Presidential Alert
Presidential Alert
[Television beeping.] Screen reads: "E.A.S Incoming Presidential Alert"
[Person in an office is on the television.] My fellow Americans. I, uhhh. Wow.
Frankly, I didn't realize what this button did. I was just... I mean... I appear before you tonight to, um.
Look, uhh... Remember to floss regularly. Oral hygiene is important. Thank you.

The Emergency Alert System allows the U.S. President to address the country in the event of a national emergency, by broadcasting a message over all television and radio channels. Despite the system's having existed in various forms for over 60 years, no president has ever used it, even during the September 11 attacks .
In this comic, the US President accidentally activates the system by pressing a button, apparently located on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office . Surprised by being on television, he tries to think of something important to say on the spot, but cannot think of anything other than a piece of generic dental-hygiene advice – a rather non-urgent message.
An alternative explanation is that he is actually supposed to tell everyone some really bad news, something totally cataclysmic, only to chicken out and try to explain that the alert was a mistake. This version also explains why he begins to speak to the public and then changes his mind.
The concept of the President mistakenly hitting an important button has long been a source for jokes, often somewhat morbidly involving the nuclear football .
The title text references the typical conclusion to presidential speeches: "Goodnight, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America," or some variation thereof. As "goodnight" is the typical conclusion to a day, the title text jokes that President Obama , out of habit, has a hard time stopping at goodnight when saying that to his children.
[Television beeping.] Screen reads: "E.A.S Incoming Presidential Alert"
[Person in an office is on the television.] My fellow Americans. I, uhhh. Wow.
Frankly, I didn't realize what this button did. I was just... I mean... I appear before you tonight to, um.
Look, uhh... Remember to floss regularly. Oral hygiene is important. Thank you.
