouldn’t have happened.”

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May 5, 2009 · Filed Under Obama Gaffes


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