the buzz log

It was only a matter of time. After tirelessly serving him through an exhausting presidential campaign, groundbreaking election, and six months in office, President Obama's teleprompter has prompted its last prompt. It was nearly 2 years old.

Teleprompter of the United States (TOTUS) gave selflessly, asking nothing in return. Despite this, it became the butt of many jokes, some made by the man who loved it most. At a White House press corps dinner in May, the president joked that he wanted to "speak from the heart." On cue, TOTUS rose into view, much to the audience's delight.

Vice President Joe Biden got a taste of what life without TOTUS would be like, while speaking at the Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony in May. After the wind blew down the road-weary teleprompter, Biden realized the gravity of the situation and asked, "What am I going to tell the president when I tell him his teleprompter isn't working? What will he do then?"

The world found out the answer to that question Monday, while the president was speaking about urban policy at the White House. Although it was just a few minutes into his speech, the exhausted TOTUS could prompt no more. It collapsed from its stand, crashing to the floor and shattering its glass plate. With shards of glass lying at his feet, President Obama exclaimed, "Oh goodness!", then quickly collected himself and apologized to the tittering audience. Hardly missing a beat, he continued his speech—using the backup teleprompter positioned at the other side of the podium.

Has the president learned from TOTUS' untimely demise? Or will TOTUS' backup suffer the same cruel fate of overuse and under-appreciation? Only time will tell.