Posted on 01/13/2011 4:41:10 PM PST by Sub-Driver
White House Says It Wasn't Responsible for Picking Rowdy Basketball Arena for Arizona Memorial Service Thursday, January 13, 2011 By Fred Lucas
Washington (CNSNews.com) – White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that the White Houes was not responsible for choosing a basketball arena, as opposed to a church or a smaller auditorium that might be more conducive to a solemn event, for Wednesday's night's memorial service in Tucson, Ariz.
The McKale Memorial Center, an athletics facility at the University of Arizona, was packed with a reported 14,000 people, who repeatedly broke out in cheers and screams of a sort not ordinarily associated with a memorial service.
Last Sunday, the Arizona Wildcats basketball team played Stanford in the same arena, and this Saturday they will play Arizaon state there.
Gibbs said the White House did not play a role in choosing the venue for the memorial. A university spokesperson told CNSNews.com that the venue was picked after President Barack Obama confirmed he would be attending.
At Thursday's White House briefing, CNSNews.com asked, “What was the reason for choosing the arena as opposed to maybe a church or a smaller venue?”
Gibbs said the venue was chosen by the University of Arizona not the White House.
“Well, I would point you to the university on that, and I think it’s important to understand this was--we were invited to and accepted quite happily the invitation of the university,” Gibbs told CNSNews.com.
“I think having that many people there and being able to include people from the community was, again, was and is an important part of that healing process. But in terms of logistics and things like that, I’d point you to the university as they’d probably be better to answer your questions on those sorts of things,” he added.
Jennifer Fitzenberger, director of external communications for the university, confirmed the university began planning the event over the weekend, and invited President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to attend.
“It was held at the university and coordinated with city and county officials,” Fitzenberger told CNSNews.com. “The venue was decided on after the president accepted.”
Earlier in the White House press briefing, Mark Knoller of CBS News asked Gibbs, “What did the president think about the pep rally aspect and tone of the event last night?”
Gibbs responded that it was part of the grieving process.
“Well, look, I’m not a Tucsonian, obviously, but I think that having been there for a day before the president got there, you could understandably feel the weight of what had happened,” Gibbs said.
“I think part of the grieving process is celebrating the lives of those that were lost and celebrating the miracles of those that survived. I think you’ve all probably by now read the transcript from the two members on the plane last night about their personal experience with the congresswoman in her hospital bed. It’s an emotional thing to read,” he added.
“Again, I think--I will say that the speech--I read the speech several times and thought that there wouldn’t be a lot of applause, if any,” Gibbs continued. “I think many of us thought that. But I think there was a celebration, again, of the lives of those that have been impacted, not just those that – not just at that grocery store but throughout the country. And I think that if that is part of the healing process, then that’s a good thing.”
Obama’s speech lasted 33 minutes 44 seconds and was interrupted for applause 51 times. The tone of the applause at times included shouts and whistles similar to a political rally.
The speech was compared to earlier speeches given by presidents during a time of national crisis, such as President Ronald Reagan’s speech after the Challenger space shuttle explosion in 1986 and President Bill Clinton’s speech after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
Reagan’s speech was delivered from the Oval Office and lasted less than three minutes.
Clinton delivered his speech at the State Fair Grounds Arena. The Associated Press reported that 20,000 were in attendance. The speech went for 9 minutes and 10 seconds. The speech was interrupted for applause eight times, but was more subdued and typically involved clapping after certain lines in the speech.
Definitely BS. They only make it worse by objecting.
More lies
That's one GD expensive degree!
It was a pep rally, but sedate compared to the Democratic standard--the Wellstone memorial.
Of course they aren’t. This White House ain’t responsible for anything or anybody.
I am so civil.
But his campaign created the guest list.
Serious ? They took a 100 mil hit after that ? WOWIE.
It’s not the venue. It’s Obama’s supporters who have the mental capacity of a 3 year old.
Obama tried to use it as a political rally and now the white house is trying to backtrack. That is a sick group of folks.
Call me cynical or jaded or unfeeling but what is this bilge about the “grieving process” and the “healing process”? Were the immature morons whooping and cheering in that arena “grieving”? Of course not. Nor are the rest of us. The only people really grieving are the families who lost sons, mothers, fathers, brothers, or sisters in the shooting. They were just about forgotten in that spectacle last night. The rest of us feel sorry that the tragedy happened, but I very much doubt we are “grieving” or need Obama to help us “heal.”
I don’t understand all this navel-gazing and national fixation with public displays of emotional meltdowns. You would think we’re all on the couch sitting next to Oprah. It’s absurd. Instead of Obama taking center stage, I’d like to see that drill sargeant from the Geico commercials who is disgusted and wants to take the slobbering crybaby to “mamby pamby land.”
All of this is just an excuse for people to get some face time in front of national t.v. cameras to promote their political careers or massage their massive egos. And the president of the University of Arizona made himself and that institution look like a bunch of dolts. None of them has any acquaintance at all, apparently, with memorial services that actually are memorials. I’m thinking of the awe-inspiring service in the National Cathedral after 9-11. But, of couse, Laura Bush supposedly was in charge of organizing that.
horseshit. Hussein’s handlers tightly control every aspect of their stooge’s appearances...from the T-shirts sold to the size of the font in the teleprompter.
Don’t tell me they didn’t want that irreligious hootfest to be held in that auditorium.
The story, according to hubby, should be that even Bill Clinton knew how to set the tone for something. With OKC, Clinton kept the tone somber. (and usually, he made sure that he had the appropriate facial expressions when the camera was on-hah except for the Ron Brown funeral thing) The circus atmosphere was set by the political operatives who choreographed a political show.
Sound like a familiar democrat theme? I don't mean to be uncivil, I'm just being economical. Is that still OK?
While you don't have to be rowdy in an arena, you can certainly choose to be rowdy there.
If this were true, how did they get barrys new election slogan t-shirts?
All that was missing was Dickie V.
Ronald Reagan could have spoken at a somber event at the same venue, and there wouldn't have been a dry eye in the audience. It's the crowd and the people who are running the show that matter, not the venue.
Nor did they know anything about the t-shirts and the campaign literature that was handed out. They were completely in the dark and taken by surprise. (Eyes rolling)
Yeah...if he’s dumb enough to try that one for his new slogan—it will truly be the end.
But he can’t use “hope and change” anymore. Perhaps his opponent could use it. I know we’re all “hoping for change”.
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