Here is a Ramirez illustration:
Posted on 07/31/2008 7:13:36 PM PDT by kristinn
Barack Obama's claims that he was not going to use a planned visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as a photo-op were blown out of the water tonight by a spokesman for Landstuhl who told Stars and Stripes that plans had been made for Obama's campaign press contingent to film the candidate as he entered and left the hospital.
U.S. European Command spokesman Lt. Col. John Dorrian said that local and traveling press would have been brought to the entrance of Landstuhl to film Obama entering and leaving the hospital.
The article also noted that it would have been permissible for Obama to have a held a press conference as a U.S. senator on official business under Pentagon rules.
The Obama campaign has furiously denied the cancelled visit to Landstuhl was ever planned as a photo-op. They issued several statements with varying explanations that basically included the message that the Pentagon viewed the visit as a campaign stop.
Additionally, the Obama campaign told reporters there were no plans to take the press with Obama to Landstuhl. The Washington Post ran a front page article this week attacking the McCain campaign's ad criticizing Obama over the cancellation that included comments from Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs:
Gibbs said yesterday that the campaign had planned to inform the traveling media members sometime on the morning of the flight to Ramstein that Obama was intending to visit the hospital but had made no plans to take reporters, including even the small, protective press pool that now accompanies him most places.
Reporters, he said, probably would have been able to get off the plane but not leave an air base facility close by. "We had made absolutely no arrangements to transport the press to the hospital," he said.
...Gibbs was asked yesterday (Tuesday) about the continuing allegations from McCain that the real reason was a desire to bring a media entourage to the hospital.
"That's completely untrue, and I think, honestly, they know it's untrue," Gibbs said.
Obama spoke about the cancelled Landstuhl visit at a press conference in London the day after (from MSNBC):
"We had scheduled to go. We had no problem at all in leaving press -- we always leave press and staff out, that's why we left it off the schedule," he said, explaining that the campaign had planned to treat the trip the same way they treated a recent visit to Walter Reed, which the senator made without press.
Obama added, "I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisers, a former military officer. And we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person and it would therefore be perceived as political, because he had endorsed my candidacy but he wasn't on the Senate staff," Obama said, referring to Gen. Scott Gration, who had worked to organize the trip.
"That triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political, and the last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not or get caught in the crossfire between campaigns. So rather than go forward and potentially get caught up in what might have been seen as a political controversy of some sort, what we decided was that we would not make a visit and instead I would call some of the troops who were there. So that's essentially the extent of the story."
Obama and the mainstream press have tried to put this story behind them but it keeps coming back because Obama and his campaign failed to do the right thing--by the troops and by the truth. Obama's snub of the wounded warriors at Landstuhl has been compounded by his inexplicable lying about it.
This episode may well prove to be a defining moment in Obama's campaign as voters judge his commitment to the troops and the truth.
Barry Soetoro lie? I’m shocked.
Not even the silky pony is as phony as the hussein obama.
Elections are like a box of chocolates. you never know what you're going to get. Some are dark chocolate with a soft jelly center that sticks to your teeth long after it's gone, others are white chocolate that're kinda nutty.
Bill Clinton?
Thanks BufordP.
Can I get any angrier with Obama and not begin to support McCain?
What a mess this year!
It should be a defining moment; and ‘perhaps’ it will be. But hard to have one; when MSM does a daily gloss-on and gloss-over of every Obama mistake and misdeed. Keep reading the ‘honeymoon’ may be over. Am just waiting to see it.
And I thought Bubba was a big phony.
Bump.Thanks kristinn.
There is no way you can spin this to your truth Obama. You are caught again in one of your many lies.
I cannot stand your posturing and your manipulation. Take a flippin’ hike.
You do such good work.
Military always records everything.
Navy has log books!
Military security at Walter Reed would know.
They usually keep logs too of what going on and they even have security cameras.
See, he lied. And he thought us little people would say, “Aw shucks,” let him go in. And bring his cameras with him.
Didn’t happen to President Phoniness, the Presumptive One
We’re supposed to take his word for it.
Like his word is worth anything. Well, maybe a finnig.
We can only hope.
Let’s see; there’s the incident with
1. Rev. Wright
2. Rev. Fleger
3. Bill Ayers (the terrorist)
4. Larry Sinclair (?)
5. Obama not visiting the wounded troops in Germany and now,
6. Ludacris and his sick, demeaning, vicious and outrageous “Political” Rap released yesterday. And let’s not forget
7. Obamessiah’s “Citizens of the World” speech in Germany.
If McCain can’t take this guy out on November 4, he doesn’t deserve to be President. It’s almost like the Obama camp is trying to lose this Election; and I wish them well in that endeavor.
Inflate your tires and save on gas..?????
And your list did not include Michelle’s inspiring speeches
I have to disagree that the lying is inexplicable. Obama knows that he snubbed the troops because he couldn't get his photo-op. He wants to avoid admitting it.
That's a clear, simple explanation which is totally in keeping with his character (or perhaps I should say -- lack thereof).
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