Obama Launches Into Indonesian-Language Tirade During Campaign Speech
By David Epstein
WASHINGTON – At a recent campaign stop, President Obama surprised the nation when he dipped into his childhood knowledge of Indonesian to castigate Congressional Republicans for intransigence and causing partisan gridlock.
Advisers say the tirade was unplanned, and indeed many close to Obama were unaware that he was still fluent in Indonesian, which he learned while living in that nation as a small child with his mother.
The key moment came in the section of a speech in which Obama named several of his economic proposals that Republicans had once supported but later opposed once the President backed them. Nevertheless, only some members of the media stood to applaud his call for more investment in the nation’s infrastructure.
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What follows is a transcript of the President’s remarks, translated by the Fancy‘s Senior Director of Indonesian Translating:
“Sit down all of you and listen to me, you insolent children. You supported these things until I did, and you fool no one with your claims. I will spread news of your deceit across the land, and rally the people to my cause. You will not get away with this. May the tears of a thousand virgins rain down upon you in large containers for your actions.” [Translator's note: that last line might also be translated as "My hovercraft is full of eels" due to variations in different Indonesian dialects]
Upon concluding this outburst, the assembled crowd sat in stunned silence. The President as well seemed taken aback by the outburst, as if he had forgotten his Indonesian long ago.
The uncomfortable silence was eventually broken by Vice President Joe Biden, who exclaimed, “Hey folks, how about that! Now who wants to hear about some capitol gains taxes?” which spurred the President to move on to the next section of his speech.
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Posted by David Epstein
on Jan 27 2012. Filed under International.
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