Clueless Crist Didn't Know Obama Came to Town

The President's Florida visit was news to the governor

By TODD WRIGHT

Updated 5:10 PM EST, Tue, Oct 27, 2009

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All kidding aside, not knowing the President is in your back yard isn't a good look for any governor, especially one running for U.S. Senate.

So when reporters asked Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday if he was going to make an effort to see President Barack Obama while he was in Florida, he probably should have come up with a better answer.

"Where was he?" Crist asked Tuesday. "First I've known of it."

This could be slanted to say Crist is too busy worrying about the unemployment rate, improving education or solving the energy crisis until you hear that he was at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood partying with the Seminole Indians.

We know how hard it can be to focus when those slots are ringing in your ear, but someone on the governor's staff should have slipped him a Post-It note reminding him that Obama was a few miles away at a Democrat fundraiser held in the Fontainebleau.

"I didn't know that he was in the state," Crist repeated when asked to explain himself.

Where's George Lemieux when you need him?

The Republican governor has tried to distance himself from Obama since entering the Senate race this spring. Crist's GOP primary challenger, former House Speaker Marco Rubio, frequently reminds voters that Crist hugged Obama at a Florida appearance in February to support passage of the $787 billion federal stimulus bill.

Crist defended that appearance just last week, saying it was appropriate to show respect for the presidency.

That respect thing flies out of the window in a hurry when the polls show Rubio gaining support with every passing month.

Just a thought, but next time you hear that air space around Miami is shut down, it's probably a good bet the President is nearby. And get a planner, Crist.