and still all applaud at his nakedness. [rquoter]SCREENING OBAMA One wouldn't know it from reading the Washington Post or New York Times, but some inside the White House don't think that President Barack Obama hit a home run with his first national press conference last week. "It looked scripted beyond the scripted part, the speech," says one former communications adviser, who has been feeding notes and suggestions to the White House team and worked with them on the inauguration. "Every president has gone into one of these things knowing that there were some pre-arranged questions or journalists to be called on, but this one was pretty ham-handed." To that end, he says, the White House is looking to install a small video or computer screen into the podium used by the president for press conferences and events in the White House. "It would make it easier for the comms guys to pass along information without being obvious about it," says the adviser. The screen would indicate whom to call on, seat placement for journalists, pass along notes or points to hit, and so forth, says the adviser. Using a screen is nothing new for Obama; almost nothing he said in supposedly unscripted townhall events during the presidential campaign was unscripted, down to many of the questions and the answers to those questions. Teleprompter screens at the events scrolled not only his opening remarks, but also statistics and information he could use to answer questions. "It would be the same idea with the podium," says the adviser. Obama had a teleprompter set up for his remarks last week, before taking questions, but the White House couldn't use the teleprompter for anything but the remarks, because the journalists were so close to the screens. Further complicating matters, teleprompter copy can't be easily updated in real time, in a setting like a White House press conference. [/rquoter]
wow. super-interesting item, and as always, great commentary by basso, complete with supa-funny thread title. Five stars.
since the pres is balack, its not just the the prince has no clothes, its the fresh prince, funny haha
Sorry Dad again In all seriousness, this thread represents how out of touch the republicans are. First, they think Americans care if Obama is not as good of a speaker off the cuff as with a written speech is, as if that's the only reason he was elected, as if anyone is as good off the cuff, and compared to the former press, it really doesn't matter. Secondly, the only people criticizing the presser making an issue out of it as if Obama was completely befuddled are (sorry wes but this is aimed at a particular group) wingnuts. So the nuts think they have floated a pressing issue about the presser and now they are floating this rumor as if this is getting play outside the wingnut reality. its hilarious.
no, what's hilarious is the double standard; had George done such a thing the enitre liberal MSM machine, from the times to puff ho to john stewart would have been up in arms. in fact they were, at the alleged use of a wire during one of the debates. and god forbid, sarah palin had needed such a prop.
Bill Clinton was probably the smartest, most charming off the cuff speaker we have had as President in the passed 20 years. But what does it matter if you don't agree with their policies. I don't dislike Bush cause he often sounded like an idiot but rather cause he acted as one. No, I am not a Democrat as I believe the two party system to be limiting if you are a thinking man. It is knid of small to be stirring the pot on this singular issue. I proofread this post before I submitted. OMG I'm just like Obama
amen, the nuts just don't get it. even if we agree with basso's premise that bush got more criticism becuase of his lack of communication skills, he still doesn't understand its part of an overall premise, he was unqualified in the intelligence department to be president.
Your whining about the MSM having a double standard is beyond tired. That myth has been debunked time and time again.
I hope they get that computer in the podium. I think that would lead to real answers instead of stalling and BS runaround crap.
Obama's speech was a joke. He tried to just blabber on with his canned talking points so he could fill up the allotted time he had with minimal questions. He called on the Huffington Post, for crying out loud. I grade his performance a big fat D-, only because the grade of F was reserved for Geithner's the next day.
remember all the outrage when ari admitted to bill-o that he told the president who to call on and that he put all the bloggers in "siberia". oh wait, there was no outrage? whaaaaaa?
