Why can't Obama tell a good joke?  —  Why are the president's “jokes” (scripted or not) so lame?  —  The answer is a three-letter-word (or is that four letters, Joe?):  E-G-O.  —  Barack Obama is constitutionally incapable of self-deprecation, because self-deprecation requires sincere humility.

Obama Apologizes for Calling His Bad Bowling ‘Like the Special Olympics’  —  President Apologizes Before Wisecrack Even Airs  —  His controversial joke hadn't even aired yet when President Obama got on the phone from Air Force One Thursday night to apologize for comparing his notoriously bad bowling skills to the Special Olympics.

GOP Pressed on Health Care  —  House Democrats Set September Deadline for Compromise  —  House Democrats, in consultation with the White House, will give Republican lawmakers until September to reach a compromise on President Obama's signature health-care initiative — otherwise …

TAPPER, TWITTER, AND ONLINE ETIQUETTE.... It was bound to be of interest to the political world anyway, but ABC News' Jake Tapper helped get the ball rolling on the Special Olympics/Obama story last night.  He was first out of the gate with a news item and a report on the president's comment on his Twitter feed.

NOT A MENTALITY BUT A DISEASE  —  Everything you need to know about the DC journo establishment, from ABC News White House correspondent Jake Tapper's Twitter feed: … Late Update: Tapper gets his revenge: He has “blocked” me from following him on Twitter.  —  Later Update: Seems to be a trend.

Obama and Israeli Leader Make Taped Appeals to Iran  —  Invoking art, history and “the common humanity that binds us,” President Obama offered a “new day” in America's relationship with Iran, using a videotaped message released on the Internet to make an unusual appeal directly to Iranians for a shift away from decades of confrontation.