NYC Letter: Soaring Oratory As Read By...

Day 57 of CHOPE

...Mr. Obama.

OBAMA IN ST PATRICK'S DAY TELEPROMPT BLUNDER

March 18, 2009 (Sky) - Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen was just a few paragraphs into an address in Washington when he realised it all sounded a bit too familiar.

It was. He was repeating the speech President Barack Obama had just read from the same teleprompter.

Mr Cowen stopped, turned to the president and said: "That's your speech."

A laughing Mr Obama returned to the podium to take over but it seems the script had finally been switched and the US president ended up thanking himself for inviting everyone to the party.

Mr Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the "teleprompt president" over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech.

[Hat tip: Hervé]

Another speech to be "chiseled into marble" or styrofoam.

Oh, and these Hibernian clichés.

The fountains at the White House were dyed green for the day at the request of the First Lady and guests at the cocktail reception drank green sparkling wine from a Californian vineyard.

Classy.

CHOPE.

Heartfelt. Ah, heartfelt. Um, thank me very much.