It's the teleprompter, stupid

By Steve McCann

I have enjoyed reading and watching the English press go into a funk over the shabby treatment of their Prime Minister by Mr. Obama. Particularly since they too had so much invested in this "clean and articulate" (thank you, Joe Biden) leader of the free world.

Some of my acquaintances in London were taken aback when I suggested to them that Mr. Brown was the victim of the amateur hour at the White House relative to the gift he received; however, there was no joint press conference, not as a snub to the Brits but because the newly minted President would not have had a teleprompter available. He might actually have to answer some hard questions from the British press which has from time to time pursued tough inquiries. Those media types are not as easy to control as the domestic White House press corps. So to all our friends in England and other countries, relax don't take it personally.

Now, I understand the folks behind the curtain want to install a computer screen in the podium the President uses for press conferences etc, so they can type in the answers to the questions asked and be certain he doesn't stutter and really will know what a P/E ratio is. (I suppose the Wizard of Oz must be the favorite movie in the White House. I wonder, was that one of the DVD's given to Gordon Brown?)