The Presidential seal fell off Obama’s podium during a speech. This You Tube version is the best since it shows it in context rather than only shows 30 seconds:
And in the scheme of things, you know what is going to happen. If you go on the Internet or turn on (predictable) talk radio shows you’ll see this being turned into a way to go on the political attack. You’ll probably hear lines such as: a)It was God giving Obama him about his Presidency, b)Obama’s joking reaction shows he isn’t serious about the office of the Presidency, c) something about a teleprompter (from the folks who give Sarah Palin a pass for writing on her hand).
My reaction would be:
That’s what happens when you buy a podium and a U.S. Presidential seal made in China.
UPDATE: Time’s Mark Halperin:
Obama’s tone in joking when the presidential seal fell Tuesday night reflected the relaxed, happy-warrior thing he needs for the home stretch before the midterms.If White House aides are smart, they will show him the video and remind him that being likeable is more likely to attract voters than criticizing your supporters (a la the Rolling Stone interview).
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.