Obama's teleprompter commits mutiny during major science speech

Just when the teleprompter gets out of the news...

Maybe President Obama's teleprompter wanted more coverage. After all, last month it was getting a ton of media attention. Especially when the teleprompter was retired temporarily in favor of a giant IMAX-type screen at the president's last press conference.

Today, the teleprompter broke the moratorium and got back in the news cycle.

Big investment

The president was delivering a speech at the National Academy of Sciences annual meeting. In the remarks, Obama promised a significant increase in spending on science research.

"I am here today to set this goal: We will devote more than 3% of our GDP to research and development," the president said.

"We will not just meet, but we will exceed the level achieved at the height of the space race."

Future

What will the investment in science mean? Cool stuff.

Obama predicted:

1. Solar cells as cheap as paint.
2. Green buildings that produce all the energy they consume.
3. Learning software as effective as a personal tutor.
4. Prosthetics so advanced that an amputee could play the piano again.

Costly

What about people who say we can't afford it? After all, the president proposes to double the budgets of the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

"I fundamentally disagree," he said.

"Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment and our quality of life than it has ever been before."

Oops

So far, so good. But then the jealous teleprompter demanded equal time.

When the president was announcing the members of his science and technology council, the teleprompter froze up.

Not having note cards, what else could the president do but admonish the TOTUS (Teleprompter of the United States) to knock it off.

"In addition to John.... sorry, the..... I just noticed that I jumped the gun here," Obama said.

Then he laid the smackdown on the teleprompter.

"Go ahead and move it up," he demanded of his machine. "I'd already – I'd already introduced all you guys."

It was almost like a page out of the Stephen King movie, "Maximum Overdrive" where trucks, lawn mowers, and other machines came to life wreaking havoc on humanity.

Well, maybe.

Anyway, the full text of the president's speech follows the video...

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you so much for the wonderful welcome. To President Cicerone, thank you very much for your leadership and for hosting us today. To John Holdren, thanks, John, for the outstanding work that you are doing.I was just informed backstage that Ralph and John both are 1965 graduates of MIT -- same class. And so I'm not sure this is the perfectly prescribed scientific method, but they're sort of a control group -- (laughter) -- who ages faster: The President's Science Advisor or the President of the Academy? (Laughter.)

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