Barack Obama - teleprompter addict, not master orator

Friday, March 6. He has been credited as one of the best orators in a generation, but Barack Obama is under fire for his 'addiction' to using teleprompters even during some of his shorter remarks. The President typically makes his much-admired speeches with the aid of two A4 sized panes of glass, onto which his lines are projected for him to read out. While using subtle prompts during speeches is not unusual, Obama's reliance is so great that some reports even suggested he used his recent holiday in Hawaii to try and "wean himself off" the devices.

Presidential historian Martha Joynt Kumar told Politico: "It's just something presidents haven't done…It's jarring to the eye. In a way, it stands in the middle between the audience and the president because his eye is on the teleprompter." And reporter Carol Lee notes that not only do the teleprompters get in the way of the camera crews filming Obama but it is also "a startling sight to see such sleek, modern technology set against the mahogany doors and Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the East Room or the marble columns of the Grand Foyer."

Obama's detractors have been pointing this out for a long time, says Frank James for the Chicago Tribune. "It's all President Obama haters can do to keep from slapping their heads whenever they hear or see references to his being a master of public speaking."

And in the New York Times, Peter Baker says that while the use of telepromters is not unusual, never before has a leader been so reliant on them. "While presidents typically have used them for their most important speeches – an inaugural, State of the Union or Oval Office address – Mr Obama uses them for routine announcements and even for the opening statement of his only news conference so far." Baker even recalls that on one occasion, Obama used a speech to tell the story of a trip he had made to a national park as a child, "'That was an experience I will never forget,' he said, reading from the teleprompter."

One group of critics has even set up the teleprompterpresident.com site to draw attention to Obama's habit and a White House spokesman has been prompted to respond to the criticism of his boss, saying: "Whether one uses note cards or a teleprompter, the American people are a lot more concerned about the plans relayed than the method of delivery."

FIRST POSTED MARCH 6, 2009