Sobbing Kindergarteners Snubbed for Steelers? (0's White House locks out Field Trip)

NBC Washington ^ | 5/22/2009 | Anne Reynolds

[mojito]

Thursday was supposed to be the highlight of the year for more than 100 kindergarteners from Stafford County, Va. They got up early and took a chartered bus to the White House for a school field trip. But when they arrived, all the 5-year-olds got was a lesson in disappointment.

The buses from Conway Elementary arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue a little later than planned, and they were locked out.

"We were going to the White House, but we couldn’t get in so I felt sad," 5-year-old Cameron Stine said.

Parents say they were just 10 minutes late for their scheduled tour. School officials say White House staff said they needed to get ready for the president's event with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, so they couldn't come in.

"I was angry cause they were disappointed," parent and chaperone Paty Stine said....

A lot of preparing had gone into the trip. Conway Elementary teachers had been planning the trip for months, each child paid $20 for a seat on the chartered bus, and names were submitted to the White House for clearance.

Parents say they tried to make it on time, but their chartered buses hit heavy traffic that slowed them down substantially. They thought they were supposed to show up by 10:15, but they say they arrived at 10:25 instead, and couldn’t get in.

"The person who headed this White House trip up came out and said, 'I’m sorry, the White House tour's off.' There were a lot of crying kids," parent Barbara Stine said.

[mojito]

Stay classy, 0

[Daniel II]

Boy, we’ve come along way from “Do not suffer the little children...”

[Joe 6-pack]

"They got up early and took a chartered bus to the White House for a school field trip. But when they arrived, all the 5-year-olds got was a lesson in disappointment."

Obamanation in microcosm.

[kromike]

I hope every adult on that trip voted for that loser. I also hope that every teacher in that school continues praising Dear Leader, hanging photos of that ugly grinning mug everywhere and making children memorize everything positive about him.

[hsalaw]

The Zero’s late for every single appearance he makes, but couldn’t let the kiddies in? What a jackass.

[AliVeritas]

It’s for the children ping

[jennyjenny]

It’s perfectly okay for bambi to show up late for his events, tho.

[Joiseydude]

And HOW many times has our Dear Leader has been late for briefings or news conferences?

[thulldud]

Not old enough to vote, or even to be recruited for ACORN?

Back of the bus for you. (Ain't no more room under it!)

[jennyjenny]

What do ya wanna bet he kept the Steelers waiting at least 10 minutes?

[gathersnomoss]

Children, you have just learned Zero’s mantra which is “Do as I say, not as I do”. Obama is almost alway’s late.

Obama is a walking middle finger. When will Liberals learn?

[Joiseydude]

I wouldn’t doubt it.

[HonestConservative]

The line is “Suffer the little children”, meaning allow the little children.

[mojito]

Obamanation in microcosm.

LOL. That's good. Our fearless leader has a gift for great expectations and massive disappointments.

An so inept. Why couldn't the kids be shown in to meet the Pres. AND the Pittsburgh Steelers? What would have been the harm in that?

[HIDEK6]

A lot of preparing had gone into the trip. Conway Elementary teachers had been planning the trip for months, each child paid $20 for a seat on the chartered bus, and names were submitted to the White House for clearance.

And they couldn't take the time to plan to be a half-hour early?

[jdsteel]

DON’T BLAME JAMES HARRISON! (He didn’t go....)

[armymarinedad]

Since when should a President of the United States rearrange his day for a group of school teachers and kids that are an hour late?

[Joe 6-pack]

"Why couldn't the kids be shown in to meet the Pres. AND the Pittsburgh Steelers? What would have been the harm in that?"

The kids would have been enrapt with the Steelers and given the messiah short shrift. Some things simply cannot be tolerated.

[Daniel II]

Ah, thank you. I remembered it your way, but it didn’t sound right and, well, I blew it.

[HonestConservative]

No problem.

We got the picture!

If I’m not screwing up, I must not be speaking.

[HungarianGypsy]

So, it was going to be a five minute tour and they were going to scoot them out? Were they just going to show them the gift shop, hand off some “I love Obama” products and send them on their way?

[Cicero]

Obama didn't want to be punished with a kindergartener.

[ThomasThomas]

What better learning experience could have happened here than knowing who Obama is. It is too late for the teachers.

[McGruff]

School officials say White House staff said they needed to get ready for the president's event with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, so they couldn't come in.

Throwing little children under the bus now? "Mr. President, if you have an ounce of dignity left, resign for the good of the nation"

[jennyjenny]

I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm sure the Steelers wouldn't have minded as they do that kind of stuff all the time. At the very least, I'm sure they would have understood if zero was a few minutes late greeting them because of the children arriving late. As I said, I'll bet bambi was late meeting with the Steelers regardless. I guess he feels he has nothing to lose with the children as they will be properly indoctrinated soon enough now that they're in kindergarten.

[fr_freak]

Since when should a President of the United States rearrange his day for a group of school teachers and kids that are an hour late?

The article said they were 10 minutes late, but I agree they should have been on time. If it were me I would have planned to arrive 30 minutes early, just to be sure.

[Sig Sauer P220]

Maybe he was afraid the kids where going to ask difficult questions, and his teleprompter wasn’t loaded.

[Erik Latranyi]

Just wait until Obama taxes sugary foods out of existence!

[Michael.SF.]

Priorities, what is more important after all, meeting a bunch of kids, or football heroes?

Nice move Barrack.

The WH staff who F'd this up should be fired.

[utahagen]

If I had an appointment at the White House, I'd show up on time. Them’s the breaks.

[70th Division]

WOMEN AND CHILDREN HURT MOST!

[armymarinedad]

According to the article and White House protocol(AMM met with Bush in the Oval Office) you are to be there well before the meeting time in this case 9:30. That makes them almost an hour late.

[rawhide]

I’m not sure about this? I understand the WH position. Perhaps Obama could have at least come out and greeted them?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Obama is a walking middle finger.

Thanks for my new tagline!

[Tijeras_Slim]

DC traffic can gridlock anytime for no apparent reason. Whe I lived there you could be bumper to bumper for three hours at midnight, and fly through rush hour the next day.

[HIDEK6]

DC traffic can gridlock anytime for no apparent reason.

All the more reason to leave early.

[McGruff]

No Hope and Change for you kids,

Now get under da bus!

[DesertRhino]

I bet you anything this was put together by teachers and parents who fawn over Obama *all*day*long*. Plus, arriving 10 minutes late to the WHITE HOUSE is the hallmark of a liberal.

Any normal people ive ever been around leading such a group would have been out there at least 30 minutes early. And they would have made allowances for contingencies, such as traffic.

This story doesnt bother me at all. Furthermore, i bet a repub white house, that ran perfectly on time, would have
figured out something for kids. Only a liberal has the stony heart like this.

[cschroe]

If I had an appointment at the White House, I'd show up on time. Them’s the breaks.

you ever make the drive from Stafford, VA into DC? Whoever from the school agreed to a 9:30 appointment was crazy, or they should have left at 6:30am. That's an UGLY drive at rush hour.

[WOBBLY BOB]

If he can walk on water, he can part the traffic.

[dfwgator]

Reminds me of when Bill Clinton had just become President in 1993, and there was a SNAFU that lead to long lines of people waiting to tour the White House, and Hillary was overheard saying, “We’ve just screwed all of these people.”

Truer words have never been said by Hillary, and Zero is carrying on the tradition.

[Anti-Hillary]

They will never learn, because they don’t think.

You can lead a liberal to logic, but you cannot make him think!!!

[WOBBLY BOB]

We’re all in for a lot more disappointment. Get used to it.

[stayathomemom]

So when Obama runs for his fourth term, these new voters might support the other guy?

[yldstrk]

what a son of a beach, it is not his house to do that with, it belongs to those 5 year olds, their teachers and their parents

this is blasphemous

[BlueNgold]

‘O’ will play the same card he did for the NY flyover.
By the end of the day there will be leaked reports of his ‘outrage’.

If they are really laying it on Sasha and Malea will be upset also, as they were waiting to meet the children and assist in the tours and no one told them it was canceled. They got left hanging just like the other kids - message: we are in this with you, we feel your pain, we are equals in this struggle.

By Monday evening a long serving member of the WH staff will be fired. This will give them cover to get rid of yet another Bush holdover that they previously couldn’t replace without some political flack. The WH steward should be watching his ‘6’ this weekend.

Eventually, not Monday, but soon, the tour will be rescheduled at taxpayer expense and he will personally meet them in the Rose Garden for a photo op as they arrive. The next morning ‘the President who cares about your children’ will probably be on the front page of the Wash Post.

[pandoraou812]

What an sob 0 is. He couldn't be human & kind towards childern????

[lacrew]

At some level this has to be Bush’s fault. Just the other night I saw a hit piece on how the Bust Dept of Transportation had not properly funded public transportation...which would have helped DC traffic...so there you go, Bush hurt these children.

Hey, if the talking heads can defend Pelosi’s silly lies with a straight face, why not this?

[IYAS9YAS]

If it were me I would have planned to arrive 30 minutes early, just to be sure.

Maybe they did. The article didn't say. All it said was that the chartered bus ran into heavy traffic. I have had many occasions where planning to arrive 1/2 hour early barely got me there in time (best laid plans and all).

[ontap]

"We were going to the White House, but we couldn’t get in so I felt sad," 5-year-old Cameron Stine said.

Shut up mouth comrade....make sacrifice for state.....Patriotic to be disappointed..like paying tax!