Posted on 09/15/2005 1:27:32 PM PDT by Uncle Joe Cannon
Reuters Says Bush Photo Not 'Malicious,' Reports Wide Interest In it
By E&P Staff
Published: September 15, 2005 4:30 PM ET
NEW YORK With confirmation today that an accidental photo of President Bush at the United Nations on Wednesday, writing a note to Secretary of State Condeezza Rice about a bathroom break, was indeed real, newspapers around the U.S. and abroad are now planning to run it widely. But many, it seems, will treat it as something more than a joke.
A source at the Washington Post tells E&P that the paper is considering it for prominent play tomorrow morning, in the context that, at least in some minds, it raises questions about overall perception of the U.S. at the United Nations, right or wrong. Reuters reports extremely strong interest in the photo today.
The fact is, according to Reuters--and this has not been widely reported--President Bush did indeed take a bathroom break after passing the note to Rice.
This apparently raised some eyebrows around the room, because American representatives (among others) have a reputation for suddenly bolting, though normally for a far different reason than this latest one.
Since the photo first appeared on the Web late yesterday, speculation has centered on whether the bathroom break reference was just a silly joke and who had written and passed the note.
Gary Hershorn, news editor-photos for the Americas at Reuters, told E&P today that the photographer, Rick Wilking, informed him yesterday afternoon that he had observed Bush pass the note to Rice, and a little later, rise from his seat, leave the room, and then return.
And while some have suggested that Wilking, a well-known photographer just back from taking some of the most gripping images in New Orleans, was out to embarrass the president, Hershorn said that the photog had no idea what Bush was writing on the paper. Wilking assumed the president was taking notes on what some other official was saying.
Rick had no idea what he was shooting, or what Bush was writing, Heeshorn said. If Rick knew what he was writing we'd have 25 pictures of this, not two.
The photo was taken at 12:08 PM and it was Hershorn, about three hours later, who took the trouble to examine the photo closely, noticed the writing, and decided to put it on the wire after 4 o'clock.
The photo, as E&P observed last night in the first story about the incident, shows Bush scribbling in pencil on a note that already holds the words: "I think I may need a bathroom break? Is this possible." Wilking is a veteran Washington photographer who has long covered Bush campaigns and the White House.
As for transmitting the photo, Hershorn says, "There was no malicious intent. That's not what we do."
There's a simple explanation, even a serious one, for all of this, he adds. Bush, he points out, is not used to attending meetings at the U.N. and probably did not know what the protocol was for exiting a room and returning. His question to Rice was proper and not all that surprising, asking someone with more experience there about protocol, he said.
I must be missing something. How is the Washington Post going to be able to write an entire "news" story about this?
Let's hope this works better...
Talk about rude. Kick the Reuters contingent out of the WH press corps. Were they hoping to catch the president saying something about someone at the meeting?????
I think the note is rather humorous. And the POTUS should know that someone could catch it on camera. I must assume that he did not care. I wonder how many photogs actually could read Kerry's cue cards during the debates, but they refused to further embarrass him.
LOL. I once took an accidental photo of the sky when I dropped my camera.
Indeed..I just continue to be amazed at the media.Pathetic.
What a bunch of liars! What was he doing taking pictures of what *anyone* at that table was writing notes about?
What if it had been something of a secret and sensitive nature?
Rats have *no* class...or honesty...
"OMG! President Bush actually has to use a bathroom!"
That was my reaction to that line, too. Idiots. I'm glad though. Frees up my time. I'm very busy, so it's nice to be able to completely ignore the entire MSM apparatus with a clear conscience.
So THAT'S why Clinton was full of S4#1T!............
If he made a #1 then this is truly "yellow journalism"!
Compare the writing on the note to that of President Bush's. It doesn't match.
>Clinton didn't take a cr@p for 8 years! What's wrong with Bush?????<
Have you never studied anatomy? A POS such as President Clinton has no digestive system!
What's bothering me about this ....incident...is that photographers are using zoom lenses to eavesdrop on the Presidents confidential notes. I think that's an outrage.
What insane lunatics.
Two words:
Puh Leaz.
Rooters has their nose in the mud again.
HA.
It doesn't affect how he does his job.
Let him get back to doing the work of the American people.
So, Reuters admits that President Bush is not full of Sh**!
It evidently strikes some people that this detracts from Bush's dignity, or the "25 pictures" comment wouldn't have occurred to the speaker even in jest. What does it say about you when you hate somebody that much?
Because if he had he would have followed the President into the stall and noted how many pieces of toilet paper he used.And then we'd have an envirnmental story about the misuse of our forests.
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