Obama and the Teleprompter - Page 5

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 03:14 AM

You know what's also quite funny about this? The difficulty in finding any serious criticism of Cowen, who actually did commit quite a major flub.

At the weekend I stumbled on one or two Irish blogs laughing at him, mostly more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger, but really very little. I tried again today, specifically searching on his nickname Biffo ("Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly", apparently), in the hope of winnowing out the Irish contingent. Nope. Most of the comment I found was still about Obama.

Maybe someone in Ireland with a Google setup that will only deliver "pages from the Republic of Ireland" (as mine will deliver "pages from the UK" if I check the box) could get a better result?

It does look as if the Irish have a better sense of proportion than the Yanks about the doings of their top politicos.

Rolfe.

gdnp · 24th March 2009, 05:23 AM

Uh-oh. The teleprompter president is holding his second hour long prime time news conference tonight. Which probably matches the number of unscripted question and answer sessions that Bush held in his second term.

If this keeps up he may need a new nick-name. The accessible president? The accountable president? The unscripted president?

Maybe the Great Communicator?

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 06:05 AM

I see there's still no sign of BAC.

He's fallen victim to something that happens quite often round here. Enthusiastic proponent comes rushing with piece of "evidence" he finds totally compelling for his point of view, wanting to display it for our approval/admiration/chagrin. Forumites take a long hard look at the proffered item, find it wanting, shred it to ribbons, then find out where the item is being discussed/revered, and publish the shredding for all to see.

I'm used to seeing it happen with homoeopathy papers, but it seems it works in politics too. 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.

maxpower1227 · 24th March 2009, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Warning. If you don't want to see your treasured "evidence" completely pwned in public, don't show it to the posters at JREF.

*yoink*

Guybrush Threepwood · 24th March 2009, 06:58 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

I tried again today, specifically searching on his nickname Biffo ("Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly", apparently)

Rolfe.

Nearly, you got the third word wrong, would you like another guess?

I'll have a search through the Irish blogs tonight to see if I can find anything, but as I said before, it's not really being made much of, I think because of concerns it would come across as 'dumb Irish' rather than 'dumb Taioseach'

Guybrush Threepwood · 24th March 2009, 07:07 AM

There's an article in The Tribune I hadn't seen before, which blames the White House for the gaffe, so it is Obama's fault after all BAC was right!

Irish Tribune

Quote:

And with a cavalier disregard for cliche and tired old canards, the matter of Cowen's teleprompter malfunction was put down to the fact he was "either taking on delusions of grandeur or had over-indulged in St Patrick's Day drinking". In fact, the gaffe was due to the bungled loading of the teleprompter by White House staff, and by that point, after a day of photo-opping and back-slapping and gushing mutual admiration, the Taoiseach and the US president appeared so joined at the hip they may as well have been joined at the head. They were literally reading from the same page.

The rest of the article is a bit OTT on the new 'Special Relationship' but worth reading.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 08:07 AM

Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood

Nearly, you got the third word wrong, would you like another guess?

I'll have a search through the Irish blogs tonight to see if I can find anything, but as I said before, it's not really being made much of, I think because of concerns it would come across as 'dumb Irish' rather than 'dumb Taioseach'

Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood

There's an article in The Tribune I hadn't seen before, which blames the White House for the gaffe, so it is Obama's fault after all BAC was right!

Irish Tribune

The rest of the article is a bit OTT on the new 'Special Relationship' but worth reading.

Well of course somebody bungled the programming of the thing! The question is, how "tired and emotional" do you have to be not to realise that the speech you're starting to read isn't yours? But we're all human. Maybe he was jetlagged.

ETA: That article is fun! It's refreshing to read commentary from the non-Yank side of it. Especially as a non-fan of GB. In all senses of the abbreviation.

Rolfe.

Ocelot · 24th March 2009, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

You know what's also quite funny about this? The difficulty in finding any serious criticism of Cowen, who actually did commit quite a major flub.

Originally Posted by Rolfe

At the weekend I stumbled on one or two Irish blogs laughing at him, mostly more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger, but really very little. I tried again today, specifically searching on his nickname Biffo ("Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly", apparently), in the hope of winnowing out the Irish contingent. Nope. Most of the comment I found was still about Obama.

Maybe someone in Ireland with a Google setup that will only deliver "pages from the Republic of Ireland" (as mine will deliver "pages from the UK" if I check the box) could get a better result?

It does look as if the Irish have a better sense of proportion than the Yanks about the doings of their top politicos.

Rolfe.

You know you can go to www.google.ie and get those options just as easily as anybody in Eire. Running this search on the Irish google news yields as second result, early uncontaminated reporting with a pretty unequivocal headline for those who read no further.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1574491/obama_thanks_himself_to_cover_for_teleprompter.htm l?cat=9

"Obama Thanks Himself to Cover for Teleprompter Gaffe"

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 09:18 AM

Oh thanks, I didn't know you could do that.

ETA: That's an odd article. It starts by describing what clearly happened, but then goes on to discuss as if Obama had actually made a gaffe. The Comments section can't decide which side it's on, though someone does quote the Irish Times article for reference.

Rolfe.

Shalamar · 24th March 2009, 09:21 AM

I don't get it. What is the big deal with Obama using a Telepromter all the time? Most presidents have people who write their speeches for them, and Obama seems to prefer the teleprompters to ensure he gets the message across promptly and succinctly. If Bush had used one more often, I'm willing to bet he would have had far fewer flubs and gaffes.

Or is it just a conservative spin along the lines of 'Har Har! That stooopid librul has to *read* his own speeches! stooopid librul!'

Then again, maybe conservatives aren't bright enough to read off of a teleprompter?

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Shalamar

Or is it just a conservative spin along the lines of 'Har Har! That stooopid librul has to *read* his own speeches! stooopid librul!'

I think that's about the size of it.

Rolfe.

Cicero · 24th March 2009, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by Shalamar

I don't get it. What is the big deal with Obama using a Telepromter all the time? Most presidents have people who write their speeches for them, and Obama seems to prefer the teleprompters to ensure he gets the message across promptly and succinctly. If Bush had used one more often, I'm willing to bet he would have had far fewer flubs and gaffes.

Or is it just a conservative spin along the lines of 'Har Har! That stooopid librul has to *read* his own speeches! stooopid librul!'

Then again, maybe conservatives aren't bright enough to read off of a teleprompter?

Obama can read a speech better than any Democrat since FDR. But when he is speaking extemporaneously he is susceptible to the same foibles as the rest of us humans.

When his words have not been filtered through a committee of speech writers, policy wonks, SIG's, etc, there is a possibility he may offend even his most staunch supporters. Keith Olbermann was distraught over Obama's innocuous "Special Olympics" remark. I have yet to get an explanation why this was considered a "gaffe." It is just more pc run amok.

BeAChooser · 24th March 2009, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

I see there's still no sign of BAC. He's fallen victim to something that happens quite often round here.

No, Rolfe. I just decided to go back to posting on the important subjects ... like Obama's massive, unsustainable deficit spending. You know, a subject you're not interested in at all. But if you change your mind about that, you come over and try your hand at dismissing my concerns here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=135124 or here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=136438 . But I suspect you won't do that ... because you know you'll get publically "pwned". And for the record, I also invite all the others on this thread who showed up on this one but seem to have studiously avoided those two.

And, by the way, I can't help but notice that you STILL don't see what's funny about Obama's teleprompter escapades.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zF7p9nIK3d...2Bprompter.jpg

Speaking of which ... I've just been contacted by Obama's teleprompter. It wants to say something on this thread. I yield the floor ...

***************

One

Big

Awful

Mistake

America

****************

jj · 24th March 2009, 10:17 AM

Once again, the extreme rightwingers try to justify their calls to revolt with lame plays on others' names.

That's more than they really have to offer, but the danger in such calls to revolt is that somebody might believe the lies that ignited this OP in the first place.

Surely, given the evidence, even the poster of the OP must know by now that the whole "issue" is based on what is obviously an intentional lie on the part of an "unnamed source".

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by Ocelot

You know you can go to www.google.ie and get those options just as easily as anybody in Eire.

Fun search. A number of discussion threads having a go at Cowen, with several people having to be corrected on the idea that Obama had also gaffed. (It. Was. A. Joke. as one poster put it.)

http://www.politics.ie/current-affai...ferance-3.html

http://www.politics.ie/fianna-fail/5...-function.html

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055515474

No blogs or pages dedicated to lampooning Cowen on this single issue though.

I found another possible eyewitness account which is also fun. How Brian's cock-up in the US has made him an American Idol, in the Herald of Ireland.

Originally Posted by Kevin Doyle

It was Biffo's St Patrick's Day Homer Simpson moment.

And the American media has been poking good humoured fun at Taoiseach Brian Cowen for accidentally stealing Barack Obama's speech.

The Taoiseach fell victim to technology as he stood to address a gathering in the White House that was meant to bring an orderly close to the St Patrick's Day celebrations.

Begorra
It was to be his big moment in front of hundreds of invited guests -- then, about 20 seconds into his speech, he realised something was wrong.

"Begorra! Irish PM trips over White House speech," is the headline jumping off the San Francisco Chronicle after the gaffe. [....]

The reason for the gaffe was that the Taoiseach had already given his actual speech to one party inside the White House before moving to a second gathering to repeat the same words.

"Mr Cowen was 20 seconds into his second address when it dawned on him that he was giving word for word the speech that Mr Obama had just read from the same teleprompter," notes the Washington Times.

The Taoiseach had risen to his feet and begun: "It seems particularly fitting that we gather tonight in a house that was, after all, designed and built by an Irish architect.

"We've had a wonderful day that began by meeting with a strong friend of the United States ... "

Then, sudden dead air when the bemused Taoiseach turned to Mr Obama and announced: "That's your speech," and asked: "Who said this was idiot proof?"

The President seemed happy enough to work a role reversal, taking the podium again to thank himself for organising the day when Washington well and truly turned green.

The Irish seem a lot more philosophical than the Yanks.

Rolfe.

Shalamar · 24th March 2009, 10:23 AM

I only start to worry and be concerned over such 'gaffes' when they become commonplace.

I can see a tired or distracted person just start reading from a teleprompter only to realize a couple moments afterwards that they have the wrong speech. Less a gaffe from the speaker, and more of a problem of the person who set up the teleprompter in the first place.

Matthew Best · 24th March 2009, 10:24 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

Just reminding everyone what BAC originally posted. He calls it a "gaff", a "blunder" and a reason to "lampoon the President", when in fact it was a sign of the President's quick-wittedness and sense of humour.

gdnp · 24th March 2009, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by Cicero

Obama can read a speech better than any Democrat since FDR. But when he is speaking extemporaneously he is susceptible to the same foibles as the rest of us humans.

What, better than JFK?

Quote:

When his words have not been filtered through a committee of speech writers, policy wonks, SIG's, etc, there is a possibility he may offend even his most staunch supporters. Keith Olbermann was distraught over Obama's innocuous "Special Olympics" remark. I have yet to get an explanation why this was considered a "gaffe." It is just more pc run amok.

perhaps because the special olympics are for people with intellectual disabilities, not physical disabilities, and it is considered gauche to poke fun at those with intellectual disabilities.

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

One
Big
Awful
Mistake
America

****************

Would it be a violation of my membership agreement to post

Biased

egotist,

Aggravatated by

Clinton,

hating

obama,

offering

snide

erroneous

replies?

Darat · 24th March 2009, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by Shalamar

I don't get it. What is the big deal with Obama using a TelePrompter all the time? ...snip...

And it is after all a TelePrompter, I doubt very much if Obama doesn't practice his speeches beforehand; a teleprompter is just an advance on having your notes in front of you.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

No, Rolfe. I just decided to go back to posting on the important subjects ... like Obama's massive, unsustainable deficit spending. You know, a subject you're not interested in at all. But if you change your mind about that, you come over and try your hand at dismissing my concerns here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=135124 or here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=136438 . But I suspect you won't do that ... because you know you'll get publically "pwned".

How can you know what I'd say, on a subject where I haven't ventured an opinion? I'll leave it to you Merikans to worry about your own deficit spending, thank you.

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

And, by the way, I can't help but notice that you STILL don't see what's funny about Obama's teleprompter escapades.

No. You're right. I somehow stopped finding primary-school level jokes funny after I was about 12. Can't think why.

And in all seriousness, can't you see you're being completely ridiculous about this? If you take your head out of your little right-wing mutual admiration society for a minute, you'll realise that the rest of the world hasn't even noticed whether Obama is using a teleprompter or not. Outside this self-referential discussion, it's not an issue. I heard a political commentator on an English radio programme use the words "silver-tongued" and "a great orator of the old school" to describe him, only four days ago. NOBODY HAS NOTICED.

And even if it's pointed out, the only normal reply is, so what? He's a politician. Politicians have been reading from notes since about the time papyrus was invented. Obama is a generation younger than any US president before him. He's technology-savvy. If he's using the technology for situations where his predecessors might not, then is that all that surprising? And another thing. It takes skill and practice to use the thing effectively. Maybe that's a skill certain predecessors couldn't quite get the hang of?

And yet another thing. He prepares his speeches, even for relatively minor occasions. Does this not suggest a degree of conscientiousness and application to the job in hand that certain predecessors could have benefited from?

And has it still escaped your notice that the only "escapade" that happened in relation to the subject under discussion, was Cowen's?

You lost.

Give it up.

Rolfe.

BeAChooser · 24th March 2009, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by Matthew Best

Just reminding everyone what BAC originally posted.

I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew.

Upchurch · 24th March 2009, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew.

Ya know, I responded to this and you never answered my question.

Cleon · 24th March 2009, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Upchurch

Ya know, I responded to this and you never answered my question.

Well, he's got himself three days in the penalty box now, so he's not going to. (Not that he would anyway.)

Lonewulf · 24th March 2009, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew.

care

Upchurch · 24th March 2009, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Cleon

Well, he's got himself three days in the penalty box now, so he's not going to. (Not that he would anyway.)

I missed that. Thanks for the heads up.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 11:33 AM

Hmmm, what would we have done if Bush had done that? Smiled and moved on, thinking slightly better of him for having some sense of humour?

I'm not even convinced that Obama was quick-witted. Staunton makes it clear that his contribution followed Cowen's entire speech. So he had plenty time to think, what can I do that will both acknowledge that something happened, and make light of it? So after Cowan had finished, he closed the proceedings by "thanking himself", and wishing everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day.

This is such a non-event. How did it blow up into such a storm?

Rolfe.

Upchurch · 24th March 2009, 11:43 AM

To reiterate my earlier post:

Originally Posted by Upchurch

If it were this early in Bush's first term, I would have blinked a couple of times, done a cartoon-like head shake, and gone online to find out what had actually happened not trusting the buffoonish account you were presenting here.

A couple of years of buffoonish Bush behavior later, I would not have given this another thought as it would be completely in character. And I would have felt like an idiot for not checking when I found out there was a possibility he was only joking.

How are you feeling there, BAC?

Professor Yaffle · 24th March 2009, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

This is such a non-event. How did it blow up into such a storm?

Slow news day?

Cicero · 24th March 2009, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by gdnp

What, better than JFK?

perhaps because the special olympics are for people with intellectual disabilities, not physical disabilities, and it is considered gauche to poke fun at those with intellectual disabilities.

When you mention JFK is that considered a thread derail, or is it only when I do it?

I have never heard this distinction by the pc police. So if the Special Olympics were for people with physical disabilities not even Olbermann would consider Obama's remarks a "gaffe?" But since you are fluent in pc speak, I'll just have to defer to your characterization.

Quote:

This is such a non-event. How did it blow up into such a storm?
Rolfe.

The same way the Brits blew up Diana's car accident into the greatest catastrophe since the Suez Crisis.

joobz · 24th March 2009, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by BeAChooser

I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew.

Unfortunately, this is as close to an admission of error as you are like to see from BAC.

Darat · 24th March 2009, 01:37 PM

Derail about Diana's death moved to its own thread: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=138361

Posted By:Darat

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Cicero

OK. You see, the British have a reputation for being stoic, hence stiff upper lip, yet when Diana died as the result of a car accident, they blew her death out of all rational proportion to what she was in life. While British stoicism is not in play here, Fleet Street blowing a story up out of all proportion is not a novelty.

Fleet Street, however, did nothing of the sort on this occassion. Most of the articles were small, and although I didn't see any of the dead-tree versions, they were the sort of thing that gets used to fill the end of a column. All the headlines bar none attributed the gaffe to Cowen. Nearly all the articles just repeated the AP agency material, with its single one-liner making it clear that Obama had thanked himself in jest.

Two sources only (out of many) mistakenly said that Obama had also been confused by a teleprompter error, but even there the (mis)information was a sentence or two buried in the articles.

Three sources (again out of many) made reference to Obama being known for frequent use of the teleprompter, two of these references being identically worded, raising the probability that all came from the same unatributed source.

Nobody would even have noticed if it hadn't been for Limbaugh cherrypicking these second-hand agency-material reports and declaring that these people and these alone had somehow divined the Truth, and all the eyewitness reports and all the repeats of the accurate AP material were Obama's press fan-club covering up for him.

The rest is just Limbaugh's right-wing fanboy club desperate to be fed some material they can use to denigrate Obama, getting several times around the world before the truth got its boots on.

I'm still curious as to where the English journalists got the inaccurate version of what Obama did, and the information that he was known as the "teleprompter president". Innocent misunderstanding, or deliberate planting? Nevertheless, they blew nothing up.

Limbaugh and his fans did that all by themselves.

Rolfe.

Cicero · 24th March 2009, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

Fleet Street, however, did nothing of the sort on this occassion. Most of the articles were small, and although I didn't see any of the dead-tree versions, they were the sort of thing that gets used to fill the end of a column. All the headlines bar none attributed the gaffe to Cowen. Nearly all the articles just repeated the AP agency material, with its single one-liner making it clear that Obama had thanked himself in jest.

Two sources only (out of many) mistakenly said that Obama had also been confused by a teleprompter error, but even there the (mis)information was a sentence or two buried in the articles.

Three sources (again out of many) made reference to Obama being known for frequent use of the teleprompter, two of these references being identically worded, raising the probability that all came from the same unatributed source.

Nobody would even have noticed if it hadn't been for Limbaugh cherrypicking these second-hand agency-material reports and declaring that these people and these alone had somehow divined the Truth, and all the eyewitness reports and all the repeats of the accurate AP material were Obama's press fan-club covering up for him.

The rest is just Limbaugh's right-wing fanboy club desperate to be fed some material they can use to denigrate Obama, getting several times around the world before the truth got its boots on.

I'm still curious as to where the English journalists got the inaccurate version of what Obama did, and the information that he was known as the "teleprompter president". Innocent misunderstanding, or deliberate planting? Nevertheless, they blew nothing up.

Limbaugh and his fans did that all by themselves.

Rolfe.

Now that you omitted your obiter dictum about "D," you will escape the Lonewulf castigation.

gdnp · 24th March 2009, 02:01 PM

Let us all watch Obama's prime time press conference tonight and see if we can spot the teleprompter.

Guybrush Threepwood · 24th March 2009, 02:32 PM

OK, this is a derail, but BAC is in the naughty corner, I think most of the juice has been sucked out of the OP and I don't think this is really worth a thread of it's own.

Obama should be happy he doesn't have to deal with this.

Nudey Biffo (SFW)

Watch the news clip underneath for the gory details.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood

OK, this is a derail, but BAC is in the naughty corner, I think most of the juice has been sucked out of the OP and I don't think this is really worth a thread of it's own.

Obama should be happy he doesn't have to deal with this.

Nudey Biffo (SFW)

Watch the news clip underneath for the gory details.

Now my sides hurt! That's some class lampoon!

Beats puerile blogs and YouTube edits of er-um by an embarrassingly long way.

Rolfe.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 03:08 PM

Originally Posted by Cicero

Now that you omitted your obiter dictum about "D," you will escape the Lonewulf castigation.

What? I omitted the original PS about D because I saw the thread had been split and it was no longer relevant.

I have also commented in the other thread.

Castigate away, oh supercilious one.

Rolfe.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by gdnp

Let us all watch Obama's prime time press conference tonight and see if we can spot the teleprompter.

Good idea. I'd genuinely like to know how he gets on extempore. Since I never noticed the teleprompter before, indeed I didn't know what one looked like till yesterday, then I don't know whether I've seen him "off the cuff" before or not.

I expect him to be perfectly rational.

Rolfe.

Cicero · 24th March 2009, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

What? I omitted the original PS about D because I saw the thread had been split and it was no longer relevant.

I have also commented in the other thread.

Castigate away, oh supercilious one.

Rolfe.

Yes. Lonewulf is supercilious.

Rolfe · 24th March 2009, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by Cicero

Yes. Lonewulf is supercilious.

Must take one to know one.

Now, back to the matter at hand (though I have to say I preferred Nude Biffo, one of the funniest things I've seen all week...)

Originally Posted by ParanoidAndroid

Let me simplify this for you:
Why did you feel Diana's death was remotely relevant to the Obama teleprompter story?

Originally Posted by Cicero

That question is not relevant in this thread. Better go back to the TelePrompTer thread.

So here we are. I'm curious too. What on earth did DianaMania have to do with Rush Limbaugh and the TOTUS story?

I already ran through the reasons why the answer to that was "nothing", but my post was quoted and superciliously dismissed. Care to try again?

Rolfe.

24th March 2009, 03:14 AM	#161
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	You know what's also quite funny about this? The difficulty in finding any serious criticism of Cowen, who actually did commit quite a major flub. At the weekend I stumbled on one or two Irish blogs laughing at him, mostly more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger, but really very little. I tried again today, specifically searching on his nickname Biffo ("Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly", apparently), in the hope of winnowing out the Irish contingent. Nope. Most of the comment I found was still about Obama. Maybe someone in Ireland with a Google setup that will only deliver "pages from the Republic of Ireland" (as mine will deliver "pages from the UK" if I check the box) could get a better result? It does look as if the Irish have a better sense of proportion than the Yanks about the doings of their top politicos. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

24th March 2009, 06:05 AM	#163
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	I see there's still no sign of BAC. He's fallen victim to something that happens quite often round here. Enthusiastic proponent comes rushing with piece of "evidence" he finds totally compelling for his point of view, wanting to display it for our approval/admiration/chagrin. Forumites take a long hard look at the proffered item, find it wanting, shred it to ribbons, then find out where the item is being discussed/revered, and publish the shredding for all to see. I'm used to seeing it happen with homoeopathy papers, but it seems it works in politics too. 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.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

24th March 2009, 06:45 AM	#164
maxpower1227 Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,045	Originally Posted by Rolfe Warning. If you don't want to see your treasured "evidence" completely pwned in public, don't show it to the posters at JREF. yoink
	__________________ 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

24th March 2009, 08:07 AM	#167
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood Nearly, you got the third word wrong, would you like another guess? I'll have a search through the Irish blogs tonight to see if I can find anything, but as I said before, it's not really being made much of, I think because of concerns it would come across as 'dumb Irish' rather than 'dumb Taioseach' Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood There's an article in The Tribune I hadn't seen before, which blames the White House for the gaffe, so it is Obama's fault after all BAC was right! Irish Tribune The rest of the article is a bit OTT on the new 'Special Relationship' but worth reading. Well of course somebody bungled the programming of the thing! The question is, how "tired and emotional" do you have to be not to realise that the speech you're starting to read isn't yours? But we're all human. Maybe he was jetlagged. ETA: That article is fun! It's refreshing to read commentary from the non-Yank side of it. Especially as a non-fan of GB. In all senses of the abbreviation. 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; 24th March 2009 at 08:10 AM.

24th March 2009, 09:04 AM	#168
Ocelot Illuminator Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: London Posts: 3,016	Originally Posted by Rolfe You know what's also quite funny about this? The difficulty in finding any serious criticism of Cowen, who actually did commit quite a major flub. Originally Posted by Rolfe At the weekend I stumbled on one or two Irish blogs laughing at him, mostly more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger, but really very little. I tried again today, specifically searching on his nickname Biffo ("Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly", apparently), in the hope of winnowing out the Irish contingent. Nope. Most of the comment I found was still about Obama. Maybe someone in Ireland with a Google setup that will only deliver "pages from the Republic of Ireland" (as mine will deliver "pages from the UK" if I check the box) could get a better result? It does look as if the Irish have a better sense of proportion than the Yanks about the doings of their top politicos. Rolfe. You know you can go to www.google.ie and get those options just as easily as anybody in Eire. Running this search on the Irish google news yields as second result, early uncontaminated reporting with a pretty unequivocal headline for those who read no further. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1574491/obama_thanks_himself_to_cover_for_teleprompter.htm l?cat=9 "Obama Thanks Himself to Cover for Teleprompter Gaffe"
	__________________ EDL = English Disco Lovers Last edited by Ocelot; 24th March 2009 at 09:06 AM.

24th March 2009, 05:23 AM	#162
gdnp useless idiot Join Date: May 2008 Location: New Jersey-You gotta problem wit dat? Posts: 4,999	Uh-oh. The teleprompter president is holding his second hour long prime time news conference tonight. Which probably matches the number of unscripted question and answer sessions that Bush held in his second term. If this keeps up he may need a new nick-name. The accessible president? The accountable president? The unscripted president? Maybe the Great Communicator?

24th March 2009, 06:58 AM	#165
Guybrush Threepwood Trainee Pirate Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: An Uaimh Posts: 1,564	Originally Posted by Rolfe I tried again today, specifically searching on his nickname Biffo ("Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly", apparently) Rolfe. Nearly, you got the third word wrong, would you like another guess? I'll have a search through the Irish blogs tonight to see if I can find anything, but as I said before, it's not really being made much of, I think because of concerns it would come across as 'dumb Irish' rather than 'dumb Taioseach'

24th March 2009, 07:07 AM	#166
Guybrush Threepwood Trainee Pirate Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: An Uaimh Posts: 1,564	There's an article in The Tribune I hadn't seen before, which blames the White House for the gaffe, so it is Obama's fault after all BAC was right! Irish Tribune Quote: And with a cavalier disregard for cliche and tired old canards, the matter of Cowen's teleprompter malfunction was put down to the fact he was "either taking on delusions of grandeur or had over-indulged in St Patrick's Day drinking". In fact, the gaffe was due to the bungled loading of the teleprompter by White House staff, and by that point, after a day of photo-opping and back-slapping and gushing mutual admiration, the Taoiseach and the US president appeared so joined at the hip they may as well have been joined at the head. They were literally reading from the same page. The rest of the article is a bit OTT on the new 'Special Relationship' but worth reading.

24th March 2009, 09:18 AM	#169
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Oh thanks, I didn't know you could do that. ETA: That's an odd article. It starts by describing what clearly happened, but then goes on to discuss as if Obama had actually made a gaffe. The Comments section can't decide which side it's on, though someone does quote the Irish Times article for reference. 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; 24th March 2009 at 09:28 AM.

24th March 2009, 09:21 AM	#170
Shalamar Dark Lord of the JREF Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Super Star Destroyer Executor Posts: 2,397	I don't get it. What is the big deal with Obama using a Telepromter all the time? Most presidents have people who write their speeches for them, and Obama seems to prefer the teleprompters to ensure he gets the message across promptly and succinctly. If Bush had used one more often, I'm willing to bet he would have had far fewer flubs and gaffes. Or is it just a conservative spin along the lines of 'Har Har! That stooopid librul has to read his own speeches! stooopid librul!' Then again, maybe conservatives aren't bright enough to read off of a teleprompter?
	__________________ "The truth is out there. But the lies are inside your head."

24th March 2009, 09:40 AM	#171
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Originally Posted by Shalamar Or is it just a conservative spin along the lines of 'Har Har! That stooopid librul has to read his own speeches! stooopid librul!' I think that's about the size of it. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

24th March 2009, 10:00 AM	#172
Cicero Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7,861	Originally Posted by Shalamar I don't get it. What is the big deal with Obama using a Telepromter all the time? Most presidents have people who write their speeches for them, and Obama seems to prefer the teleprompters to ensure he gets the message across promptly and succinctly. If Bush had used one more often, I'm willing to bet he would have had far fewer flubs and gaffes. Or is it just a conservative spin along the lines of 'Har Har! That stooopid librul has to read his own speeches! stooopid librul!' Then again, maybe conservatives aren't bright enough to read off of a teleprompter? Obama can read a speech better than any Democrat since FDR. But when he is speaking extemporaneously he is susceptible to the same foibles as the rest of us humans. When his words have not been filtered through a committee of speech writers, policy wonks, SIG's, etc, there is a possibility he may offend even his most staunch supporters. Keith Olbermann was distraught over Obama's innocuous "Special Olympics" remark. I have yet to get an explanation why this was considered a "gaffe." It is just more pc run amok.
Cicero Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7,861	Last edited by Cicero; 24th March 2009 at 10:05 AM.

24th March 2009, 10:02 AM	#173
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716	Originally Posted by Rolfe I see there's still no sign of BAC. He's fallen victim to something that happens quite often round here. No, Rolfe. I just decided to go back to posting on the important subjects ... like Obama's massive, unsustainable deficit spending. You know, a subject you're not interested in at all. But if you change your mind about that, you come over and try your hand at dismissing my concerns here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=135124 or here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=136438 . But I suspect you won't do that ... because you know you'll get publically "pwned". And for the record, I also invite all the others on this thread who showed up on this one but seem to have studiously avoided those two. And, by the way, I can't help but notice that you STILL don't see what's funny about Obama's teleprompter escapades. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_zF7p9nIK3d...2Bprompter.jpg Speaking of which ... I've just been contacted by Obama's teleprompter. It wants to say something on this thread. I yield the floor ... ************* One Big Awful Mistake America **************
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716

24th March 2009, 10:17 AM	#174
jj grumpy old skeptic Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Deep in the rain Posts: 18,520	Once again, the extreme rightwingers try to justify their calls to revolt with lame plays on others' names. That's more than they really have to offer, but the danger in such calls to revolt is that somebody might believe the lies that ignited this OP in the first place. Surely, given the evidence, even the poster of the OP must know by now that the whole "issue" is based on what is obviously an intentional lie on the part of an "unnamed source".
	__________________ The Power to Quit

24th March 2009, 10:18 AM	#175
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Originally Posted by Ocelot You know you can go to www.google.ie and get those options just as easily as anybody in Eire. Fun search. A number of discussion threads having a go at Cowen, with several people having to be corrected on the idea that Obama had also gaffed. (It. Was. A. Joke. as one poster put it.) http://www.politics.ie/current-affai...ferance-3.html http://www.politics.ie/fianna-fail/5...-function.html http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...p?t=2055515474 No blogs or pages dedicated to lampooning Cowen on this single issue though. I found another possible eyewitness account which is also fun. How Brian's cock-up in the US has made him an American Idol, in the Herald of Ireland. Originally Posted by Kevin Doyle It was Biffo's St Patrick's Day Homer Simpson moment. And the American media has been poking good humoured fun at Taoiseach Brian Cowen for accidentally stealing Barack Obama's speech. The Taoiseach fell victim to technology as he stood to address a gathering in the White House that was meant to bring an orderly close to the St Patrick's Day celebrations. Begorra It was to be his big moment in front of hundreds of invited guests -- then, about 20 seconds into his speech, he realised something was wrong. "Begorra! Irish PM trips over White House speech," is the headline jumping off the San Francisco Chronicle after the gaffe. [....] The reason for the gaffe was that the Taoiseach had already given his actual speech to one party inside the White House before moving to a second gathering to repeat the same words. "Mr Cowen was 20 seconds into his second address when it dawned on him that he was giving word for word the speech that Mr Obama had just read from the same teleprompter," notes the Washington Times. The Taoiseach had risen to his feet and begun: "It seems particularly fitting that we gather tonight in a house that was, after all, designed and built by an Irish architect. "We've had a wonderful day that began by meeting with a strong friend of the United States ... " Then, sudden dead air when the bemused Taoiseach turned to Mr Obama and announced: "That's your speech," and asked: "Who said this was idiot proof?" The President seemed happy enough to work a role reversal, taking the podium again to thank himself for organising the day when Washington well and truly turned green. The Irish seem a lot more philosophical than the Yanks. 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; 24th March 2009 at 10:20 AM.

24th March 2009, 10:23 AM	#176
Shalamar Dark Lord of the JREF Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Super Star Destroyer Executor Posts: 2,397	I only start to worry and be concerned over such 'gaffes' when they become commonplace. I can see a tired or distracted person just start reading from a teleprompter only to realize a couple moments afterwards that they have the wrong speech. Less a gaffe from the speaker, and more of a problem of the person who set up the teleprompter in the first place.
	__________________ "The truth is out there. But the lies are inside your head."

24th March 2009, 10:24 AM	#177
Matthew Best Illuminator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Leicester Square, London Posts: 4,147	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 Just reminding everyone what BAC originally posted. He calls it a "gaff", a "blunder" and a reason to "lampoon the President", when in fact it was a sign of the President's quick-wittedness and sense of humour.

24th March 2009, 10:39 AM	#178
gdnp useless idiot Join Date: May 2008 Location: New Jersey-You gotta problem wit dat? Posts: 4,999	Originally Posted by Cicero Obama can read a speech better than any Democrat since FDR. But when he is speaking extemporaneously he is susceptible to the same foibles as the rest of us humans. What, better than JFK? Quote: When his words have not been filtered through a committee of speech writers, policy wonks, SIG's, etc, there is a possibility he may offend even his most staunch supporters. Keith Olbermann was distraught over Obama's innocuous "Special Olympics" remark. I have yet to get an explanation why this was considered a "gaffe." It is just more pc run amok. perhaps because the special olympics are for people with intellectual disabilities, not physical disabilities, and it is considered gauche to poke fun at those with intellectual disabilities. Originally Posted by BeAChooser One Big Awful Mistake America **************** Would it be a violation of my membership agreement to post Biased egotist, Aggravatated by Clinton, hating obama, offering snide erroneous replies?

24th March 2009, 10:43 AM	#179
Darat Lackey Administrator / JREF Forum Liaison Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South East, UK Posts: 64,803	Originally Posted by Shalamar I don't get it. What is the big deal with Obama using a TelePrompter all the time? ...snip... And it is after all a TelePrompter, I doubt very much if Obama doesn't practice his speeches beforehand; a teleprompter is just an advance on having your notes in front of you.
	__________________ 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

24th March 2009, 10:44 AM	#180
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Originally Posted by BeAChooser No, Rolfe. I just decided to go back to posting on the important subjects ... like Obama's massive, unsustainable deficit spending. You know, a subject you're not interested in at all. But if you change your mind about that, you come over and try your hand at dismissing my concerns here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=135124 or here: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=136438 . But I suspect you won't do that ... because you know you'll get publically "pwned". How can you know what I'd say, on a subject where I haven't ventured an opinion? I'll leave it to you Merikans to worry about your own deficit spending, thank you. Originally Posted by BeAChooser And, by the way, I can't help but notice that you STILL don't see what's funny about Obama's teleprompter escapades. No. You're right. I somehow stopped finding primary-school level jokes funny after I was about 12. Can't think why. And in all seriousness, can't you see you're being completely ridiculous about this? If you take your head out of your little right-wing mutual admiration society for a minute, you'll realise that the rest of the world hasn't even noticed whether Obama is using a teleprompter or not. Outside this self-referential discussion, it's not an issue. I heard a political commentator on an English radio programme use the words "silver-tongued" and "a great orator of the old school" to describe him, only four days ago. NOBODY HAS NOTICED. And even if it's pointed out, the only normal reply is, so what? He's a politician. Politicians have been reading from notes since about the time papyrus was invented. Obama is a generation younger than any US president before him. He's technology-savvy. If he's using the technology for situations where his predecessors might not, then is that all that surprising? And another thing. It takes skill and practice to use the thing effectively. Maybe that's a skill certain predecessors couldn't quite get the hang of? And yet another thing. He prepares his speeches, even for relatively minor occasions. Does this not suggest a degree of conscientiousness and application to the job in hand that certain predecessors could have benefited from? And has it still escaped your notice that the only "escapade" that happened in relation to the subject under discussion, was Cowen's? You lost. Give it up. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

24th March 2009, 10:50 AM	#181
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716	Originally Posted by Matthew Best Just reminding everyone what BAC originally posted. I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew.
BeAChooser Banned Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 11,716

24th March 2009, 11:17 AM	#182
Upchurch Papa Funkosophy Join Date: May 2002 Location: Funky Town (STL, MO) Posts: 23,428	Originally Posted by BeAChooser I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew. Ya know, I responded to this and you never answered my question.

24th March 2009, 11:20 AM	#183
Cleon King of the Pod People Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 20,536	Originally Posted by Upchurch Ya know, I responded to this and you never answered my question. Well, he's got himself three days in the penalty box now, so he's not going to. (Not that he would anyway.)
	__________________ "People like me are what stand between us and Auschwitz." - Newt Gingrich

24th March 2009, 11:21 AM	#184
Lonewulf Humanistic Cyborg Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 10,380	Originally Posted by BeAChooser I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew. care
	__________________ Writing.com Account

24th March 2009, 11:22 AM	#185
Upchurch Papa Funkosophy Join Date: May 2002 Location: Funky Town (STL, MO) Posts: 23,428	Originally Posted by Cleon Well, he's got himself three days in the penalty box now, so he's not going to. (Not that he would anyway.) I missed that. Thanks for the heads up.

24th March 2009, 11:33 AM	#186
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Hmmm, what would we have done if Bush had done that? Smiled and moved on, thinking slightly better of him for having some sense of humour? I'm not even convinced that Obama was quick-witted. Staunton makes it clear that his contribution followed Cowen's entire speech. So he had plenty time to think, what can I do that will both acknowledge that something happened, and make light of it? So after Cowan had finished, he closed the proceedings by "thanking himself", and wishing everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day. This is such a non-event. How did it blow up into such a storm? 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; 24th March 2009 at 01:05 PM.

24th March 2009, 11:43 AM	#187
Upchurch Papa Funkosophy Join Date: May 2002 Location: Funky Town (STL, MO) Posts: 23,428	To reiterate my earlier post: Originally Posted by Upchurch If it were this early in Bush's first term, I would have blinked a couple of times, done a cartoon-like head shake, and gone online to find out what had actually happened not trusting the buffoonish account you were presenting here. A couple of years of buffoonish Bush behavior later, I would not have given this another thought as it would be completely in character. And I would have felt like an idiot for not checking when I found out there was a possibility he was only joking. How are you feeling there, BAC?

24th March 2009, 11:45 AM	#188
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,358	Originally Posted by Rolfe This is such a non-event. How did it blow up into such a storm? Slow news day?
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat

24th March 2009, 11:50 AM	#189
Cicero Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7,861	Originally Posted by gdnp What, better than JFK? perhaps because the special olympics are for people with intellectual disabilities, not physical disabilities, and it is considered gauche to poke fun at those with intellectual disabilities. When you mention JFK is that considered a thread derail, or is it only when I do it? I have never heard this distinction by the pc police. So if the Special Olympics were for people with physical disabilities not even Olbermann would consider Obama's remarks a "gaffe?" But since you are fluent in pc speak, I'll just have to defer to your characterization. Quote: This is such a non-event. How did it blow up into such a storm? Rolfe. The same way the Brits blew up Diana's car accident into the greatest catastrophe since the Suez Crisis.
Cicero Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7,861	Last edited by Cicero; 24th March 2009 at 01:44 PM.

24th March 2009, 11:56 AM	#190
joobz Tergiversator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: That's how you get ants Posts: 17,505	Originally Posted by BeAChooser I'll just ask you to answer the question I asked. If Bush had done that ... even if he was proving he was just quick on his feet like you assert Obama was ... , what would democrats and the media now be saying? Try to be honest, Matthew. Unfortunately, this is as close to an admission of error as you are like to see from BAC.
	__________________ What's the best argument for UHC? This argument against UHC. "Perhaps one reason per capita GDP is lower in UHC countries is because they've tried to prevent this important function [bankrupting the sick] and thus carry forward considerable economic dead wood?"-BeAChooser

24th March 2009, 01:42 PM	#192
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Originally Posted by Cicero OK. You see, the British have a reputation for being stoic, hence stiff upper lip, yet when Diana died as the result of a car accident, they blew her death out of all rational proportion to what she was in life. While British stoicism is not in play here, Fleet Street blowing a story up out of all proportion is not a novelty. Fleet Street, however, did nothing of the sort on this occassion. Most of the articles were small, and although I didn't see any of the dead-tree versions, they were the sort of thing that gets used to fill the end of a column. All the headlines bar none attributed the gaffe to Cowen. Nearly all the articles just repeated the AP agency material, with its single one-liner making it clear that Obama had thanked himself in jest. Two sources only (out of many) mistakenly said that Obama had also been confused by a teleprompter error, but even there the (mis)information was a sentence or two buried in the articles. Three sources (again out of many) made reference to Obama being known for frequent use of the teleprompter, two of these references being identically worded, raising the probability that all came from the same unatributed source. Nobody would even have noticed if it hadn't been for Limbaugh cherrypicking these second-hand agency-material reports and declaring that these people and these alone had somehow divined the Truth, and all the eyewitness reports and all the repeats of the accurate AP material were Obama's press fan-club covering up for him. The rest is just Limbaugh's right-wing fanboy club desperate to be fed some material they can use to denigrate Obama, getting several times around the world before the truth got its boots on. I'm still curious as to where the English journalists got the inaccurate version of what Obama did, and the information that he was known as the "teleprompter president". Innocent misunderstanding, or deliberate planting? Nevertheless, they blew nothing up. Limbaugh and his fans did that all by themselves. 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; 24th March 2009 at 01:47 PM.

24th March 2009, 01:50 PM	#193
Cicero Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7,861	Originally Posted by Rolfe Fleet Street, however, did nothing of the sort on this occassion. Most of the articles were small, and although I didn't see any of the dead-tree versions, they were the sort of thing that gets used to fill the end of a column. All the headlines bar none attributed the gaffe to Cowen. Nearly all the articles just repeated the AP agency material, with its single one-liner making it clear that Obama had thanked himself in jest. Two sources only (out of many) mistakenly said that Obama had also been confused by a teleprompter error, but even there the (mis)information was a sentence or two buried in the articles. Three sources (again out of many) made reference to Obama being known for frequent use of the teleprompter, two of these references being identically worded, raising the probability that all came from the same unatributed source. Nobody would even have noticed if it hadn't been for Limbaugh cherrypicking these second-hand agency-material reports and declaring that these people and these alone had somehow divined the Truth, and all the eyewitness reports and all the repeats of the accurate AP material were Obama's press fan-club covering up for him. The rest is just Limbaugh's right-wing fanboy club desperate to be fed some material they can use to denigrate Obama, getting several times around the world before the truth got its boots on. I'm still curious as to where the English journalists got the inaccurate version of what Obama did, and the information that he was known as the "teleprompter president". Innocent misunderstanding, or deliberate planting? Nevertheless, they blew nothing up. Limbaugh and his fans did that all by themselves. Rolfe. Now that you omitted your obiter dictum about "D," you will escape the Lonewulf castigation.
Cicero Banned Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 7,861

24th March 2009, 02:01 PM	#194
gdnp useless idiot Join Date: May 2008 Location: New Jersey-You gotta problem wit dat? Posts: 4,999	Let us all watch Obama's prime time press conference tonight and see if we can spot the teleprompter.

24th March 2009, 02:32 PM	#195
Guybrush Threepwood Trainee Pirate Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: An Uaimh Posts: 1,564	OK, this is a derail, but BAC is in the naughty corner, I think most of the juice has been sucked out of the OP and I don't think this is really worth a thread of it's own. Obama should be happy he doesn't have to deal with this. Nudey Biffo (SFW) Watch the news clip underneath for the gory details.

24th March 2009, 03:06 PM	#196
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,340	Originally Posted by Guybrush Threepwood OK, this is a derail, but BAC is in the naughty corner, I think most of the juice has been sucked out of the OP and I don't think this is really worth a thread of it's own. Obama should be happy he doesn't have to deal with this. Nudey Biffo (SFW) Watch the news clip underneath for the gory details. Now my sides hurt! That's some class lampoon! Beats puerile blogs and YouTube edits of er-um by an embarrassingly long way. Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.