Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Posted on 10/13/2005 4:14:50 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
The White House found itself at the centre of another public relations disaster yesterday after a Pentagon official was seen coaching a group of handpicked US troops before a live teleconference with President George Bush.
In a cringingly wooden exchange the group of soldiers stationed in Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit told the president exactly what he wanted to hear - that Iraqis were eager to vote on a new constitution this weekend and the country's fledgling security forces were ready to meet the challenge.
But before Mr Bush entered the room Alison Barber, a senior defence department official, went through a list of topics the president would later ask them about. At her prompting, the soldiers, who were displayed on a large video screen in a room of the Eisenhower Building next to the White House, raised their hands when the topic they were to answer came up.
At one point, she said, Mr Bush would ask them specifically, "In the last 10 months, what kind of progress have we seen?" before asking who was prepared to answer the question. "Master Sgt Lombardo," one of the soldiers replied.
Minutes later Mr Bush asked the same question and Master Sgt Corine Lombardo responded: "Over the past 10 months, the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces are improving ... They continue to develop and grow into a sustainable force." Mr Bush then asked: "Do the Iraqis want to fight, and are they capable of fighting?" He was told they were.
Ms Barber insisted later the questions were not rehearsed. The military had been told ahead of time only about topics the president might want to talk about, not specific questions. "We just knew broad themes," she said. The White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "All they were doing was talking to the troops and letting them know what to expect."
But Democrats dismissed the event as a sham. The Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, said: "The American people and our brave troops deserve better than a photo-op for the president and a pep-rally about Iraq. They deserve a plan. Unfortunately, today's event only served to highlight the fact that the president refuses to engage in a frank conversation about the realities on the ground."
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
"This is getting worse by the minute."
How so? It is just typical MSM nonsense. It is not even American MSM nonsense.
This guy is somewhere near Houston and runs a small golf school. Please help me find him. I want him on camera in INDICTING HILLARY. Thanks.
DFU SONG: I Want to Hold Your Hand (soldier forced to shake Hillary's hand in Baghdad)
DFU SONGS | 7-2005 | Lyrics, Doug from Upland
Posted on 07/29/2005 4:22:41 PM PDT by doug from upland
MIDI - I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
Oh yeah, I follow orders.....in the chain of command
But I did not like it.....they made me shake her hand
They made me shake her hand...they made me shake her hand
It wasn't my idea...they threatened reprimand
So I crossed my fingers...they made me shake her hand
They made me shake her hand...they made me shake her hand
And when she touched me I felt queasy inside
I know that woman has a soul that has died, that has died, that has died
My friends, you can't blame me...I hope you understand
They'd given me a warning...they made me shake her hand
They made me shake her hand...they made me shake her hand
And when she touched I felt queasy inside
I know that woman has a soul that has died, that has died, that has died
It's no highlight moment...it's not what I had planned
She shouldn't even be here...they made me shake her hand
They made me shake her hand...they made me shake her hand
They made me shake her hand
Prepped, so it would be organized, is hardly staged.
Staged is when Clinton had stones placed on Normandy Beach that he could pick up while walking and use for symbolic gesture. That's staged.
This was the opening story on the NBC nightly news. I don't see it as damning, but it is a stupid misstep that never should have occurred.
Where is Rove? Love him or hate him, he does smooth PR like none other.
It was stupid to do this!Why?
Because it wasn't necessary! The troops are behind this effort and can handle themselves.
bttt
"This is getting worse by the minute."
Blahahaha!
We have seen these petty attack since 2000. It comes from both Republicans and Democrats, yet Bush lives on and on and on.
This sounds like the prep for every conference call I have ever had at work. I can't believe this is a story.
These libs are soooooooooooo damn easy to hate!
ABC news radio referred to the soldiers as "handpicked"
FOX reported on this too. So all the media are reporting on it. It was stupid to do this. It was even dumber for Scott McClellan to deny it was scripted when it just pisses off the reporters.
I doubt FOX would have reported this story so heavily if McClellan didn't out and out lie to the press. The President's media team including McClellan need to be rotated out of service.
I am an out and out staunch Conservative, but just how stupid can these people be. With all the crap going on with the liberals, how can one put themselves in this position?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/10/20051013-2.html
Here's a link to the transcript. I don't understand why the WH even tolerates this kind of disrespect from reporters. Helen Thomas' remarks in particular. I think it was she who responded to this statement:
McC: Just three years ago, the Iraqi people were under a brutal, oppressive dictator, a dictator that killed thousands and thousands of people.
Q: How many have we killed?
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