A president and his teleprompter were (briefly) parted.

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onservatives are endlessly amused by President Obama's frequent use of a teleprompter. They've even christened it: Teleprompter of the United States (TOTUS). So it was like comedy manna from heaven for the Right when news broke Tuesday that thieves had (at least temporarily) nabbed a truck carrying Obama's teleprompter and $200,000 worth of audio equipment outside a Virginia hotel where an advance team was preparing for a presidential visit. Here, some of the quippier quips:

The nation mourns you, TOTUS
"Early word out of MSNBC suggests all boom mics will remain at half-staff as our nation attempts to deal with this tragic development," says Dan Riehl at Riehl World View.

Hitting the mute button
Surely Obama is devastated by the loss, says Dennis DiClaudio at Comedy Central. But he "has yet to comment on this. For obvious reasons."

Dead giveaway
"At this time, nothing about the teleprompter thief or thieves is known," says Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin's blog. But word is "that police are on the lookout for anybody who can't stop saying, 'Pass this jobs bill.'"

Backup plan
"The commander-in-chief should start preparing notecards, just in case," says Aaron Morrissey at DCist. "Or, if none are available, just use a giant hand."

Hard times
"Let us all together contemplate the sheer horror of a president who for a small window of time was under threat of having to read off some paper," says Kirsten Boyd Johnson at Wonkette. Or, you know, "rent another Teleprompter possibly not as nice as the official one. Pretty ugly stuff."

How bad could a Teleprompter-less Obama be?
Conan O'Brien imagines (watch video clip below):