Stumble of the Week — Perspectives

January 27, 2012 Stumble of the Week Last week we focused on the stumbler. This week we look at the stumbling block:

4^th Runner-Up: Switzerland: Its banks just can’t keep secrets any more, as Mitt Romney, whose omission of the account from his financial disclosure form was called a “minor technical” issue by his staff, was outed on his tax returns.

3^rd Runner-Up: Margaritas: It turns out that the reason Pat Sajak seemed to stumble through entire episodes of “Wheel of Fortune” was that he and Vanna White had had “two or three or six” of those guys during the break. Consequently, they had “trouble recognizing the alphabet.”

2^nd Runner-Up: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have become the clubs with which Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney beat each other up. “You tooted their horn.” “You own their stocks.” “You do too.” Lost in the campaign narcissism are the millions of homeowners and investors who continue to suffer deeply over the actions of the mortgage twins.

1^st Runner-Up: Milk: Not only did the president’s sophisticated joke go right over the heads of Congress (particularly the two men sitting behind him with glazed eyes), but it enraged members of the environmental community who pointed out that spilled milk is no joke. These days everything is a serious matter, so perhaps we need to lighten up a little.

This Week’s Winner: The Moon: Apparently when Alan Shepard hit golf balls there 40 years ago, it awakened in a young Newt Gingrich the possibility that the moon could become, not just a gated colony of 13,000 Americans, but our 51^st state. He’s aiming for 2020, the year scientists believe global warming will become irreversible down here (see Jan. 17 blog, “2020”).