Obama: "Whose duck is back there?"
Kari Chisholm
Oh no. Byron Beck is breaking more news on his blog.
It seems that yesterday, President Obama was speaking to a group of some 300 gay rights leaders at the White House, when the following transpired:
(President Obama speaking)....For we know that progress depends not only on changing laws but also changing hearts. And that real, transformative change never begins in Washington.(Cell phone "quacks.")
THE PRESIDENT: Whose duck is back there? (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: It's a duck.
THE PRESIDENT: There's a duck quacking in there somewhere. (Laughter.) Where do you guys get these ring tones, by the way? (Laughter.) I'm just curious. (Laughter.)
In the room, no one admitted to being the culprit.
According to Byron Beck, it wasn't just any duck. It was an Oregon Duck ringtone.
This morning I received an email from my friend, Portland-based gay rights leader Terry Bean. He just so happened to be at the meeting. It's the first time Bean has been back to the White House since the Clinton Adminstration.Bean also happens to be a HUGE fan of the University of Oregon Ducks...
Given that the President's brother-in-law is a coach for the Oregon State Beavers, well, it's no surprise that Bean wouldn't admit to the Oregon Duck ringtone.
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connect with blueoregon
Jun 30, '09
According to the KPOJ morning show it was Ellen Ratner's (of Talk Radio News Service) phone and she was mortified by the incident. I don't think she's connected with the Ducks.
9:25 p.m.
Jun 30, '09
I can see why someone would be mortified when their cell phone went off while the President of the United States was speaking in the room.
9:44 p.m.
Jun 30, '09
Quack Attack in the East Room.
Obama Cries "Foul!"
C'mon. You have to laugh. :D
Jun 30, '09
It was Ellen's phone. She has a farm and a love of animals - especially birds. She even has a pet turkey Pavo.
She was horrified by the incident
8:46 a.m.
Jul 1, '09
So what news did Beck break?
Please tell me it wasn't that someone's cell went off during a briefing...
12:16 p.m.
Jul 1, '09
OK, TJ, you could say that it's gossip/news.
Jul 3, '09
Precious. This is what hope and change means to Dems vs progressives. For Dems, it's a nicer guy than Shrub. For progressives, it would have been, "why is it that there is no time/place where there isn't someone that thinks THEY don't have to turn their FUCKING CELL OFF. And, BTW, they aren't phones."
Hope - Change = Obama.
Jul 13, '09