Thread: Teleprompter feeds Irish PM Obama's words

We could get our leaders to say anything if it's on the teleprompters???!!! There was a big gaffle today in the White House with Obama and the leader of North Ireland each reading each other's speech -they got put up in the wrong order.

I've heard many radio shows make fun of Obama's need for the teleprompter. Wonder how far this story will go.



'That's your speech': Teleprompter feeds Irish PM Obama's words

Taoiseach Brian Cowen falls foul of machine during St Patrick's Day meeting at the White House



Barack Obama, Brian Cowen, Michelle Obama

Irish leader Brian Cowen and the US president, Barack Obama, shared more than the stage at the White House. The two leaders were both fed the same speech by an errant autocue, something the first lady, Michelle Obama, seemed to find amusing. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP

When the Irish taoiseach received his invitation to the White House to speak alongside Barack Obama on St Patrick's Day, it was his big moment to shine on the world stage.

But when Brian Cowen began his address last night, his speech had a horribly familiar ring to it. And no wonder: he had been repeating exactly what Obama had said minutes earlier.

The autocue was apparently the cause of this embarrassing case of deja vu. Rather than being ready with Cowen's speech, the teleprompting machine simply reloaded the one Obama had just given.

Cowen was around 20 seconds into the wrong speech before he realised his gaffe. He stopped suddenly 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, Obama thanked Obama for inviting everyone over.

Obama is becoming known as the "teleÂ*prompter president" for his reliance on the prompting screens, which retract when speeches are finished.

Although used for more than half a century, the device was previously employed mainly for set-piece speeches. The current president, however, often uses them for making small introductory statements at the beginning of press conferences.

The event was one of a series held both in the Republic of Ireland and in the US, which has a big Irish community, to mark St Patrick's Day yesterday.

The president also met Northern Â*Ireland's first minister, Peter Robinson, a Protestant, and his Catholic deputy, Martin McGuinness, in his national security adviser's office.

Tensions are high in Northern Ireland after IRA splinter groups killed two soldiers and a police officer this month in the first attacks of their kind since 1998, when the landmark Good Friday agreement was reached.

In a speech designed to reassure those in favour of peace that the US stood behind them, Obama said: "Not all Americans are Irish, but all Americans support those who stand on the side of peace, and peace will prevail."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/ma ... leprompter

Fox youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FHrfrCT ... r_embedded

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen liked President Obama's speech so much yesterday that he repeated it -- for 20 seconds. At that time he realized that Obama's speech was still on the teleprompter.
(SIPAPHOTOS/NEWSCOM)
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Chaos in the White House - Obama’s teleprompter blows up
By Jimmy Orr | 03.18.09



Or as Don Surber put it in his blog, “Live by the TelePrompTer, die by the TelePrompTer.â€

Boy.....obama sure has a way with visiting foreign dignitaries.

Is making complete asses out of his fellow world leaders being done on purpose to try and make obama look good....and competent....in the process, or what?

Yes, sounds like it was planned. Is there video? I find it funny there is no vid on this.

Originally Posted by Arizonablues

Yes, sounds like it was planned. Is there video? I find it funny there is no vid on this.

No kidding. Especially with obama smirking while his wife stood behind the PM chortling like a jackass.

The two of them have about as much class, grace, and dignity as Beavis and Butthead.