[gaijin]

Good post.

[wideminded]

Over the years, Obama’s handlers have exploited his ability to read and sheltered him as far as possible from impromptu speaking. ... He has always depended on the eloquence of others, and he still cannot tell a joke.

Obama has occasional press conferences and grants interviews. He answered questions in front of the a large group of House Republicans early in his first term and none of them came away saying he cannot answer unscripted questions.

He has told jokes on camera and gotten decent laughs, even before he was president.

But it is true that his purported eloquence seems to have had a lot to do with speech writers.