http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/234542-a-brief-scare-netanyahu-lost-his-speechMarch 03, 2015, 08:37 pm
A brief scare: Netanyahu lost his speech
By Mike Lillis
Benjamin Netanyahu's 40-minute address to Congress on Tuesday stirred plenty of debate surrounding President Obama's foreign policy, U.S.-Israeli relations and the manner in which heads of state are invited to Capitol Hill.
But for a few anxious minutes before he entered the House chamber, the Israeli prime minister found himself asking a more immediate question: Where's my speech?
"As we were lining up to go into the chamber, he realized he forgot his speech," Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who was among the lawmakers chaperoning Netanyahu, said with a laugh afterwards.
"He said, 'We have a little problem.' I said, 'What's that?' He said, 'Nobody handed me my speech,' " Israel added.
The scare didn't last long. It turned out an aide had already placed the text on the dais where Netanyahu was to address the joint session – a packed house despite a boycott by more than 50 Democrats protesting the event.
"It took about two minutes before somebody said to him the speech was already at the rostrum," Israel explained. "But he was looking around, and I was like, 'I don't have it!' "
