There's no fool like a teleprompter fool.

If anyone needs any further proof that Barack Obama merely says what the teleprompter tells him to, the remarks delivered at yesterday's ceremony marking the new chairman of the joint chiefs provides it.  The President of the United States refers to his wife as "Michael."

Don't believe me? listen to him yourself, 35 seconds into the C-SPAN video of the address:

Note that the president was addressing Admiral Mike Mullen and his wife, Deborah, and then speaks of "Michael and I" acknowledging the service of the Mullens' son Jack, "deployed today." "Michael and I" cannot refer to the president and the Admiral.

This gaffe can only be because there was a typo on the teleprompter. The alternative explanations are far-fetched:

1. He doesn't remember his wife's name and doesn't realize that Michael is predominantly a male name in this country.

This can't be true. Whatever else you say about Michelle Robinson Obama, she is a memorable person.

2. He has sceretly been carrying on a gay relationship, and his real partner in life is a dude named Michael.

Highly unlikley. If it were true, his current strategy of playing to the base would lead him to proudly proclaim the love that these days not only dares to speak its name, but doesn't know how to stop talking about itself.  Donations from the gay, lebian, transgendered, bicurious, etc.  community would skyrocket.

3. Michelle has changed her name to Michael.

This hypothesis has some possibility of being true, but wouldn't a First Lady so proud of her fashion sense be eager to proclaim her trendy new name?

Which leaves us with the dominant hypothesis:

4. When reading a teleprompter, Obama's conscious mind checks out, so that he can refer to his wife as "Michael" and never even notice. Those jokes about TOTUS now apply not just to the Oval Office, but the the personal living quarters of the White House.

Hat tip: M. Geer.