FORGETTING party politics for a moment, it was hard not to feel slightly sorry for Senator Steve Fielding after his performance in front of the cameras this week.
The Family First leader made a series of embarrassing gaffes, getting tongue-tied in the Senate about visitors
to Australia who "volitated'' their visas, then mixing up his physical with his fiscal during discussions about the nation's finances.
When pressed by journalists, he compounded his woes by stressing that he was definitely referring to policies of the F-I-S-K-A-L variety.
Oops.
Such a faux pas by someone in the political halls of power usually results in the offender becoming the butt of "dummy'' jokes for the rest of his or her career.
Think George W. Bush, who received a Foot In Mouth Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Plain English Campaign on leaving the White House for such gobbledygook gems as: "I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe I believe what I believe is right''.
You can bet your bottom dollar there were plenty of sniggers and snide remarks flying around the press gallery and party rooms in the immediate aftermath of Senator Fielding's latest remarks, too.
But the senator might just end up having the last laugh, after his candid admission that he had battled a learning difficulty his whole life stirred up some serious public sympathy.
Suddenly, enjoying a joke at his expense seemed almost as inappropriate as poking fun at a little boy at school who struggles to read and write and sits at the back of the room hoping the teacher won't pick him to read
out loud to the rest of the students.
Of course, the teacher eventually does choose him and the cruel kids in the class have a good old giggle and sneer as he stumbles over some of the words on the page.
That's akin to bullying, and no one nowadays wants to be accused of that, even if it is towards a grown man who has done a fine job of standing up for himself in
this instance.
He has even been put forward as something of a poster boy for others with learning disabilities, a prominent example of someone who has made good despite his
early challenges.
This week, Senator Fielding admitted that grammar and
spelling were not his strong points, and that he only got 29 out of 100 for his HSC exams.
But he excelled at maths, went on to earn two tertiary qualifications and is now a very influential figure in Federal Parliament (even though he got into the Senate with only 1.8 per cent of the vote in Victoria).
This is not the first time Senator Fielding has made a slip of the tongue that raised eyebrows.
Earlier this year, he described himself as being "Torn between two places and a hard rock'' over the federal stimulus package, then later floated the possibility
of a "double disillusionment'' election, rather than a double dissolution.
"Those that have been closest to me know that I grew up with a learning difficulty that's left me not as the best public speaker or even the best speller for that reason,'' he explained after his most recent mix-up.
"I am certainly no dummy. I've got an engineering degree and an MBA and I didn't get it out of a Weeties packet.''
With all this in mind, there has been a fair bit of debate over the past few days on whether someone who stumbles with simple pronunciation is fit to hold down
the difficult job of a senator, or whether his experiences prove there is hope for those battling their own learning challenges.
Mind you, Senator Fielding is not the only prominent Australian who opened his mouth one day this week and probably wished he'd kept it shut the next.
Carlton's golden boy, Chris Judd, found out that even superstars have to watch what they say, particularly when they've been caught on camera engaged in questionable conduct.
His comments that footage of him appearing to eye gouge Michael Rischetelli during the Blues' elimination final loss to Brisbane was actually a martial arts pressure point manoeuvre didn't help when he was cited for making unnecessary and unreasonable contact to Rischitelli's face.
He later backtracked from this, saying the remarks were an attempt to make light of the situation.
The "Juddster'' must be wondering when he's going to wake up from this nightmare - one minute he's being feted and fawned over and can't seem to put a foot wrong on or off the field; the next he's facing a stint
on the sidelines and his squeaky clean reputation is being questioned (pending an appeal hearing).
Judd is usually a very smart operator, but this has been a hard way to learn that, no matter how bright your star is shining, the gloss can start rubbing off pretty quickly if you're not careful.
No such surprise about the fact shock jock Kyle Sandilands is in strife again, though.
The radio host's comments that actress Magda Szubanski would lose more weight if she was in a concentration camp once again overstepped the mark of
what is publicly acceptable.
Pushing the boundaries is exactly what Sandilands does - and he's been paid to do it for years.
This time, he's been suspended from air by Austereo for the second time in two months and has caused major sponsor Optus to pull out of advertising on his show.
He was booted off Australian Idol after a previous furore over his antics and, along with co-host Jackie O, Sandilands was recently voted Australia's most hated celebrity.
The Magda jibe could well cost him his career.
Given his previous form, don't expect this leopard to change his spots any time soon - one suspects he'll always have plenty to say, even if there's no one left
listening to it.
But let's get back to poor old Senator Fielding, who can take solace in the fact that he is not alone in his language struggles.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows almost half of working Australians don't have the minimum literacy and numeracy skills needed to meet the demands of everyday work.
Just last week, the Australian Industry Group was spruiking about a new national venture, supported by the Commonwealth Government, to examine the impact of low literacy and numeracy skills on business and to road-test solutions.
Maybe that's the next project Senator Fielding could turn his attention to.
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