Obama to Vegas: Oops, My Bad

Two weeks after President Barack Obama seriously ticked off Las Vegas officials by proclaiming that, "you don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save in college," the commander-in-chief now seems to be sending the message that spending at least some of your hard-earned dough in Sin City isn't such a terrible thing after all.

Obama offered a mini mea culpa today during an appearance in nearby Henderson, Nev. during a town hall-style meeting at a local high school — with some help from an unsuspecting Arkansas dentist.

When the dentist stood up to ask a question at the meeting, Obama asked what a guy all the way from Arkansas was doing in Nevada.

"Everybody comes to Vegas," the dentist declared happily, according to The New York Times.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” the president exclaimed while flashing his signature toothy grin. “Have you spent some money in Vegas?”

"Yes sir."

"He said, 'Yes sir, he’s spending some money here in Vegas,'" Mr. Obama repeated pointedly. "That’s good. We’re glad to see that."

He reiterated that point a short time later, when a furloughed airline employee asked what he planned to do about the hurting tourism industry. Obama said he had several ideas, and made the point that tourism is an important part of the economy as a whole.

"If people have disposable income, then they’re going to travel," he said. "And if they’re going to travel and have fun, then they’re going to come to Las Vegas."

The apology was clearly too little, too late for some officials, including Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who declined invitations to greet Obama or attend his local public events.

But the president reiterated his affection for America's grownup Disneyland during a speech to the city's Chamber of Commerce later in the day.

"I Love Vegas," he declared, according to CBS 8 in Sin City.

Even so, he chose not to spend any of his own hard-earned money — or the country's — along the strip. And that was probably a good move.

Photo courtesy of David Vasquez via Wikimedia Commons.