No Better Place?

President Barack Obama keeps coming up with creative ways to insert references to Las Vegas into his public remarks -- and he's really beginning to irritate lawmakers from Nevada. His latest assault came yesterday, during a town hall meeting far removed from Sin City in the relative boredom of Nashua, New Hampshire, where he lectured a bit about keeping federal spending under control. "When times are tough, you tighten your belts," Obama said, according to a White House transcript. "You don't go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you're trying to save for college."

Last year Obama made similar comparisons, but this time around lawmakers who were peeved showed it. While several Republicans were quick to score some predictable points, Obama was certainly in hot water when fellow Democrat, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, jumped on the bandwagon. "The President needs to lay off Las Vegas and stop making it the poster child for where people shouldn't be spending their money," Reid said according to the local Channel 8, a CBS affiliate. "Las Vegas is suffering through one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and we cannot afford for the president to bring us down any further." Tough words coming from an important go-to guy on health care reform who needs Obama's help campaigning soon in Nevada.

Obama clarified what he was trying to say in an apologetically-toned letter late yesterday to Reid:

Dear Harry:

I hope you know that during my Town Hall today, I wasn’t saying anything negative about Las Vegas.  I was making the simple point that families use vacation dollars, not college tuition money, to have fun.  There is no place better to have fun than Vegas, one of our country’s great destinations.  I have always enjoyed my visits, look forward to visiting in a few weeks, and hope folks will visit in record numbers this year.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

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Image: Las Vegas tourism

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