IT'S TOO DANGEROUS TO ALLOW HIM OFF SCRIPT:

SCREENING OBAMA (The Prowler, 2/16/09, American Spectator)

[T]he 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.

Of all the many myths of the Unicorn Rider, certainly the funniest is of his eloquence.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 17, 2009 9:59 AM