After a student named William Figueroa correctly spelled “potato” on the chalkboard, Quayle advised him, “Add a little bit to the end there… [Y]ou’re right phonetically, but…” Once he’d hectored young William into disfiguring his answer by adding an e, Quayle beamed and the assembled kids, understandably assuming that the person who might be called upon to lead the free world was better informed than their
Potato incident
