They appeared taken aback.

The Taliban seem to have been taken aback by the public and media reaction to the attack.

But several of the MPs had also been taken aback on discovering that when Obama spoke to them, he read from an invisible teleprompter.

But several of the MPs had also been taken aback on discovering that when Obama spoke to them, he read from an invisible teleprompter. This had misled his audience into thinking that he was speaking extemporaneously, a skill that is highly regarded in India.

PARIS Why do revolutions so often take professional diplomats by surprise? Is there something in their DNA that makes them prefer the status quo so much that, more often than not, they are taken aback by rapid changes, neither foreseeing them nor knowing how to respond once they begin?