Bush "Staged" Event Still Mired In Controversy (At least two soldiers were a military spokesmen)
Tempest
by Joe Gandelman
http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1129350249.shtml
Has the controversy over press reports describing President Bush's
purportedly spontaneous talk with soldiers as a stage managed event abated?
No, despite the blog post of a soldier who was in on that highly
controversial talk President Bush gave to some military folks,
allegations that it was staged not only have not abated — but are being
reinforced.
The latest not-too-helpful-for-the-White-House-twist is summarized by
Crooks And Liars here, which cites a Village Voice piece indicating that
one of the soldiers was in fact a military spokesperson. Go to the link
and you'll see the photo, too. Here's some of the Voice article, which
is in various parts is clearly written from an ideological standpoint:
But here's another part of the flack attack you may not know: The
soldier on the left side of the front row was actually a flack herself,
though she didn't reveal it during the regime's 24-minute infomercial.
Her name is Corine Lombardo, and I hope she stays safe in Iraq. It's a
dangerous place even for flacks.
Here is where the Voice nails the issue on this latest twist:
Bush could have told the American people that he had at least one
public-affairs person flacking them this morning. I mean, a
public-relations person spouting the regime's line back at us? Instead,
he pretended that they were all combat soldiers, not spokespeople.
Like Jeff Jarvis, I got my masters in journalism from Northwestern
University's Medill School of Journalism. I did many stories as a
freelance correspondent in New Delhi, Madrid and Bangladesh, and as a
reporter on chain newspapers in Wichita and San Diego.
If I had ever been sent out on an assignment to talk to a bunch of
typical combat soldiers and interviewed them on a subject that was even
remotely controversial and it later turned out that one of them was
actually a military spokesman and I had passed them off in my story as
typical soldiers chosen at random, I would have at the very least had a
job performance review. They would have said I didn't do my homework.
They would have reminded me that a spokesperson is just that — someone
who helps get across the official line. And if it later came to their
attention that the group of military people weren't what we had told
readers they were in the published story, the papers would have
immediately run corrections.
Now, someone may say say: "Big deal. A military spokesperson." It IS a
big deal. This was billed to reporters as the President talking to a
typical group of soldiers.And we just know someone will say, "Well they
never said it wouldn't include a spokesperson."
OK. So let every reporter and citizen who isn't a Bush administration
partisan hire a lawyer to parse every word that is uttered, look for
every loophole, question every single sentence they speak to ensure
nothing is being left out.
What do we know so far about this fiasco of imagery (remember this was
an event that was supposed to HELP THE PRESIDENT'S image — not spark a
new controversy that raised questions about the administration's
credibility):
* Press Secretary Scott McClellan led White House reporters to
believe this event would NOT be screened or scripted.
* It was rehearsed for order of questions and the President got to
pick what was going to be talked about.
* A soldier, in an eloquent post on his blog, praises and defends
the President and blasts the news media but says that it's only natural
that: "We were given an idea as to what topics he may discuss with us,
but it's the President of the United States; He will choose which way
his conversation with us may go."
* It turns out that one of the soldiers was a military spokesperson.
* The media saw the rehearsal. You can listen to it here. Remember:
no one is alleging that every single word that came out of the soldiers'
mouths were scripted or that they didn't mean what they said. That's a
separate (non) issue. The issue is whether it was stage-managed or not.
Yours truly LIKES military spokespeople and had great relationships with
them when he covered Camp Pendleton for some stories for the San Diego
Union. Ditto in dealing with military on the island of Cyprus in the
mid-70s for reports for the old Chicago Daily News.
So there's nothing wrong with being a military spokesman.
What's wrong is what is developing into the major theme of this
administration — the precise reason why George Bush is losing
independent voters who once either voted for him or at the very least
gave him the benefit of the doubt on issues such as the war. On this
issue we see a classic case of an administration that has first of all
displayed truly amateurish p.r. management (Bush must be asking "Who is
the rocket scientist that let the media watch the run-through?).
And, secondly, and most importantly, once again this administration has
been caught in a controversy because has said one thing (what reporters
believed they were told by McClellan), done another (not a freewheeling
event with people picked at random who were all typical soldiers), then
contended it didn't do or say what it did and said in the beginning.
Where was the basic problem? In the administration's description of what
this event would be — and what it really was.
Net result: future events like this will likely be cheered by the
administration's staunch supporters but will have little impact in the
future on other voters who, polls are showing, are starting to tune out.
This may be the kind of issue that gets the juices going with partisans,
but the big issue remains one of c-r-e-d-i-b-i-l-i-t-y. The perceived
NEWS VALUE was the President having a conversation with typical
soldiers. That meant it would have been easy for someone to can raise a
new concern, or a new idea, or a new issue. That meant that perhaps, in
his chat, Bush would straighten a military person out on a fact or
misconception. That meant he could possibly be challenged or questioned
about something that was a great concern to them.
Could that have happened at this event from what we know now?
Nope. It was set up as more infomercial than variety show.
But we learned all that LATER.
UPDATE: There's MORE. CLICK HERE. It turns out yet ANOTHER SOLDIER from
that group has been on the media record for some time with a specific
stance. (To readers who will say, "well, that's a liberal site": that
doesn't obscure the fact that the site notes).
A give and take with a typical group of soldiers? How much more info
will come up suggesting that this 'typical' group just happened to have
viewpoints that were solidly in sync with the administration's message
before the rehearsal was even held?
--
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do,
because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."
- Susan B. Anthony, 1896
lo yeeOn
At one point,
"I thought you looked familiar," Bush said, and then joked: "I
probably look familiar to you, too."
It was as if Bush first instinctively reacted to a face he recognized
but then remembered from his handlers that he wasn't supposed to give
hint that it was a staged event. It could'a been a Freudian slip when
he blurted out:
"I thought you looked familiar."
lo yeeOn
========
Excerpt from AP's ``Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged''
By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer
. . .
On the training of Iraqi security forces, Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo
from Scotia, N.Y., said to Bush: "I can tell you over the past 10
months, we've seen a tremendous increase in the capabilities and the
confidences of our Iraqi security force partners. ... Over the next
month, we anticipate seeing at least one-third of those Iraqi forces
conducting independent operations."
Lombardo told the president that she was in New York City on Nov. 11,
2001, when Bush attended an event recognizing soldiers for their
recovery and rescue efforts at Ground Zero. She said the troops began
the fight against terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks and were proud to continue it in Iraq.
"I thought you looked familiar," Bush said, and then joked: "I
probably look familiar to you, too."
Paul Rieckhoff, director of the New York-based Operation Truth, an
advocacy group for U.S. veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, denounced
the event as a "carefully scripted publicity stunt." Five of the 10
U.S. troops involved were officers, he said.
"If he wants the real opinions of the troops, he can't do it in a
nationally televised teleconference," Rieckhoff said. "He needs to be
talking to the boots on the ground and that's not a bunch of
captains."
In article <43522191...@hotmail.com>,
Daniel
Tempest wrote:
> Bush "Staged" Event Still Mired In Controversy
>
> by Joe Gandelman
>
> http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1129350249.shtml
>
> Has the controversy over press reports describing President Bush's
> purportedly spontaneous talk with soldiers as a stage managed event abated?
>
> No, despite the blog post of a soldier who was in on that highly
> controversial talk President Bush gave to some military folks,
> reinforced.
>
> The latest not-too-helpful-for-the-White-House-twist is summarized by
> Crooks And Liars here, which cites a Village Voice piece indicating that
> one of the soldiers was in fact a military spokesperson. Go to the link
> and you'll see the photo, too. Here's some of the Voice article, which
> is in various parts is clearly written from an ideological standpoint:
>
>
> But here's another part of the flack attack you may not know: The
> soldier on the left side of the front row was actually a flack herself,
> though she didn't reveal it during the regime's 24-minute infomercial.
> Her name is Corine Lombardo, and I hope she stays safe in Iraq. It's a
> dangerous place even for flacks.
>
> Here is where the Voice nails the issue on this latest twist:
>
> Bush could have told the American people that he had at least one
> public-affairs person flacking them this morning. I mean, a
> public-relations person spouting the regime's line back at us? Instead,
> he pretended that they were all combat soldiers, not spokespeople.
Newsflash, dumbfuck, "public-affairs" personnel are present at ALL
media events where soldiers are present. Jesus you libfucks are really
reaching.
Fredric L. Rice
Translation: The fascist butcher was caught lying to America again.
And along comes the rightard traitors once again to defend his treason.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
Bush is a Christian. Get over it!
Tempest
Newsflash, dumbfuck, the PR hacks were being passed off as combat
soldiers. They were not indentified as being propaganda specialists.
Christ, you traitor fucks will do anything to defend the miserable failure.
Daniel
They ARE combat soldiers. Get a fucking clue.
mordacp...@hotmail.com
They're desk jockeys, rightard.
Unlike you, I've been around my share of them.
Daniel
Tell them that while they are being shot at while carrying a camera.
Once you regain conciousness, remember that I told you so.