Posted on 12/09/2004 9:22:17 AM PST by Nascardude
Edited on 12/09/2004 10:05:10 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
RUMSFELD SET UP; REPORTER PLANTED QUESTIONS WITH SOLIDER
Thu Dec 09 2004 11:49:38 ET
Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, now in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, and is filing articles for his newspaper. Pitts claims in a purported email that he coached soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld questions!
From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, Chattanooga Times Free Press military reporter
Sent: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM
To: Staffers
Subject: RE: Way to go
I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.
So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld why after two years here soldiers are still having to dig through trash bins to find rusted scrap metal and cracked ballistic windows for their Humvees, the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question. Then Rumsfeld answered something about it being "not a lack of desire or money but a logistics/physics problem." He said he recently saw about 8 of the special up-armored Humvees guarding Washington, DC, and he promised that they would no longer be used for that and that he would send them over here. Then he asked a three star general standing behind him, the commander of all ground forces here, to also answer the question. The general said it was a problem he is working on.
The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks -- swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with. Out of the 1,000 or so troops at the event there were only a handful of guys from my unit b/c the rest were too busy prepping for our trip north. The national media asked if they were the guys with the armor problem and then stuck cameras in their faces. The NY Times reporter asked me to email him the stories I had already done on it, but I said he could search for them himself on the Internet and he better not steal any of my lines. I have been trying to get this story out for weeks- as soon as I foud out I would be on an unarmored truck- and my paper published two stories on it. But it felt good to hand it off to the national press. I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border riding with scrap metal as protection. It may be to late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after.
The press officer in charge of my regiment, the 278th, came up to me afterwords and asked if my story would be positive. I replied that I would write the truth. Then I pointed at the horde of national media pointing cameras and mics at the 278th guys and said he had bigger problems on his hands than the Chattanooga Times Free Press. This is what this job is all about - people need to know. The solider who asked the question said he felt good b/c he took his complaints to the top. When he got back to his unit most of the guys patted him on the back but a few of the officers were upset b/c they thought it would make them look bad. From what I understand this is all over the news back home.
Thanks,
Lee
EDWARD LEE PITTS FILED STORY ABOUT THE TROOPS BEFORE THE POW-WOW WITH RUMSFELD
Developing...
Thanks for your post.
As I responded earier to another's reply,I did read post#22 and was so informed.Once again,I stand corrected.
"Honest, I may just be a figment of your imagination.
Everything I say is just illusion, only happening in your mind."
Ok.
I think you are right. President Bush and his Administration never blame someone else, even when justly deserved.
I am impressed in this case, and have been in others, that the solution to the problem has already been worked out and in being implemented,i.e. more upgraded humvees.
We have had to adjust to the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives laying around all over Iraq. It's something we havn't seen before and would not have been able to anticipate.
With the revelation that this was a setup, will the MSM get another attempt to damage America rammed back down their throats?
And, thanks for posting this article, I had forgotten where I read this. I also saw this on a thread just a little while ago.
And in new-found praise, respect and adulation of the lamestream media, don't forget.
BTW,
the soldier that agreed to ask that question is an idiot.
My point is, the genie's out of the bottle. Casting blame around won't change anything.
Yep .. I recall another war the media did the same thing
Never said they were.
I only said the reporter was not on some quest to aid the Military, he was out for a story, and when he found he was going to be on an unarmored car made that the story.
The soldiers can say/do whatever they want... they've earned it. Its the willful manipuation of the non career military to skew the reality to fit the reporter's intended story that is ant-american.
(IE He first figured out story subject, then created it by engineering it, instead of normal reporting. Note the 'need more armor' story has been around for LONG time, the story here is that a soilder is SO MAD that made the complaint in public to the SoD's face... an event the Reporter Engineered)
Nice to know you troll bio pages.
Thank you for showing that!
;-)
You forgot something Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down at the bottom.
Good grief. "Can we have more armor?
Yes, but we do not except the tactics and reporting of it from the MSM or those who support the MSM. We don't need the fox guarding then hen house. We already know about the wolf.
Destro, if you hunt around a site like FR, you'll find much wisdom and truth. Just today, "OXEN" and I have told an important truth about the Rumsfeld story. And it's a crucial aspect of the story that the media won't tell you because they have only two agendas:
The first agenda for everyone in the media is to make money. Their product is information woven into stories. The way the garner attention for their product is to use sensationalism.
The second agenda for most, but not all in the media, is to promote Leftist ideology and causes.
So, whenever the media fly off into one of their furious tizzies about ANY story, the wise consumer of news immediately responds with a healthy skepticism and a wait-and-see attitude.
So are you going to respond to this:
"Oh, so you were there and knew what was going on?
Please, inform us all of what REALLY went down."
Or were you just hoping you could use the bio page to flame from so you could get out of answering that?
Exactly, its the messenger not the message.
It's also fairly standard for those types of questions at a "Commander's Call" type briefing to get applause. If he had said "The food at the chow hall really stinks, when can we get better?" he would have gotten the same cheers.
If you aren't willing to accept that the question was asked and the soldiers cheered after that, and in response to it, there's not much to discuss.
We did "knew it".
At least most of us did.
Early examples:
http://pro.lookingat.us/CronkiteNam.wav
John Kerry who voted against body armor and armoring Humvees and other vehcles :
http://pro.lookingat.us/KerryLastManToDie.mp3
http://pro.lookingat.us/LBJNam.wav
http://pro.lookingat.us/LBJNotSeek.wav
http://pro.lookingat.us/CronkiteBye2.wav
The "imbedded" reporter is a scumbag "gotcha" leftie media plant and I would refuse to serve with his "my guys" soldiers/partners/companions who asked the setup question.
They cannot be trusted.
His 15 minutes are up.
P.S. Rush is a strong voice for our troops while few of us have attempted go thru what he did to reach his present level.
If Rush is not smarter, he definitely is using all of his talents better and did not quit; his last contract amount shows what his sydicators think he is worth.
I myself had no armor at all on my dinky little open Jeep and no body armor either.
Current military losses are lower than any previous conflict.
These troops all volunteered as I did and but could be sitting on their butts at a computer back here in the states as civilians instead.
War and combat get messy but some do not cry and run to the Senate and media after 22 days in combat areas wearing three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, and a Silver Star (with the unknown "V" device) to create dissent and climb on the bodies of dead soldiers and smear those who survived.
Anywhere in the service you can find the gripers and moaners.
The media searched out one of the 20% democrats in Iraq who have political agendas and/or want a quick ticket out.
The soldier that asked the question has never seen constant tough combat under fire.
He probably never will.
I lost a distant cousin in Afghanistan and his immediate family has not acted like traitorous Americans or said he died for nothing.
God will not help that reporter if I ever encounter him.
On certain days I'd assert that you have the order of the media's agenda mixed up as to first and second. But you are accurate nonetheless.
Prairie
The assertion I made was that the 'stunt' - the question, was not anti military or anti-mission. I am not going to hang the soldier who asked it out to dry for how the media covers it.
Quote "HOW MANY TRANSPORT VEHICLES / VESSELS WERE DECOMMISSIONED DURING THE CLINTON YEARS AND ARE NOT HERE NOW WHEN WE NEED THEM?"
Right. That's why we're having such equipment & logistics problems now-beacause of eight years of military-loathing,military-gouging and playing pattycake with Osama and cavorting with the likes of Monica.The Clintons almost ran this country into the ground-
thank the Lord for term limits.But we cannot get up and running overnight.Things take time,especially in the face of war.
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