Washington, D.C. - Republican Governor Jindal is blaming his poorly received speech in response to President's Barack Obama's de facto State of the Union speech last week on an apparent mix-up by a member of his staff. Jindal claims that the aide was responsible for delivering the speech to him but gave him a copy of the children's classic "Good Night Moon" instead.
"Unfortunately no one noticed the switch because no one was paying attention to Jindal," said a cameraman. "Everybody was so jazzed about Obama's speech that nobody listened to a word Jindal was saying."
Nevertheless, when Jindal did read "Good Night Moon", it had a calming effect, at least over the studio audience. As it was later reported that they all gathered around him sitting in a circle on the floor while he read aloud.
"Actually, we were all just sitting there texting," said Pamela Johnson, a Jindal aide and a recent political science graduate. "We just couldn't believe what we all just heard coming from Obama's mouth. It was like walking into a Glade of Heaven, being in the presence of an articulate, intelligent and honest man that is our President. That was something I never experienced before, working for the GOP. It made me wish I was Democrat, but then I looked up at Jindal, probably for the first time in my life and that was only because I was sitting on the floor, and realized: We don't got a chance. Then for some strange reason I started to think about Mr. Rogers. I don't know why, I just did."
Johnson then looked down and realized she had Jindal's speech on her lap.
"I was supposed drop off the book at the library for my niece, so she wouldn't have to pay a fine," said Johnson afterward. "I must have switched them without realizing it because they were so much alike I couldn't tell them apart."
Afraid she would be fired for her honest mix up, Johnson did not bring attention to her folly but decided to wait instead to see if anyone had noticed the switch. No one did.
At least not until a few days later when Jindal's office received a letter from the publisher of "Good Night Moon" demanding royalty residuals for the use of their book and a court order to ceases and desists from all further public reading, unless they obtain written permission in advance.
Johnson has since been promoted as Jindal's head political speechwriter.
"Jindal called me into his office," said Johnson. "I thought I was going to get fired from my first job ever, right there on the spot. But he promoted me instead. He said it was the best speech he had ever read and asked me if I had any more of them. So it's off to the library with my niece. I'll leave it up to her to pick out the next book again. I mean speech. She says she's really, really into Dr. Seuss now, so things should get very interesting."
