Obama declines to douse himself in ice water for charity

It looks as if President Obama won’t be taking on Ethel Kennedy’s chilly challenge to soak himself with ice water for Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“The President appreciates Mrs. Kennedy thinking of him for the challenge — though his contribution to this effort will be monetary,” White House spokesman Eric Shultz told The Hill on Tuesday.

{mosads}One of the matriarchs of the famed Kennedy clan appeared in a video posted on Facebook over the weekend, dousing herself with icy water to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease most commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

For the viral online movement, volunteers either accept the ice-cold challenge or make a donation to an ALS charity, before nominating someone else to do the same.
 
“Welcome to Cape Cod, President Obama,” Ethel Kennedy says in the clip. Obama and his family are staying in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., for a two-week vacation. “I nominate you,” Kennedy, 86, says, before raising the bucket above her head and soaking herself.  
 
Shultz said, “The President will be making a donation to an ALS charity this week.”

— Justin Sink contributed.