President Obama Thanks Himself

Taoiseach Cowen and President Obama (White House photo)

Cross posted at The Next Right

President Obama: “First, I’d like to say thank you to President Obama!”

So went President Obama’s gaffe yesterday in following exactly the words on his teleprompter.

One might have thought there would be a red flag at “President” since the guest’s title was Taoiseach. Or at least a stutter at the name “Obama” since it is not that common (not like Smith or even Cowen), but apparently the words flowed easily to the end of the sentence because the remarks were not thought out ahead of time but a mere following of the teleprompter.

Of course, this doesn’t say anything about Obama’s intellect any more than Bush’s sometime stumbles reflected on his. It’s a part of public speaking. But, if this had been President Bush, the story would have been featured in the US press and Bush laughed at. But, as it is President Obama’s gaffe, the US press doesn’t find it interesting or funny because it doesn’t back up their stereotypes.

Leave it to the British [UK Times online] to write up a real report. (Maybe we need to outsource our news.)

On this occasion, as a laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium, the script was belatedly switched over to the Taoiseach's text – leaving Mr Obama inadvertently thanking himself for inviting everyone, to further laughter. "First, I'd like to say thank you to President Obama!" the President said.

As Andrew Bolt remarks:

“How we’d laugh ... if George Bush had done this. Because, as you know, he’s such a moron that he was once even accused (falsely) of doing an Obama:

“‘Was President Bush literally channeling Karl Rove in his first debate with John Kerry?… So was the bulge under his well-tailored jacket a hidden receiver, picking up transmissions from someone offstage feeding the president answers through a hidden earpiece?’

“Odd, that if anyone is being fed lines it’s not Bush the Inarticulate but Obama the Great Communicator.”