On NBC last night, David Gregory observed:
This is a very careful presentation from the president tonight. He spoke with the use of a teleprompter delivering the opening remarks and moderated his tone with regard to the anger he was demonstrating about the AIG bonuses…
The teleprompter also loomed large for the AP’s Ron Fournier, who leads and closes with it (not to mention the headline: “Analysis: Teleprompter telegraphs Obama caution”):
What kind of politician brings a teleprompter to a news conference?A careful one.
President Barack Obama took no chances in his second prime-time news conference, reading a prepared statement in which he took both sides of the AIG bonus brouhaha and asked an anxious nation for its patience…
…
Calm. Cool. Careful.
One of the few times he summoned raw emotion came after a reporter demanded to know why it took him so long to express outrage over the AIG executive bonuses.
“It took a couple of days because I like to know what I’m talking about before I speak.”
Even better, he likes to have it up on the teleprompter.
(See my colleague Katia’s recent take on teleprompter talk as “something that’s very pertinent to the press corps, but isn’t something most Americans haven’t thought about much”).
Drudge had his "BOOOORRRRING" link up last night, so all his press followers ran with it. They obviously couldn't find anything else in the entire press conference that was newsworthy. They are all sixth-grade boys who have been kept in from recess for too long. good thing we can all watch it for ourselves on CSPAN.
#1 Posted by Jenny, CJR on Wed 25 Mar 2009 at 01:02 PM
Cool. Calm. Informed. Reflective. Technical. Smart.
This the media lables "boring" and finds wanting. Condemning not Obama, but itself.
#2 Posted by Stephen Downes, CJR on Wed 25 Mar 2009 at 06:10 PM
“something that’s very pertinent to the press corps, but isn’t something most Americans haven’t thought about much”
Katia's use of a double negative renders her comment meaningless - she needs to drop either the "isn't" or the "haven't" to convey her intended point. It's disappointing that a putative educator in communication would make such a mistske, but it's even odder that her clumsy expression would then be quoted, without irony or correction, by Ms Barrett!
#3 Posted by DanJoaquinOz, CJR on Fri 27 Mar 2009 at 04:37 AM