RUSH: I want you to hear Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Washington, talking with White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett. They had this discussion about Obama’s speech tonight.
MITCHELL: Valerie, about 16 years ago President Clinton gave a similar speech to a joint session and the teleprompter broke.
JARRETT: (nervous giggle)
MITCHELL: Do you have backup tonight?
JARRETT: (giggling) Well, you know what? I’m very confident since the president knows exactly what he wants to say, that i-if something goes wrong he’ll speak directly from the heart and the American people will hear his message. This is really all about the American people, and I’m not worried about whether he needs a teleprompter or the text. He’ll get through it and he’ll get through it in a convincing way so that everybody understands why now is the time to pass health care reform.
MITCHELL: Is it locked or loaded or are you guys still rewriting — or is he still rewriting on his way back from New York?
JARRETT: Well, you know our president! He will be working on the speech probably on the way back.
RUSH: Especially after what Baucus said: a $3,800 penalty if you don’t have insurance. Hee-hee. So they’re worried. They’re worried at State-Controlled NBC. ‘What if the teleprompter malfunctions? What if it breaks? What if it falls?’ because they know if that happens, oh! It’s Disaster City.