TOMMY SMOTHERS used to get a laugh on stage by introducing the other half of the act, his brother Dick, with the words, "The person to my left needs no introduction." Followed by a long pause - and no introduction.

Some cheered Bollinger's frankness, while others winced at his boorishness. But for those of us who occasionally speak for a living, the event carried mainly the shock of recognition. The president of Iran had just been subjected to every public speaker's worst nightmare - the Bad Introduction.

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