“In my choice of words, I unfortunately gave the impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically,” Obama said, walking back his sharpest criticism.

But, the president said: “I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Prof. Gates out of his home and to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Prof. Gates probably overreacted as well.”—“Obama walks back police criticism,” Burns & Lee, Politico.com

The god of glib toe-tickled his tonsils on Wednesday night. Teleprompter deprivation can have that effect, especially when a man given to elitism and liberal prejudices unwisely pontificates in ignorance.

Still, he might have saved the situation with two quick words: “I apologize.”

At least, he might have had he been an entirely different person, but Barack Obama apparently suffers from chronic Fonzie disease. The disease has three symptoms:

1. The inability to find the word “sorry” under “S” in his vast vocabulary;
2. spreading the blame; and
3. changing the subject.

All three were on display in his most recent comments. Of course, just because he doesn’t know how to say he’s sorry doesn’t mean he isn’t: He’s sorry 28 million people heard him vocalize his prejudices. He’s sorry for the media focus on his gaffe. He’s sorry he didn’t ram Obamacare through Congress months ago: It might have saved him the press conference and subsequent demonstration of his own pre-existing condition.

Is that why he supports this travesty of a health care bill? Who knows? Perhaps buried among the restrictions, stipulations and bureaucratic legalese is a clause that pays for a dose of humility.