From the Onion - Trouble communicating in the White House.
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama expressed frustration Wednesday after members of his cabinet failed to recognize his allusion to the 24th issue of the comic series Savage Sword Of Conan during their first major meeting together.
Obama, whose upcoming challenges include organizing a massive effort to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, was reportedly unprepared for the confused silence he received upon suggesting that his cabinet "team up with Taurus of Nemedia" to secure the necessary funding from Congress.
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Administration officials said the incident has caused the president to question whether his staff has ever understood any of his Conan references. One such instance he is reportedly reexamining occurred after his loss in the New Hampshire primary, when Obama rallied his staff by reminding them, "There is always a way, if the desire be coupled with courage."
Although campaign workers smiled and nodded at the time, Obama has begun to seriously doubt that any of them connected the inspiring quotation to the story line in which a Kothian rogue informs Conan that it is impossible to climb to the top of the Elephant Tower because the sides are more slippery than glass
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Administration officials said the incident has caused the president to question whether his staff has ever understood any of his Conan references. One such instance he is reportedly reexamining occurred after his loss in the New Hampshire primary, when Obama rallied his staff by reminding them, "There is always a way, if the desire be coupled with courage."
Although campaign workers smiled and nodded at the time, Obama has begun to seriously doubt that any of them connected the inspiring quotation to the story line in which a Kothian rogue informs Conan that it is impossible to climb to the top of the Elephant Tower because the sides are more slippery than glass
While Obama has not scheduled another meeting with his cabinet this week—a respite the president hopes they will use to brush up on the 235-issue Savage Sword series—he is expected to meet with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on Friday to discuss Afghanistan. A holdover from the Bush administration, Gates told reporters he may have gotten off on the wrong foot with the new president, citing an occasion when Obama asked him what he knew about 1984's Secret Wars, a 12-issue limited Marvel release. Gates then handed a visibly confused Obama 1,400 classified pages on covert CIA operations in El Salvador.
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When asked by the press corps if this week's hiccup has caused him to rethink any of his appointments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton interrupted the president to assert that she and her colleagues have already begun educating themselves about comic books, and will soon be "an invincible team of Supermen and Wonder Women working to save America."
"Wonder Woman? That's not even Marvel," Obama responded before storming out of the press room. "Who are you people?"
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When asked by the press corps if this week's hiccup has caused him to rethink any of his appointments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton interrupted the president to assert that she and her colleagues have already begun educating themselves about comic books, and will soon be "an invincible team of Supermen and Wonder Women working to save America."
"Wonder Woman? That's not even Marvel," Obama responded before storming out of the press room. "Who are you people?"
Just freakin' hilarious. And oh yes, I do have the Secret Wars collection.
Sometimes, I imagine, that's the trouble with being widely read. The President assumes (as perhaps does our prime Minister- although I wouldn't bet on it) that the people around him are literary minded and if they aren't in the same genre interests jokes and allusions can fall flat. To be fair, not everyone reads comics and certainly not all are aquainted with Conan.
Now this aspect of the President's knowledge is known internationally, it may be that there'll be a quest in all foreign embassies and governments to stock their libraries with Conan adventures- just in case the President makes a reference to "him".
What if Marvel revive, and start their first issue with: "Obama, the Librarian"?
R
Posted by: Ray | 30 January 2009 at 07:58 AM
It probably just means he has a cool speech writer. Hope he got into 2000AD comics too. He could do quotes from the movie Aliens when dealing with internal problems.
"Eat this."
Posted by: yeremenko | 31 January 2009 at 10:45 PM