WEBVTT - Slowbama

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Comedy Central. Most people remember where they

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<v Speaker 1>were when President Obama saluted a marine while holding a latte.

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<v Speaker 1>It's considered by many of America's step uncles to be

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<v Speaker 1>the biggest scandal in presidential history. The Daily Show podcast

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<v Speaker 1>Universe is proud to introduce the most definitive, most caffeinated

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<v Speaker 1>history of Obama's latte salute from the people who lived

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<v Speaker 1>through it. This is Slow Obama. Lauren Mills is a

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<v Speaker 1>barista at the Pizza Coffee on Eighth and K in Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>d C. In many ways, she's a typical barista. She

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<v Speaker 1>wears a lot of camouflage vests. She knows a weird

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<v Speaker 1>amount about Bolivian politics. She styles her hair and dreadlocks.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite being white, spiritually, I just feel Jamaican, you know.

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<v Speaker 1>On fourteen, Lauren got to work and she did what

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<v Speaker 1>she does every day. She made coffee, a large drip

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<v Speaker 1>with cream, an Americano with four scoops of sugar. And

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<v Speaker 1>then at seven am, Lauren received an order for a latte.

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<v Speaker 1>And though it was impossible to know it at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Mills was brewing a beverage that would change the

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<v Speaker 1>course of presidential history. This is The Daily Show presents

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<v Speaker 1>Slow Obama, a podcast about the latte salute, the greatest

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<v Speaker 1>American political scandal of the century. Everyone's talking about the

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<v Speaker 1>disrespectful way the president saluted a marine yesterday with his

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<v Speaker 1>latte in his hand, two marines after Marine one landed

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<v Speaker 1>in New York with a cup of coffee in his hands.

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<v Speaker 1>That's back all off from what many are calling President

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<v Speaker 1>Obama's latta salute. By Obama may serve as a useful

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<v Speaker 1>metaphor for his entire administration. His entire administration is entire administration.

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<v Speaker 1>How did it feel to wake up every morning knowing

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<v Speaker 1>the President saluted a marine with a latte? What was

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<v Speaker 1>it like to live through that horror? Has America ever

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<v Speaker 1>truly recovered? Episode one? A Cup of Shame? September Barack

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<v Speaker 1>Obama is halfway through his second term as president. He

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<v Speaker 1>flies to New York for a meeting at the United Nations,

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<v Speaker 1>and the White House releases a video of Obama getting

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<v Speaker 1>off the helicopter. He smiles at a small crowd, walks

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<v Speaker 1>down the stairs. Marine salute him. Obama salutes back, a

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<v Speaker 1>typical scene, except something isn't right. The White House both

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<v Speaker 1>of this video on Instagram on Tuesday shows President Obama

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<v Speaker 1>stepping off Marine one here in New York's saluting marines

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<v Speaker 1>with a coffee cup in his hands. Some are now

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<v Speaker 1>calling this disrespectful. But how did the video reach the

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<v Speaker 1>Today Show? One reason is Tom Stoneman. Tom is a

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<v Speaker 1>writer for shout Pundit, where he blogs about politics and

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<v Speaker 1>alpha mel testosterone pills. Tom is your typical conservative blogger.

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<v Speaker 1>He's five ft seven, lives in a bomb shelter, and

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<v Speaker 1>has never eaten a vegetable. I always kept an aisle.

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<v Speaker 1>President Barak said, damn, who's saying? Oh, Bungler? The man

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<v Speaker 1>was corrupt and he was also This is based on

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<v Speaker 1>my own reporting. Born a lady, Obama's two terms in

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<v Speaker 1>office had already been defined by scandal. You probably remember

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<v Speaker 1>the big ones. He used grape poupon instead of regular mustard.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope you enjoyed that fancy burger. Mr. President. He

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<v Speaker 1>wore a tan suit to a press briefing. President Obama's

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<v Speaker 1>decision to wear a light tan suit it Yesterday's news conference.

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<v Speaker 1>He droned a wedding a US drone strike in Yemen

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<v Speaker 1>that missed its target. He even used a selfie stick

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<v Speaker 1>in the White House. Here's the leader of the free world,

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<v Speaker 1>the guy we trust with a button for the nukes,

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<v Speaker 1>acting like a twelve year old. The scandals kept piling up,

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<v Speaker 1>and there were steady calls for impeachment from Americans with

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<v Speaker 1>a o L email addresses, which is why Internet salutes

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<v Speaker 1>like Stoneman were on high alert for more missteps. He

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<v Speaker 1>saluted that marine with a coffee cup in his hand.

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<v Speaker 1>I couldn't believe it. He might as well have pooped

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<v Speaker 1>on the American flag and wiped his butt with the Constitution.

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<v Speaker 1>Stoneman and many other conservatives on the Internet were incensed.

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<v Speaker 1>The video was soon posted at all the major right

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<v Speaker 1>wing blogs, Patriot Shriek, Brainpower, American News, Red Anger, Rising,

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<v Speaker 1>Storm Surge, The Angry Church Wife, Angry Man's Angry Blog,

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<v Speaker 1>Angriness Today, the Anger Report with Doctor Mike Angry. The

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<v Speaker 1>right wing radio host Mark Levin included a segment about

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<v Speaker 1>the Latte salute during his afternoon show. It's about damn time,

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<v Speaker 1>almost six years in office, that you show our men

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<v Speaker 1>and women in military respect, which you do not. And

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<v Speaker 1>when you get off that damn helicopter, you salot, and

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<v Speaker 1>you salote with respect. A nice crasp right hand slot.

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<v Speaker 1>Got it. Now here's something you have to understand about

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<v Speaker 1>America in two thousand fourteen. This was a different time,

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<v Speaker 1>a different place, a different country. There were only six

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<v Speaker 1>fast in the Furious Movies. Donald Trump wasn't yet the

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<v Speaker 1>commander in chief. He was still a loudmouth businessman with

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<v Speaker 1>a reality show where he pretended to fire EMC. Hammer.

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<v Speaker 1>So there was no telling whether this story would break

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<v Speaker 1>into the mainstream. And then this is a Fox News

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<v Speaker 1>alert on Chris Walla. Buckley Churnsworth is your typical Fox

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<v Speaker 1>News intern. His father is a GOP mega doner, and

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<v Speaker 1>his mother is not allowed to talk at parties. In September,

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<v Speaker 1>he was a seventh year sophomore at Dartmouth. He was

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<v Speaker 1>taking off the false semester due to a drunken disorderly

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<v Speaker 1>charge out of Panera bread and found an internship at

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<v Speaker 1>Fox News. He remembers stumbling on Tom Stoneman's blog post

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<v Speaker 1>we caught up with Buckley at his favorite New York

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<v Speaker 1>City bar, Mick Chuggers. Yeah. So I was reading an

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<v Speaker 1>article on epic bro moves dot com and an ad

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<v Speaker 1>caught my eye. It was a link to a shout

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<v Speaker 1>punded story. I'll never forget the headline, unbelievable, Brocko Boner

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<v Speaker 1>does it again? Given Muslim salute while carrying a cup

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<v Speaker 1>of Indonesian coffee. I immediately told my boss alright, I

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<v Speaker 1>told someone on It's pretty coked up that day, And

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<v Speaker 1>suddenly the scandal was on. Marine manual states do not

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<v Speaker 1>salute quote when carrying articles with both hands, or being

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<v Speaker 1>otherwise so occupied as to make saluting impractical. Floppy, ill

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<v Speaker 1>thought out, inappropriate, callous, selfish, and disrespectful. His heart wasn't it?

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<v Speaker 1>After all? We gotta chi swilling, golf plan, basketball, trash talking,

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<v Speaker 1>leading from behind, I got no strategy. Osama bin died

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<v Speaker 1>lotting his dead GM is alive, a community organizing commander

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<v Speaker 1>in chief. How disrespectful was that? There are a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of drinks you can order at a coffee shop Latte, espresso, Americano, makiato.

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<v Speaker 1>But what Barack Obama received that was a large steaming problamo.

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<v Speaker 1>After the break, President Obama faces the biggest White House

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<v Speaker 1>scandal since William Howard Taft got stuck in a bathtub.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey everyone, if you're enjoying slow Obama, consider subscribing to

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<v Speaker 1>Slow Bama plus for just nine d nine a month,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll get exclusive access to extra features, like a bonus

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<v Speaker 1>for our interview with the dry cleaner who press Barack

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<v Speaker 1>Obama's tan suit. We've also got free podcasts where we've

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<v Speaker 1>removed all of the hoos, oz and us from all

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<v Speaker 1>our episodes, and for Slow Obama Plus subscribers, the answer

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<v Speaker 1>to this week's trivia question was once again, Leon Panetta,

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<v Speaker 1>And now back to the podcast. Do you remember where

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<v Speaker 1>you were when you first heard about the latte salute?

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<v Speaker 1>For many Americans, it's like the moon landing, except the

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<v Speaker 1>latte salute actually happened, and people were angry. America had

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<v Speaker 1>already been burned by the series finale of Lost, and

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<v Speaker 1>now the Hope and Change president was saluting marines with coffee.

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<v Speaker 1>We know that anger on the right was high, but

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<v Speaker 1>what about the left. I was on that helicopter with

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<v Speaker 1>the president. My failure to stop him from saluting that

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<v Speaker 1>marine with a latte is my single greatest regret, not

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<v Speaker 1>just of the Obama presidency, but in my entire life.

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<v Speaker 1>Jon Favreau is in many ways your typical former aid

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<v Speaker 1>to Barack Obama. He hosts a hit podcast, He sends

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred thirty tweets per day, and he is unable

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<v Speaker 1>to make eye contact for more than three seconds without

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<v Speaker 1>looking at his phone. And even now, five years later,

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<v Speaker 1>he can't stop thinking about the latte salute. Sometimes late

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<v Speaker 1>at night, I hear a voice whispering in the wind.

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<v Speaker 1>Latte Salude, lad Salude, La salude. It's my rosebut it's

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<v Speaker 1>my white whale. It's whatever. Tim Burton season, Johnny Depp

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<v Speaker 1>an obsession. Looking back, it's hard to believe that Barack

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<v Speaker 1>Obama would salute a marine with a latte. But remember

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<v Speaker 1>this was two thousand fourteen. Alright, time now for the

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<v Speaker 1>ice Bucket Challenge, and a lot of things we enjoyed

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<v Speaker 1>in two thousand fourteen seemed ridiculous today, like The Walking

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<v Speaker 1>Dead or McLemore. But another thing that's hard to believe

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<v Speaker 1>is something John brought up that no one on the

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<v Speaker 1>helicopter stopped the president, and it made us wonder was

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<v Speaker 1>it really possible for John or anyone else on the

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<v Speaker 1>plane to stop the latte salute. To find out, we

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<v Speaker 1>rented a helicopter with the exact dimensions and configuration of

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<v Speaker 1>Marine one and ran a little experiment. Okay, so I'm

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<v Speaker 1>here with my producer and the helicopter and what are

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<v Speaker 1>we doing. We're gonna find out if one could have

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<v Speaker 1>stopped the latte stilly. Okay, So I'm seated where President

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<v Speaker 1>Obama would have sat. I am holding a latte that

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<v Speaker 1>we got from Cab Coffee, right. Okay, the helicopter door

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<v Speaker 1>has opened. I am walking down the stairs lifting my hand.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it bad yet? Done? The line with the latte? Okay?

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<v Speaker 1>So what do we think? I don't think it was

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<v Speaker 1>possible to stop it. Back in the studio, we called

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<v Speaker 1>Jon Favre. Hello, John, It's Matt from slo Obama. We

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<v Speaker 1>just got back from the airfield, and we determined pretty

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<v Speaker 1>conclusively that no one would have been able to stop

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<v Speaker 1>the latte salute. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, President Trump by be finnskin semiliterate adulteress and

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<v Speaker 1>a serial tax sheet. But at least he's never had

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<v Speaker 1>a scandal as bad as holding a couple saluting a marine.

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<v Speaker 1>And to know that I couldn't have prevented that salute,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, thank you. You're you're a real friend of

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<v Speaker 1>the pod. Thanks John, sure thing, and hey, you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>really rent a helicopter and recreate this thing? Did you m?

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<v Speaker 1>What do you mean? I mean? This is just a joke, right,

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<v Speaker 1>I wasn't actually in the plane with Obama. I left

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<v Speaker 1>the White Has a year before this whole thing happened.

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<v Speaker 1>Clearly the tru from the latte salute had left John

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<v Speaker 1>Favre confused. After all, this was a confusing time in

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<v Speaker 1>American history. Remember, for both the left and the right,

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<v Speaker 1>it was hard to put this in context. There's plenty

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<v Speaker 1>more ahead after this short break. I'm still on the line.

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<v Speaker 1>Slow Obama is sponsored by WES. Wes is the first

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<v Speaker 1>ever community underwear sharing program ever. Wonder what it's like

0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:32.280
<v Speaker 1>to walk a mile and someone else's skivs? We Undy

0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:34.839
<v Speaker 1>sends you another member's underwear, along with a photo and

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<v Speaker 1>brief biography of the owner. Simply where their underwear and

0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:39.440
<v Speaker 1>then send them back when you feel like you've gotten

0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:48.440
<v Speaker 1>your fill. If you're like me, you probably still have

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<v Speaker 1>a ton of questions about the latte salute? For example,

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<v Speaker 1>what drove President Obama to salute with a latte? Did

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<v Speaker 1>President Obama ever salute a marine while holding another food

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<v Speaker 1>or beverage like a bottle of snapple or a turkey? Leg?

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<v Speaker 1>Has President Obama ever been to the Renaissance fair, but

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<v Speaker 1>mostly I think about that marine. Imagine you enlist for

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<v Speaker 1>the U. S. Marine Corps. You train, you do your

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<v Speaker 1>push ups, shave your head, you run laps while shouting

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<v Speaker 1>about how butch you are, and then, during the defining

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<v Speaker 1>moment of your military career, greeting the presidential helicopter, you

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<v Speaker 1>get saluted with a latte. We tracked down the marine

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<v Speaker 1>that President Obama saluted. His name is Lieutenant Chris Wheel

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<v Speaker 1>and he retired from the Corps in two thousand seventeen.

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<v Speaker 1>He agreed to sit down with me and in an

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<v Speaker 1>emotional conversation, we talked about how it felt to be

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<v Speaker 1>on the receiving end of the latte salute. Lieutenant Wheel,

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<v Speaker 1>I know this must be very difficult for you, not really.

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<v Speaker 1>If you ever need to stop, if the pain becomes

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<v Speaker 1>too great, please just tell me. I really doubt it.

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<v Speaker 1>So how did it feel to get saluted with a latte?

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<v Speaker 1>I told you on the phone it was fine, wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>that big a deal. But in another sense, it wasn't fine,

0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:25.200
<v Speaker 1>and it was an enormous deal, and it didn't seem

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<v Speaker 1>like America knew how to cope with such an offense.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't like George W. Bush had ever made a

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<v Speaker 1>mistake with the U. S. Military, But in fact, the

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<v Speaker 1>United States had faced a remarkably similar situation a century before.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. Well, you know, a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of people forget this, but actually President Chester A. Arthur

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<v Speaker 1>got into some salute based trouble of his own. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>back in three Arthur was on a whistle stop tour.

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<v Speaker 1>At one of those stops, President Arthur saluted some major

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<v Speaker 1>general while he was holding a bottle of root beer, which,

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<v Speaker 1>a course, back in those days, was made of pure

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<v Speaker 1>uncut Mexican cocaine. And the scandal became known in the

0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:13.160
<v Speaker 1>newspapers his Chester's Cheese Up. You couldn't open a newspaper

0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:16.760
<v Speaker 1>without reading about Chester's Cheese Up. Well, the backlast of

0:15:16.840 --> 0:15:20.520
<v Speaker 1>this scandal was so ferocious that Chester Arthur was forced

0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:23.880
<v Speaker 1>to find a fall guy, so he fired his secretary

0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:27.040
<v Speaker 1>of locomotive affairs and then ended up selling him to

0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:31.640
<v Speaker 1>the Prussian Empire. Wow, and you're a real historian. Yes,

0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:37.240
<v Speaker 1>I am incredible, a real historian with a real story. Well, no, no, no,

0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.480
<v Speaker 1>this is a real I thought we were doing a joke. Obviously,

0:15:40.560 --> 0:15:47.480
<v Speaker 1>that's never happened. As reporters were obliged to consider every

0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.360
<v Speaker 1>side of a story. If there's a football game, you

0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:53.640
<v Speaker 1>talked to the home team and the visitors. If there's

0:15:53.640 --> 0:15:56.960
<v Speaker 1>a vote on a bill, you talk to Democrats and Republicans.

0:15:57.600 --> 0:15:59.720
<v Speaker 1>If a woman is accused of being possessed by the devil,

0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.080
<v Speaker 1>he talked to her accuser and to Satan by summoning

0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:07.240
<v Speaker 1>the prince of darkness and a blood sacrifice. That's journalism.

0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:09.640
<v Speaker 1>And so we knew that before this was over, we

0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:12.200
<v Speaker 1>had to talk to the latte salute or in chief himself,

0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:18.720
<v Speaker 1>Barack Obama, because and this is weird, Obama has never

0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:22.280
<v Speaker 1>actually talked about the latte salute. Here's the president's press

0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:24.840
<v Speaker 1>secretary in two thousand fourteen, right as the latte salute

0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:29.040
<v Speaker 1>scandal was escalating, the president's latte salute or coffee salute

0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:32.360
<v Speaker 1>when he was getting off of Marine one, saluting the

0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:36.720
<v Speaker 1>marine with the cup of coffee. Have you even asked

0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.560
<v Speaker 1>to respond to this or I haven't present aware of

0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:41.960
<v Speaker 1>I don't know. If I haven't, I haven't talked to

0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:48.840
<v Speaker 1>him about it. After five years, had no one really

0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.400
<v Speaker 1>talked to President Obama about it. So I did what

0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:56.480
<v Speaker 1>any podcast journalist would do. I requested an interview with

0:16:56.560 --> 0:17:02.040
<v Speaker 1>Barack Obama, and his spokesman granted the request on the

0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:05.359
<v Speaker 1>condition that I not ask about the latte salute. I

0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:09.160
<v Speaker 1>was told Obama would talk about literally any subject, his marriage,

0:17:09.440 --> 0:17:11.639
<v Speaker 1>what it was like to be born in Kenya, any

0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:16.320
<v Speaker 1>subject at all, except the latte salute. I declined the

0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:20.720
<v Speaker 1>interview frankly, I told a spokesman, that's some weak tea,

0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:27.840
<v Speaker 1>or should I say a week lot tea. I have

0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:32.200
<v Speaker 1>been reporting this story for five years straight. In that time,

0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:35.880
<v Speaker 1>I have lived and breathed the latte salute. I see

0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:38.119
<v Speaker 1>it when I closed my eyes, I think about it

0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.480
<v Speaker 1>when I drift off to sleep. I tend to talk

0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:43.160
<v Speaker 1>about it all the time, and that tendency has frayed

0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:46.199
<v Speaker 1>my relationship with the people closest to me, with my friends,

0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.919
<v Speaker 1>with my wife, with my wife's divorce lawyer, with my

0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:54.600
<v Speaker 1>wife's new boyfriend, Dave. But in the end, America needs

0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:59.879
<v Speaker 1>this story because the latte salute is the story of America.

0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:02.879
<v Speaker 1>Think about it. A scandal that nearly brought down a

0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.400
<v Speaker 1>president started with a humble cup of coffee and so

0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:08.520
<v Speaker 1>I knew that I had to go back and talk

0:18:08.560 --> 0:18:12.880
<v Speaker 1>to Lauren Mills, the barista who made that faithful latte.

0:18:13.680 --> 0:18:18.600
<v Speaker 1>I've got a small latte for Matt. Oh God, hello Lauren.

0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:22.800
<v Speaker 1>Not again, Lauren. I just have one question. How does

0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:24.840
<v Speaker 1>it feel to have made the coffee that kicked off

0:18:24.880 --> 0:18:30.720
<v Speaker 1>our nation's greatest presidential scandal? Greatest scandal? What about Chester's

0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.639
<v Speaker 1>cheese up? And didn't Andrew Jackson like commit genocide? The

0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:39.359
<v Speaker 1>latte salute, Lauren, latte salute, latte salute. I'm gonna have

0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:42.360
<v Speaker 1>to ask you to leave. Are you drooling right now?

0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:51.040
<v Speaker 1>The word scandal is derived from the Greek word scandal on,

0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:57.000
<v Speaker 1>which means stumbling block. But what is a stumbling block?

0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:01.880
<v Speaker 1>And then there's this wrinkle, m how do we even

0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:04.840
<v Speaker 1>know that the liquid in his cup was a latte?

0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:11.800
<v Speaker 1>What if President Obama was drinking something else entirely? Did

0:19:11.800 --> 0:19:17.160
<v Speaker 1>we get the latte salute entirely wrong? That's next week

0:19:17.400 --> 0:19:30.400
<v Speaker 1>on episode two of The Daily Show Presents Slow Obama.

0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:34.560
<v Speaker 1>Archival footage in today's episode was provided by Shout Hunted

0:19:34.640 --> 0:19:37.480
<v Speaker 1>and The Angry Report Dr Mike Angry. The show's music

0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:59.639
<v Speaker 1>is composed by Dave my wife's boyfriend. Thanks Dave M.

0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:02.560
<v Speaker 1>This has been a Comedy Central podcast.