Posted on 04/21/2005 10:00:13 AM PDT by nerdwithamachinegun
This is only my second post. I apologize for any mistsakes with the topics, keywords or any other ancillary info.
If this is more appropriately posted in some other forum I apologize for posting it here.
Today the II MEF PAO asked for folks on Camp Fallujah to have dinner with radio personalities and reporters from around the US. Two places that caught my attention were Kansas City, Missouri and Washington D.C. I was born in the former and live near the latter. Normally I would not care to have any interaction with any reporters but given the controlled environment I figured it would be harmless. Besides, if things got boring I could throw out some conversational hand grenades like "McCarthy was right!" or "Let's drill ANWR!" or maybe even "I hear Guantanamo is beautiful year round". Alas, dinner was much more civilized than that.
I had the pleasure of having KBR chow, which is better than you might think, with Ellen Ratner of Fox News and Paul Brandus of WTOP News. I must confess that I'm more of a WMAL kind of guy and was hoping Chris Core or Michael Graham were going to be there. I wanted to say something smartalecky to Michael Graham like "You sound taller on the radio". I was seated with four Marines as well as Ms. Ratner and Mr. Brandus. One Marine was an Intel type, one was from the comptroller's office and two were from SJA. We all discussed our jobs with Ms. Ratner and Mr. Brandus. Mr. Brandus had heard of the biometrics system I support. Ms. Ratner had a lengthly discussion with a Marine involved in legal goings on about Guantanamo and detainees in this theater. She talked about what she would have done differently subsequent to September 11th and talked with us about what we would have done. I think it would be fair to say that all of us were politely evasive on that subject. She advocated a much more heavy handed approach to Afghanistan. Topics ranged from W's motiviation for coming to Iraq to the teetering House of Saud to contracting companies getting overpaid. On the contracting note I pointed out that many contractors work many more hours than they charge. DOD.gov gets over on this count. Mr. Brandus recorded greetings from us to our loved ones to be aired on WTOP. I thoroughly botched mine. Stupidly, I didn't say Hi to my Wife, reasoning that I'll see her in about two weeks when I back for my R&R break, I said Hi to my co-workers back in Manassasssssass. After dinner I walked with Ms. Ratner back to the Embark Tent area. She's the most pleasant neo-liberal I've ever talked with. It was possible to communicate. I enjoy talking politics with folks here on FR but nothing compares to talking politics with someone of the oposite viewpoint that actually sticks to the point and knows when to agree to disagree. We talked about W, Zell Miller and Robert Heinlein. She asked me if I voted for W. I answered that since there wasn't a conservative running W was the next best choice. She didn't even flinch when I mentioned Free Republic. I feel foolish for thinking she would. Other media people have expressed outright disgust. With them FR is a great conversation ending bomb to drop when the time is right. I asked her to say hi to Rich Galen for me. He and I shared an office in Baghdad with Ambassador Bremer's speech writer and the legislative affairs folks. He probably doesn't remember me though. Rich certainly reacted when I told him I was a member of the D.C. Chapter. I think he would have reacted better if I'd told him I was MS-13 or a member of PETA. He said something about speaking at a FR dinner sometime in the past. Back to the now. Ms. Ratner headed off to get some sleep and I ran into Mr. Brandus again outside the media tent. We chatted a bit more about the area and the biometrics system I work on and said good evening. I immediately came here to type this up while it's fresh in my mind. I've got some actual work to do but felt a responsibility to get this posted in case anyone might actually care.
I forgot to ask Ellen Ratner some questions:
1. Who is taller? Patti Ann Browne or Molly Hennenberg?
2. Is Steve Doocy always like that?
3. Does anyone realize that Brian Kilmeade looks JUST LIKE the Marine in Doom 3?
4. Did Steve Harrigan ever get a helmet that fits?
5. Is E.D. Hill the Katie Couric of Fox & Friends?
I think Ellen Ratner should replace Allan Colmes. I don't watch H&C often because AC is unbearable sometimes and Hannity is just Hannity.
neo-liberal: socialist, not Jeffersonian liberal or literal liberal.
Bob Dole needs his own show on Fox, The Bob Dole Show.
"Good evening folks. I'm Bob Dole and this is the Bob Dole show hosted by Bob Dole. Tonight, Bob Dole's guests will be Norm McDonald, Bill Clinton and Eric Cartman from South Park. Bob Dole will be reading questions from the audience too."
Oh yeah, Ellen Ratner's hair is nicer than Jane Arraf's. Ellen Ratner is nicer than Jane Arraf come to think about it.
At least Susan Estrich didn't show up.
Great blog...thanks for sharing with us..if you get a chance..ask Ratner what she really thinks of Jim Pinkerton..and YOU should really ask about Laurie Dhue...(LOL) regards
Hey I was born in KCMO too! I know this is totally off topic but anytime KCMO appears I perk up. Was just up there two weeks ago, drove through downtown, hasn't really changed too much.
Ping-a-ling-a-ding-dong
I'd rather drive anywhere in Baghdad than around the I435/US71 junction or that mall near there.
I won't go north of Peculiar without a small but powerful handgun.
Is it ok to OT/hijack my own thread?
She ain't so bad. She ain't so good. What can I say?
Thanks for the report, Nerd. I used to listen to WTOP but after they went mum during memogate, I switched to WMAL. Stay safe!
Listen, whoever you are. I know BufordP. BufordP is a friend of mine. Airman, you're no BufordP.
"She ain't so bad. She ain't so good."
Ain't no way BufordP would ever say that about anything or anyone.
. . . and I'm tellin'
Someone is using my friend's screen name.
LOL! You know how long it took me to type "She ain't so bad"? It was tough.
My husband talked to one of his friends this weekend who has just returned from Iraq, and he says much the same thing. Not only did he feel safer in Iraq than in his hometown, he also mentioned the hopeful attitude of the citizens there. In the good ol' US of A, the only message you see/hear is one of hoplessness and defeat.
I betcha you have a pet name for her;-)
Sure its ok to highjack your own thread! You must be talking about the Bannister mall. I haven't been down around Peculiar for years, must be really something if you won't go unarmed! Remember The Paseo Boulevard?
A few years back, Ratner comes out of the White House tour with Mark Davis (WBAP) and Michael Savage (?).
Ratner asks a stupid question about a sign ELS is holding. bmwcyle recognizes her and says, "Ellen?" Ratner makes eyecontact and her pupils are at max dililation. bmwcyle says, "You're Ellen Ratner" and with that, Ellen turns on her heel and starts running away, full speed.
Hey Doc!
ELS ... you remember the sign? Just curious.
Why are you helping them with biometrics? Shouldn't you be putting your powers to use for good?
P.S. I'll bet your sense of humor is wasted as a rule.
== She ain't so bad. She ain't so good. What can I say?
It takes a real man to type it out ...
Trust all is well, BufordP
I remember the incident, but I don't remember what the topic of the FReep was.
I drove from KCI down The Paseo about two years ago. It looks like a completely different planet from when I was a kid.
I still didn't go as slow as the speed limit but wow, what a difference.
I'm all for privacy and keeping the gubbamint out of everything possible, ask BufordP. He thinks I'm a libertarian anarchist.
Using a biometrics database against the dirtbags over here seems like a fine and dandy thing. You wouldn't believe some of the scum in the database. The bad guys know about this system and try to evade it. That means it's working.
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