Obama Gives Driving Lesson on South Beach

Who wouldn't want the president to be their driver's ed instructor?

President Barack Obama's brief stay in Miami was at the very least entertaining.

During a 15-minute speech, Obama touched on the usual presidential topics - the economy, jobs, healthcare and war - before dipping into his political bag of jokes to cap his remarks.

After giving a quick set up by comparing America to a car that was driven into a ditch by the Republican Party and a certain president who will remain nameless, Obama said the Democrats and the American people are close to pushing the car out of the ditch and back on level ground.

All the while, the driver was sitting at the top of the hill telling the group they weren't pushing right. But just when the car was back on top, Obama said he got a tap on the shoulder.

"They say they want the keys back," he told the group of chuckling supporters. "You can't have the keys back. You don't know how to drive."

Then, Obama dropped a bit of Driver's Ed 101 on the crowd.

"I don't know if you know this, but if you want the car to go forward, you put it in 'D.' If you want to go in reverse you put it in the 'R,'" he whispered in the mic. "America wants to go forward, not backward."

Now considering how motorists drive in South Florida, that might have been the best kept secret ever heard for some people in the room.

Still, it's also kind of hard to take driving advice from a guy who gets chauffeured around while surrounded by a dozen or so armored vehicles. And it's not exactly like Obama's presidency has been a smooth Sunday drive, according to a recent poll on how people view his handling of the economy.

The remarks highlighted another charismatic speech and visit by the Commander-in-Chief to South Beach as he helped to collect cash for gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink and Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek.

People paid as much as $10,000 to get a picture with the president while he is in town. Some hotel guests took the free approach.

Hotel guests shrieked and yelled the president's name from their balcony while a handful of protesters congregated across the street.

The demonstrators held signs criticizing the president's position on an Islamic center in lower Manhattan and the country's continued involvement in overseas wars.

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