Obama and the Teleprompter

BeAChooser · 18th March 2009, 05:22 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...epeats-speech/

Quote:

Obama Thanks Himself, Irish PM Repeats Speech in Teleprompter Meltdown

March 18, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address at a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House when he realized something sounded way too familiar. Turns out, he was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just given.

... snip ...
But Cowen was 20 seconds into his second address when it dawned on him that he was giving word for word the speech that Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.

Cowen stopped and looked back at the president to say, "That's your speech."

Obama laughed and returned to the podium to offer what might have been Cowen's remarks. In doing so, President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over.

Earlier, the president claimed an Irish ancestry to Ireland's leader and joked to Congress that his genealogy could have helped him as a once-unknown Chicago politician.

Now if Bush had done that, what would democrats be saying? Why they'd be insulting his intelligence, of course. And they'd be replaying the gaff over and over and over and over on the mainstream *news* shows. Say, have any of you seen the mainstream news networks show, much less mention, this blunder (other than Fox)? Did Jay Leno mention it in his monologue ... or was he too busy worshiping Obama? Has SNL done a skit yet lampooning the President over this?

Come on democrats ... admit it ... this is funny (and a little scary):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnE...layer_embedded

balrog666 · 18th March 2009, 05:26 PM

So he's just another boob. Didn't we all know that already?

BeAChooser · 18th March 2009, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by balrog666

So he's just another boob. Didn't we all know that already?

Well apparently, some people don't:

http://theobamaforum.com/showthread.php?t=2612&page=2 "Obama clearly the smartest president in recent history"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCV9ZoV--BY "this is a guy whose IQ is off the charts ... he's probably the smartest guy ever to become President."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...ing/index.html "he certainly is the smartest guy we've had there that I can remember."

http://www.theinsider.com/photos/145...less_In_Hawaii "Obama is the cutest ant smartest President ever to take office. He is incredibly popular with the American public. The only people who don't like him are ultra-right wing extremists and that's understandable because they are retarded like Sarah Palin."

http://www.unionleader.com/article.a...9-d6cfc79bd697 "Obama is by far the smartest president we've had in a while"

http://randeepramesh.blogspot.com/20...president.html "Apart from race, the most important thing about the new president is that it marks the return of the Intellectual in Office. Obama is smart."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/davidhorse...ves/161637.asp "no one can argue that he's not a hell of a lot more mentally nimble than many of his predecessors."

http://yaforobama.ning.com/profiles/...th-being-smart "ots of my friends can drink beer, and not one of them could get us out of this financial crisis or the trouble in Iraq. That’s why I want the smartest person in the room to be my president. And Senator Barack Obama is the smartest person in the room right now."

http://www.zazzle.com/obama_this_tim...77253675480140

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...eet_focus.html "He's by far the smartest president we've ever had and as such we should trust his judgement."

kallsop · 18th March 2009, 06:27 PM

I hope there's video. You've got to admit though, he's a real genius with the teleprompter.

Hope and Change, says it right there on the 'promter.

KoihimeNakamura · 18th March 2009, 07:11 PM

.... You started a thread over this?

GreyICE · 18th March 2009, 09:03 PM

Straws.

You're clutching at them.

Kevin_Lowe · 18th March 2009, 10:15 PM

If this is the best BAC can come up with...

jj · 18th March 2009, 11:59 PM

I see the "down with Obama" jihad continues.

Redtail · 19th March 2009, 12:15 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...epeats-speech/

Now if Bush had done that, what would democrats be saying? Why they'd be insulting his intelligence, of course. And they'd be replaying the gaff over and over and over and over on the mainstream *news* shows. Say, have any of you seen the mainstream news networks show, much less mention, this blunder (other than Fox)? Did Jay Leno mention it in his monologue ... or was he too busy worshiping Obama? Has SNL done a skit yet lampooning the President over this?

Come on democrats ... admit it ... this is funny (and a little scary):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnE...layer_embedded

Or... Obama was making a joke.... Oooo! Would it be better if he said "...Well..." instead of "um"?

Oh! better yet! Why would SNL lampoon the president on Wednesday?

Mojo · 19th March 2009, 01:45 AM

At least you have a president who can read from a teleprompter.

UnrepentantSinner · 19th March 2009, 02:09 AM

Ooooo. So this is what desperation sounds like.

I always figured it would be accompanied by a Glen Beck monologue.

Lonewulf · 19th March 2009, 02:30 AM

Originally Posted by UnrepentantSinner

Ooooo. So this is what desperation sounds like.

I always figured it would be accompanied by a Glen Beck monologue.

*sniff* I'm sorry... it's just... *cry* I love this country.

Undesired Walrus · 19th March 2009, 03:11 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

Well apparently, some people don't:

http://theobamaforum.com/showthread.php?t=2612&page=2 "Obama clearly the smartest president in recent history"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCV9ZoV--BY "this is a guy whose IQ is off the charts ... he's probably the smartest guy ever to become President."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...ing/index.html "he certainly is the smartest guy we've had there that I can remember."

http://www.theinsider.com/photos/145...less_In_Hawaii "Obama is the cutest ant smartest President ever to take office. He is incredibly popular with the American public. The only people who don't like him are ultra-right wing extremists and that's understandable because they are retarded like Sarah Palin."

http://www.unionleader.com/article.a...9-d6cfc79bd697 "Obama is by far the smartest president we've had in a while"

http://randeepramesh.blogspot.com/20...president.html "Apart from race, the most important thing about the new president is that it marks the return of the Intellectual in Office. Obama is smart."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/davidhorse...ves/161637.asp "no one can argue that he's not a hell of a lot more mentally nimble than many of his predecessors."

http://yaforobama.ning.com/profiles/...th-being-smart "ots of my friends can drink beer, and not one of them could get us out of this financial crisis or the trouble in Iraq. That’s why I want the smartest person in the room to be my president. And Senator Barack Obama is the smartest person in the room right now."

http://www.zazzle.com/obama_this_tim...77253675480140

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...eet_focus.html "He's by far the smartest president we've ever had and as such we should trust his judgement."

Seriously man, how long did this take you? A stray post on the ObamaForum for christsakes?

I'm guessing you would have considered it cheap and unfair if the left had lampooned Bush for this kind of mistake, as would I. Yet when it happens to Obama, it is fair game.

Rolfe · 19th March 2009, 03:20 AM

Hey, hang on a minute! Reading the quote in the OP, the impression I got was that it was Cowen who made the gaffe. He managed "several paragraphs" of a speech that not only wasn't the one he was supposed to be giving, but was in fact the one he'd just listened to, before realising his mistake. This is absolutely terrible. It suggests Cowen is in the habit of standing up and reading anything that's put in front of him, with no thought and no preparation. If I was Irish, I'd be beating my head against the wall right now.

But I totally don't see what Obama is supposed to have done wrong. He'd already given his speech, the right one. It says so right there. That's how Cowen finally realised his mistake - he realised he was repeating what Obama had just said.

Then what? Remember the story about one of the British royal family and the fingerbowl? A guest at a royal banquet didn't know what the finger bowl was for (it's for rinsing your fingers, rednecks!) and drank some water from it. The aristocracy were horrified at the ignorance of polite table manners. The king, however, picked up his own finger bowl and sipped some water from it. This is generally regarded as a shining example of savoir faire. [ETA: Trying to trace this story, I find it is regarded as apocryphal, possibly attributed to Queen Victoria, though I heard it told about one of the early 20th century kings.]

Obama seems to have done something very similar. He turned this appalling gaffe by Cowan into a joke, by pretending to deliver part of Cowan's speech, then thanking himself.

Obama is a class act, on this evidence.

Does the opening poster not realise this? From the quote he himself has posted?

Rolfe.

Megalodon · 19th March 2009, 03:26 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...epeats-speech/

Now if Bush had done that, what would democrats be saying? Why they'd be insulting his intelligence, of course. And they'd be replaying the gaff over and over and over and over on the mainstream *news* shows. Say, have any of you seen the mainstream news networks show, much less mention, this blunder (other than Fox)? Did Jay Leno mention it in his monologue ... or was he too busy worshiping Obama? Has SNL done a skit yet lampooning the President over this?

Come on democrats ... admit it ... this is funny (and a little scary):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnE...layer_embedded

I don't know about Bush, but your intelligence would be easy to insult, if it was anywhere to be found.

This is a FAIL of REO Speedwagon proportions...

Rolfe · 19th March 2009, 03:33 AM

Originally Posted by Megalodon

This is a FAIL of REO Speedwagon proportions...

Oh yes! [Wipes away tears of laughter.]

I just read the whole of the article quoted in the OP, but the quoted bits pretty much cover it. Brian Cowen made a horrible gaffe, and Obama defused the situation by turning it into a joke. The actual headline is a bit misleading, but the article itself is perfectly clear.

Obama is, as I said, a class act.

Following this, I just went to find other recent threads started by BeAChooser, in search of similar hilarity. I wasn't familiar with this poster before, but he never fails to amuse, it seems.

Rolfe.

Foolmewunz · 19th March 2009, 03:39 AM

With apologies to Bob Dylan, there are a few Anti-Barack who fit in real well along Desperation Row.

Guys, let him do something gaff-worthy before you throw out every little news tidbit. He's going to have a blunder or mistake here and there. And then you can have yourselves a blast, slapping your thighs and guffawing all morning. In the interim, you are just making yourselves look foolish.

richardm · 19th March 2009, 03:40 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Hey, hang on a minute! Reading the quote in the OP, the impression I got was that it was Cowen who made the gaffe. He managed "several paragraphs" of a speech that not only wasn't the one he was supposed to be giving, but was in fact the one he'd just listened to, before realising his mistake.

That's right. Then Obama got up again and pretended to read part of Cowen's speech as a joke, thanking himself for inviting himself. It's not a mistake on his part. If anything, as you say, it suggests that Obama is quick witted enough to step in and minimise the embarrassment by making a joke out of it.

Quote:

This is absolutely terrible. It suggests Cowen is in the habit of standing up and reading anything that's put in front of him, with no thought and no preparation. If I was Irish, I'd be beating my head against the wall right now.

... I guess so. At least he realised and stopped, rather than just ploughing on regardless, which is something.

Quote:

Then what? Remember the story about one of the British royal family and the fingerbowl? A guest at a royal banquet didn't know what the finger bowl was for (it's for rinsing your fingers, rednecks!) and drank some water from it. The aristocracy were horrified at the ignorance of polite table manners. The king, however, picked up his own finger bowl and sipped some water from it. This is generally regarded as a shining example of savoir faire.

My favourite is one about Winston Churchill, who supposedly spotted the woman sitting next to him slip a silver ashtray into her handbag as a souvenir. He made sure she saw him slipping a silver salt cellar into his pocket, then said "Oh dear, I think the hostess saw us - we'd better put them back!"

Edit: No doubt if Obama tried something similar today it would be represented as "Obama is ignorant of table manners and makes off with the silverware"

Jeff Corey · 19th March 2009, 03:40 AM

Rolfe,
I had the same reaction- until I realized that the OP thought that Obama was running the teleprompter.

Upchurch · 19th March 2009, 03:52 AM

I thought maybe Obama was pulling a save, too, when I read this last night. But, I was waiting to see the video to know for sure how it went down.

The laughing is something of a give away, however.

Jeff Corey · 19th March 2009, 05:00 AM

This is a classic. The first four posters apparently interpreted the whole incident as a gaffe on the part of Obama. One called him "... just another boob". So we have confirmation bias error and projection at the same time.

Rolfe · 19th March 2009, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by Jeff Corey

This is a classic. The first four posters apparently interpreted the whole incident as a gaffe on the part of Obama. One called him "... just another boob". So we have confirmation bias error and projection at the same time.

It's not clear that anyone before Redtail's post (no. 9) realised that Obama had actually behaved like "an officer and a gentleman" in the face of a serious gaffe by a senior politician from a foreign country. Even after Redtail's laughing dog, the misinterpretation seems to be continuing, right up to post 13.

That's why I went back and read it twice, and then read the actual news report, just to check I wasn't missing anything.

But no. First impressions confirmed: Obama is a class act.

Other impressions confirmed: Balrog 666 posts according to his prejudices, rather than the evidence.

Rolfe.

WildCat · 19th March 2009, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by Foolmewunz

With apologies to Bob Dylan, there are a few Anti-Barack who fit in real well along Desperation Row.

It's Desolation Row.

Cleon · 19th March 2009, 06:18 AM

The Taoiseach embarrasses himself, Obama has a bit of fun with it, and somehow, in BAC-land, this makes Obama look stupid?

There are times when I wish words could accurately convey my current facial expression, which could best be described as a mix of puzzlement, incredulity, amusement, and pity.

joobz · 19th March 2009, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

It's not clear that anyone before Redtail's post (no. 9) realised that Obama had actually behaved like "an officer and a gentleman" in the face of a serious gaffe by a senior politician from a foreign country. Even after Redtail's laughing dog, the misinterpretation seems to be continuing, right up to post 13.

That's why I went back and read it twice, and then read the actual news report, just to check I wasn't missing anything.

But no. First impressions confirmed: Obama is a class act.

Other impressions confirmed: Balrog 666 posts according to his prejudices, rather than the evidence.

Rolfe.

i'd like to see the actual event, but what you said is exactly what my gut reaction was.

Remember, there's nothing in the OP claiming

Edited by prewitt81:

Rule 12 breach removed.

Do not alter usernames.

Posted By:prewitt81

Rolfe · 19th March 2009, 06:28 AM

Does

Edited by Darat:

Breach of Rule 12 removed.

ever revisit these threads he starts?

Rolfe.

maxpower1227 · 19th March 2009, 06:33 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Following this, I just went to find other recent threads started by BeAChooser, in search of similar hilarity. I wasn't familiar with this poster before, but he never fails to amuse, it seems.

Ask him about Ron Brown and Vince Foster

joobz · 19th March 2009, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Does

Edited by Darat:

Breach of Rule 12 removed.

ever revisit these threads he starts?

Rolfe.

Yes. He's definitely presistent. He made a thread awhile ago claiming that OBama lied about the economy, when he said that it's the worst economic crisis since the great depression. Since then, when OBama's statement was provn true BeAChooser refused to admit error saying, "When Obama said that it wasn't bad...." BAC has a simple world view
Obama is bad. Truth doesn't matter.

Foolmewunz · 19th March 2009, 06:43 AM

Originally Posted by WildCat

It's Desolation Row.

Uh, yeah. "Apologies to" generally means you're taking liberties with someone's work or lines.

Foolmewunz · 19th March 2009, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Does

Edited by Darat:

Breach of Rule 12 removed.

ever revisit these threads he starts?

Rolfe.

Generally, yes.(and revisits and revisits and revisits... sort of like the Energizer Bunny from the John Birch Society...)

But he usually at least has a single leg to stand on, and I can't see that for this one. He'll likely avoid this one.

Rolfe · 19th March 2009, 06:52 AM

Hmmm. I'm having way too much fun with this. I don't suppose Balrog will comment either.

Rolfe.

Foolmewunz · 19th March 2009, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Hmmm. I'm having way too much fun with this. I don't suppose Balrog will comment either.

Rolfe.

Sorry, Rolfe. No staying power, that one. Nor Kallsop. They're kind of hit-and-run posters and they've both pretty much exhausted their witty repartee, above.

(Who, me? Baiting?)

Darat · 19th March 2009, 07:27 AM

Originally Posted by Upchurch

...snip...

The laughing is something of a give away, however.

No the laughing also proves that Obama is a very, very bad man.

New Obama Policy: We will be giving everyone in the USA a gold dollar coin!

BeAChooser's thread: Obama passes law to force people to accept toxic metal into their home.

Upchurch · 19th March 2009, 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by Darat

No the laughing also proves that Obama is a very, very bad man.

Well, naturally. Obama giving a saucer of milk to a hungry kitten would also prove that he is a very, very bad man.

...and a commie.

...and possibly Kenyan.

But I'd still like to see the video before passing judgement.

Monketey Ghost · 19th March 2009, 07:45 AM

This is hilarious... simply tasty. Weak, ill-informed attempt at mocking turns stoopid. HA!

DC · 19th March 2009, 07:56 AM

aslong he does not "misstakenly" belive some foreignt country has stock piles of WMD's i could forgive him this minor misstake..... well if he atleast was misstaken, but he wasnt...

DC · 19th March 2009, 07:58 AM

Quote:

(and a little scary)

how did you survive the last 8 years????

Mojo · 19th March 2009, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Obama seems to have done something very similar. He turned this appalling gaffe by Cowan into a joke, by pretending to deliver part of Cowan's speech, then thanking himself.

Obama is a class act, on this evidence.

Does the opening poster not realise this? From the quote he himself has posted?

I think this may be relevant:

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Somewhere in the CT forum someone said that CTers don't have any sense of humour. They attributed this to the fact that seeing the funny side of something requires being able to work out how things would normally relate, and then seeing the humour in the incongruous relationship made in the joke. Not actually being able to make any logical connections in the first place rather puts a crimp in all this.

Jeff Corey · 19th March 2009, 08:08 AM

Being as dumb as a stump could also contribute to that.

Vic Vega · 19th March 2009, 08:23 AM

Yeah, the OP makes only one person look dumb... And it isn't the President or the Irish Prime Minister.

18th March 2009, 05:22 PM	#1
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716	Obama and the Teleprompter http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...epeats-speech/ Quote: Obama Thanks Himself, Irish PM Repeats Speech in Teleprompter Meltdown March 18, 2009 WASHINGTON -- Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address at a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House when he realized something sounded way too familiar. Turns out, he was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just given. ... snip ... But Cowen was 20 seconds into his second address when it dawned on him that he was giving word for word the speech that Obama had just read from the same teleprompter. Cowen stopped and looked back at the president to say, "That's your speech." Obama laughed and returned to the podium to offer what might have been Cowen's remarks. In doing so, President Obama thanked President Obama for inviting everyone over. Earlier, the president claimed an Irish ancestry to Ireland's leader and joked to Congress that his genealogy could have helped him as a once-unknown Chicago politician. Now if Bush had done that, what would democrats be saying? Why they'd be insulting his intelligence, of course. And they'd be replaying the gaff over and over and over and over on the mainstream news shows. Say, have any of you seen the mainstream news networks show, much less mention, this blunder (other than Fox)? Did Jay Leno mention it in his monologue ... or was he too busy worshiping Obama? Has SNL done a skit yet lampooning the President over this? Come on democrats ... admit it ... this is funny (and a little scary): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnE...layer_embedded
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716

18th March 2009, 05:26 PM	#2
balrog666 Eigenmode: Cynic Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,525	So he's just another boob. Didn't we all know that already?
	__________________ A person who won't think has no advantage over one who can't think. - (paraphrased) Mark Twain Diversity--When all colors and creeds believe exactly as liberals want them to. Or Else! -Coyote

18th March 2009, 05:47 PM	#3
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716	Originally Posted by balrog666 So he's just another boob. Didn't we all know that already? Well apparently, some people don't: http://theobamaforum.com/showthread.php?t=2612&page=2 "Obama clearly the smartest president in recent history" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCV9ZoV--BY "this is a guy whose IQ is off the charts ... he's probably the smartest guy ever to become President." http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...ing/index.html "he certainly is the smartest guy we've had there that I can remember." http://www.theinsider.com/photos/145...less_In_Hawaii "Obama is the cutest ant smartest President ever to take office. He is incredibly popular with the American public. The only people who don't like him are ultra-right wing extremists and that's understandable because they are retarded like Sarah Palin." http://www.unionleader.com/article.a...9-d6cfc79bd697 "Obama is by far the smartest president we've had in a while" http://randeepramesh.blogspot.com/20...president.html "Apart from race, the most important thing about the new president is that it marks the return of the Intellectual in Office. Obama is smart." http://blog.seattlepi.com/davidhorse...ves/161637.asp "no one can argue that he's not a hell of a lot more mentally nimble than many of his predecessors." http://yaforobama.ning.com/profiles/...th-being-smart "ots of my friends can drink beer, and not one of them could get us out of this financial crisis or the trouble in Iraq. That’s why I want the smartest person in the room to be my president. And Senator Barack Obama is the smartest person in the room right now." http://www.zazzle.com/obama_this_tim...77253675480140 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...eet_focus.html "He's by far the smartest president we've ever had and as such we should trust his judgement."
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716

18th March 2009, 06:27 PM	#4
kallsop Guest Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 755	I hope there's video. You've got to admit though, he's a real genius with the teleprompter. Hope and Change, says it right there on the 'promter.
kallsop Guest Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 755

18th March 2009, 07:11 PM	#5
KoihimeNakamura Creativity Murderer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Graham, WA Posts: 6,848	.... You started a thread over this?
	__________________ Don't mind me.

18th March 2009, 09:03 PM	#6
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173	Straws. You're clutching at them.
GreyICE Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 7,173

18th March 2009, 10:15 PM	#7
Kevin_Lowe Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Queensland Posts: 10,268	If this is the best BAC can come up with...
	__________________ Thinking is skilled work....People with untrained minds should no more expect to think clearly and logically than people who have never learned and never practiced can expect to find themselves good carpenters, golfers, bridge-players, or pianists. -- Alfred Mander

18th March 2009, 11:59 PM	#8
jj grumpy old skeptic Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Deep in the rain Posts: 18,493	I see the "down with Obama" jihad continues.
	__________________ The Power to Quit

19th March 2009, 12:15 AM	#9
Redtail Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 9,303	Originally Posted by BeAChooser http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...epeats-speech/ Now if Bush had done that, what would democrats be saying? Why they'd be insulting his intelligence, of course. And they'd be replaying the gaff over and over and over and over on the mainstream news shows. Say, have any of you seen the mainstream news networks show, much less mention, this blunder (other than Fox)? Did Jay Leno mention it in his monologue ... or was he too busy worshiping Obama? Has SNL done a skit yet lampooning the President over this? Come on democrats ... admit it ... this is funny (and a little scary): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnE...layer_embedded Or... Obama was making a joke.... Oooo! Would it be better if he said "...Well..." instead of "um"? Oh! better yet! Why would SNL lampoon the president on Wednesday?
Redtail Philosopher Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 9,303	__________________ AVENGERS!!!.. Turn off the dark!

19th March 2009, 01:45 AM	#10
Mojo Mostly harmless Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Nor Flanden Posts: 22,079	At least you have a president who can read from a teleprompter.
	__________________ "You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky

19th March 2009, 02:09 AM	#11
UnrepentantSinner A post by Alan Smithee Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: USAian is not a word Posts: 26,353	Ooooo. So this is what desperation sounds like. I always figured it would be accompanied by a Glen Beck monologue.
	__________________ I am an American citizen who is part of American society and briefly served in the American armed forces. I use American dollars and pay taxes that support the American government. And yes, despite the editorial decison to change American politics to the nonsensical "USA politics" subforum, I follow and comment on American politics.

19th March 2009, 02:30 AM	#12
Lonewulf Humanistic Cyborg Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 10,380	Originally Posted by UnrepentantSinner Ooooo. So this is what desperation sounds like. I always figured it would be accompanied by a Glen Beck monologue. sniff I'm sorry... it's just... cry I love this country.
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19th March 2009, 03:11 AM	#13
Undesired Walrus Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: London Posts: 10,882	Originally Posted by BeAChooser Well apparently, some people don't: http://theobamaforum.com/showthread.php?t=2612&page=2 "Obama clearly the smartest president in recent history" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCV9ZoV--BY "this is a guy whose IQ is off the charts ... he's probably the smartest guy ever to become President." http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/0...ing/index.html "he certainly is the smartest guy we've had there that I can remember." http://www.theinsider.com/photos/145...less_In_Hawaii "Obama is the cutest ant smartest President ever to take office. He is incredibly popular with the American public. The only people who don't like him are ultra-right wing extremists and that's understandable because they are retarded like Sarah Palin." http://www.unionleader.com/article.a...9-d6cfc79bd697 "Obama is by far the smartest president we've had in a while" http://randeepramesh.blogspot.com/20...president.html "Apart from race, the most important thing about the new president is that it marks the return of the Intellectual in Office. Obama is smart." http://blog.seattlepi.com/davidhorse...ves/161637.asp "no one can argue that he's not a hell of a lot more mentally nimble than many of his predecessors." http://yaforobama.ning.com/profiles/...th-being-smart "ots of my friends can drink beer, and not one of them could get us out of this financial crisis or the trouble in Iraq. That’s why I want the smartest person in the room to be my president. And Senator Barack Obama is the smartest person in the room right now." http://www.zazzle.com/obama_this_tim...77253675480140 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the...eet_focus.html "He's by far the smartest president we've ever had and as such we should trust his judgement." Seriously man, how long did this take you? A stray post on the ObamaForum for christsakes? I'm guessing you would have considered it cheap and unfair if the left had lampooned Bush for this kind of mistake, as would I. Yet when it happens to Obama, it is fair game.
	__________________ Man's material discoveries have outpaced his moral progress. - Clement Attlee, 1945 Last edited by Undesired Walrus; 19th March 2009 at 03:13 AM.

19th March 2009, 03:20 AM	#14
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,314	Hey, hang on a minute! Reading the quote in the OP, the impression I got was that it was Cowen who made the gaffe. He managed "several paragraphs" of a speech that not only wasn't the one he was supposed to be giving, but was in fact the one he'd just listened to, before realising his mistake. This is absolutely terrible. It suggests Cowen is in the habit of standing up and reading anything that's put in front of him, with no thought and no preparation. If I was Irish, I'd be beating my head against the wall right now. But I totally don't see what Obama is supposed to have done wrong. He'd already given his speech, the right one. It says so right there. That's how Cowen finally realised his mistake - he realised he was repeating what Obama had just said. Then what? Remember the story about one of the British royal family and the fingerbowl? A guest at a royal banquet didn't know what the finger bowl was for (it's for rinsing your fingers, rednecks!) and drank some water from it. The aristocracy were horrified at the ignorance of polite table manners. The king, however, picked up his own finger bowl and sipped some water from it. This is generally regarded as a shining example of savoir faire. [ETA: Trying to trace this story, I find it is regarded as apocryphal, possibly attributed to Queen Victoria, though I heard it told about one of the early 20th century kings.] Obama seems to have done something very similar. He turned this appalling gaffe by Cowan into a joke, by pretending to deliver part of Cowan's speech, then thanking himself. Obama is a class act, on this evidence. Does the opening poster not realise this? From the quote he himself has posted? Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012. Last edited by Rolfe; 19th March 2009 at 03:41 AM.

19th March 2009, 03:26 AM	#15
Megalodon Master Poster Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 2,521	Originally Posted by BeAChooser http://www.foxnews.com/politics/firs...epeats-speech/ Now if Bush had done that, what would democrats be saying? Why they'd be insulting his intelligence, of course. And they'd be replaying the gaff over and over and over and over on the mainstream news shows. Say, have any of you seen the mainstream news networks show, much less mention, this blunder (other than Fox)? Did Jay Leno mention it in his monologue ... or was he too busy worshiping Obama? Has SNL done a skit yet lampooning the President over this? Come on democrats ... admit it ... this is funny (and a little scary): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hSnE...layer_embedded I don't know about Bush, but your intelligence would be easy to insult, if it was anywhere to be found. This is a FAIL of REO Speedwagon proportions...
Megalodon Master Poster Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 2,521	__________________ Stupid is depressing...

19th March 2009, 03:33 AM	#16
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,314	Originally Posted by Megalodon This is a FAIL of REO Speedwagon proportions... Oh yes! [Wipes away tears of laughter.] I just read the whole of the article quoted in the OP, but the quoted bits pretty much cover it. Brian Cowen made a horrible gaffe, and Obama defused the situation by turning it into a joke. The actual headline is a bit misleading, but the article itself is perfectly clear. Obama is, as I said, a class act. Following this, I just went to find other recent threads started by BeAChooser, in search of similar hilarity. I wasn't familiar with this poster before, but he never fails to amuse, it seems. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

19th March 2009, 03:39 AM	#17
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pattaya, Thailand Posts: 20,512	With apologies to Bob Dylan, there are a few Anti-Barack who fit in real well along Desperation Row. Guys, let him do something gaff-worthy before you throw out every little news tidbit. He's going to have a blunder or mistake here and there. And then you can have yourselves a blast, slapping your thighs and guffawing all morning. In the interim, you are just making yourselves look foolish.
	__________________ Ha! Foolmewunz has just been added to the list of people who aren't complete idiots. Hokulele Don't you wish someone had slapped baby Hitler really really hard? [i] Dr. Buzzo 02/13 [i]

19th March 2009, 03:40 AM	#18
richardm Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 9,270	Originally Posted by Rolfe Hey, hang on a minute! Reading the quote in the OP, the impression I got was that it was Cowen who made the gaffe. He managed "several paragraphs" of a speech that not only wasn't the one he was supposed to be giving, but was in fact the one he'd just listened to, before realising his mistake. That's right. Then Obama got up again and pretended to read part of Cowen's speech as a joke, thanking himself for inviting himself. It's not a mistake on his part. If anything, as you say, it suggests that Obama is quick witted enough to step in and minimise the embarrassment by making a joke out of it. Quote: This is absolutely terrible. It suggests Cowen is in the habit of standing up and reading anything that's put in front of him, with no thought and no preparation. If I was Irish, I'd be beating my head against the wall right now. ... I guess so. At least he realised and stopped, rather than just ploughing on regardless, which is something. Quote: Then what? Remember the story about one of the British royal family and the fingerbowl? A guest at a royal banquet didn't know what the finger bowl was for (it's for rinsing your fingers, rednecks!) and drank some water from it. The aristocracy were horrified at the ignorance of polite table manners. The king, however, picked up his own finger bowl and sipped some water from it. This is generally regarded as a shining example of savoir faire. My favourite is one about Winston Churchill, who supposedly spotted the woman sitting next to him slip a silver ashtray into her handbag as a souvenir. He made sure she saw him slipping a silver salt cellar into his pocket, then said "Oh dear, I think the hostess saw us - we'd better put them back!" Edit: No doubt if Obama tried something similar today it would be represented as "Obama is ignorant of table manners and makes off with the silverware"
richardm Philosopher Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 9,270	__________________ Rimmer: Look at her! Magnificent woman! Very prim, very proper, almost austere. Some people took her for cold, thought she was aloof. Not a bit of it. She just despised fools. Quite tragic, really, because otherwise I think we'd have got on famously. Last edited by richardm; 19th March 2009 at 03:43 AM.

19th March 2009, 03:40 AM	#19
Jeff Corey New York Skeptic Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 13,794	Rolfe, I had the same reaction- until I realized that the OP thought that Obama was running the teleprompter.

19th March 2009, 03:52 AM	#20
Upchurch Papa Funkosophy Join Date: May 2002 Location: Funky Town (STL, MO) Posts: 23,423	I thought maybe Obama was pulling a save, too, when I read this last night. But, I was waiting to see the video to know for sure how it went down. The laughing is something of a give away, however.

19th March 2009, 05:00 AM	#21
Jeff Corey New York Skeptic Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 13,794	This is a classic. The first four posters apparently interpreted the whole incident as a gaffe on the part of Obama. One called him "... just another boob". So we have confirmation bias error and projection at the same time.

19th March 2009, 05:47 AM	#22
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,314	Originally Posted by Jeff Corey This is a classic. The first four posters apparently interpreted the whole incident as a gaffe on the part of Obama. One called him "... just another boob". So we have confirmation bias error and projection at the same time. It's not clear that anyone before Redtail's post (no. 9) realised that Obama had actually behaved like "an officer and a gentleman" in the face of a serious gaffe by a senior politician from a foreign country. Even after Redtail's laughing dog, the misinterpretation seems to be continuing, right up to post 13. That's why I went back and read it twice, and then read the actual news report, just to check I wasn't missing anything. But no. First impressions confirmed: Obama is a class act. Other impressions confirmed: Balrog 666 posts according to his prejudices, rather than the evidence. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012. Last edited by Rolfe; 19th March 2009 at 05:59 AM.

19th March 2009, 06:00 AM	#23
WildCat NWO Master Conspirator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany Park, Chicago Posts: 49,006	Originally Posted by Foolmewunz With apologies to Bob Dylan, there are a few Anti-Barack who fit in real well along Desperation Row. It's Desolation Row.

19th March 2009, 06:18 AM	#24
Cleon King of the Pod People Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 20,506	The Taoiseach embarrasses himself, Obama has a bit of fun with it, and somehow, in BAC-land, this makes Obama look stupid? There are times when I wish words could accurately convey my current facial expression, which could best be described as a mix of puzzlement, incredulity, amusement, and pity.
	__________________ "People like me are what stand between us and Auschwitz." - Newt Gingrich

19th March 2009, 06:33 AM	#27
maxpower1227 Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,015	Originally Posted by Rolfe Following this, I just went to find other recent threads started by BeAChooser, in search of similar hilarity. I wasn't familiar with this poster before, but he never fails to amuse, it seems. Ask him about Ron Brown and Vince Foster
	__________________ Warning. If you don't want to see your treasured "evidence" completely pwned in public, don't show it to the posters at JREF. - Rolfe

19th March 2009, 06:43 AM	#29
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pattaya, Thailand Posts: 20,512	Originally Posted by WildCat It's Desolation Row. Uh, yeah. "Apologies to" generally means you're taking liberties with someone's work or lines.
	__________________ Ha! Foolmewunz has just been added to the list of people who aren't complete idiots. Hokulele Don't you wish someone had slapped baby Hitler really really hard? [i] Dr. Buzzo 02/13 [i]

19th March 2009, 06:52 AM	#31
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,314	Hmmm. I'm having way too much fun with this. I don't suppose Balrog will comment either. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

19th March 2009, 07:25 AM	#32
Foolmewunz Grammar Resistance Leader Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pattaya, Thailand Posts: 20,512	Originally Posted by Rolfe Hmmm. I'm having way too much fun with this. I don't suppose Balrog will comment either. Rolfe. Sorry, Rolfe. No staying power, that one. Nor Kallsop. They're kind of hit-and-run posters and they've both pretty much exhausted their witty repartee, above. (Who, me? Baiting?)
	__________________ Ha! Foolmewunz has just been added to the list of people who aren't complete idiots. Hokulele Don't you wish someone had slapped baby Hitler really really hard? [i] Dr. Buzzo 02/13 [i]

19th March 2009, 07:27 AM	#33
Darat Lackey Administrator / JREF Forum Liaison Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South East, UK Posts: 64,744	Originally Posted by Upchurch ...snip... The laughing is something of a give away, however. No the laughing also proves that Obama is a very, very bad man. New Obama Policy: We will be giving everyone in the USA a gold dollar coin! BeAChooser's thread: Obama passes law to force people to accept toxic metal into their home.
	__________________ If it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1918-2008 Last edited by Darat; 19th March 2009 at 07:29 AM.

19th March 2009, 07:43 AM	#34
Upchurch Papa Funkosophy Join Date: May 2002 Location: Funky Town (STL, MO) Posts: 23,423	Originally Posted by Darat No the laughing also proves that Obama is a very, very bad man. Well, naturally. Obama giving a saucer of milk to a hungry kitten would also prove that he is a very, very bad man. ...and a commie. ...and possibly Kenyan. But I'd still like to see the video before passing judgement.

19th March 2009, 07:45 AM	#35
Monketey Ghost Body of Work Join Date: May 2003 Location: I'm on your screen! Posts: 14,806	This is hilarious... simply tasty. Weak, ill-informed attempt at mocking turns stoopid. HA!
	__________________ _{The membership of this forum is henceforth to refer to me as potato-headed Bobby} _{SSKCAS, member in long standing}

19th March 2009, 07:56 AM	#36
DC dedicated aphilatelist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Switzerland Posts: 21,647	aslong he does not "misstakenly" belive some foreignt country has stock piles of WMD's i could forgive him this minor misstake..... well if he atleast was misstaken, but he wasnt...
	__________________ AGW is a fact, including the A, face it

19th March 2009, 07:58 AM	#37
DC dedicated aphilatelist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Switzerland Posts: 21,647	Quote: (and a little scary) how did you survive the last 8 years????
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19th March 2009, 08:03 AM	#38
Mojo Mostly harmless Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Nor Flanden Posts: 22,079	Originally Posted by Rolfe Obama seems to have done something very similar. He turned this appalling gaffe by Cowan into a joke, by pretending to deliver part of Cowan's speech, then thanking himself. Obama is a class act, on this evidence. Does the opening poster not realise this? From the quote he himself has posted? I think this may be relevant: Originally Posted by Rolfe Somewhere in the CT forum someone said that CTers don't have any sense of humour. They attributed this to the fact that seeing the funny side of something requires being able to work out how things would normally relate, and then seeing the humour in the incongruous relationship made in the joke. Not actually being able to make any logical connections in the first place rather puts a crimp in all this.
	__________________ "You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield "The poor mystic homeopaths feel like petted house-cats thrown at high flood on the breaking ice." - Leon Trotsky

19th March 2009, 08:08 AM	#39
Jeff Corey New York Skeptic Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 13,794	Being as dumb as a stump could also contribute to that.