Breaking CNN: Reporter from TN says the armor question planted

[maddezmom]

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_59663.asp


on edit...since I don't read drudge I didn't know. But it does bring up some interesting points. Why wouldn't the military take questions from reporters? Glad it was planted...maybe something will be done about it.

[hatrack]

1. Ah, yes, CNN - working hard to make Drudge's headlines respectable

Not just whores - lazy whores.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. HAHAHAHA, this is just ludicrous. A person asks a question

that's on the entire nation's mind and the right-wing sludge machine goes into action.

[maddezmom]

23. and the only reason it was answered was because it was a taped townhall

BTW...didn't know it was on Drudge

[VegasWolf]

47. I was surprised rummy let this thing get out in the first place. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

54. Don't know where it began, but the right-wing have the grapevine

mastered. From a right-wing blog to FoxNews then MSNBC & CNN.

They have ten years on us, in this regard.

[Justitia]

29. How do you "plant" an indentured soldier w/a question????

What a freakin' ridiculous stmt.
They are truly stupid.
Guess if he's "planted" by "whoever", he can just go home now - right? RIGHT?????

:eyes:

[NashVegas]

80. and then "plant" 2000 applauding, approving soldiers?

eh?

[radfringe]

36. so the discreditation begins

planted questions don't count...

how about all them planted questions that bush* gets asked during his "press" conferences or the town hall meetings? do they count?

[MidwestTransplant]

2. Who cares. The applause wasn't piped in, it was real as well as it should

have been.

[kysrsoze]

53. Why do all those soldiers hate freedom so much?

[ET Awful]

3. So?

The applause weren't planted, nor was Rummie's incompetent response.

Beside, the question wasn't planted, the troops planned, along with their embedded reporter, to ask the question ahead of time. The troops were able to gain access to Rummie because the reporter in question said they were his escort.

No plants, legitimate questions and legitimate applause from troops having nothing to do with those asking the questions.

[fob]

74. Let's say the question WAS planted. Did the reporter see the future

and know rummy would "miss" part of it and ask to have it repeated and so this reporter ALSO planted the follow-up question? Good thing that soldier's got a good memory or is really close to the situation being asked to be able to handle a competent follow-up.


/madness

[MsMagnificent]

4. To what or whose advantage would that be?

[VolcanoJen]

40. Advantage: Republicans.

If "the planted reporter" becomes the story, instead of "our troops do not have the armor they need, long after it was promised them," score some points for Bush-Rumsfeld on deflecting yet another bad news story about the war.

It's just so goddamned frustrating.

[MsMagnificent]

71. Ah, OK thanks!

So Truth doesn't even matter anymore... just the spin.

Yea, I've known that for a long time, it still hurts though.

[SomthingsGotaGive]

78. The Plant story is for the believer.

Hannity was loving it.

Which part I'm not sure.

The part about his troops being hung out to dry, his troops being to stupid to ask questions for themselves, or his troops being to stupid to recognize an obviously planted question evidenced by the thunderous applause.


Frustrating isn't the word.

Dangerous is.

This story is only designed to make the lunatics hate us more.

[MrUnderhill]

5. Yeah... Rush made a big deal of this too.... so what?

So we know the questions weren't supposed to come from reporters.... and we know he planted the question with a soldier he brought with him (and convinced one of the guys running the show to call on this soldier)...

ok... it SEEMS a little "outside the rules".... but SO WHAT???!!?!

The "story" has been this brave soldier standing up to Rummy... but the POINT of the story is that our troops are STILL under-equip in too many situations. Is this true? Or isn't it?

[0007]

56. Fuck Rush Limbaugh, anyone who'd listen to this jackoff eats shit

and howls at the moon.

[Old and In the Way]

69. Why is Rush and the Republican media dissing our troops?

Gawd, these people really hate America. Why isn't that draftdodging Oxyeating Republican syncophant supporting our troops?

[bowens43]

6. If so, so what?

Just another attempt by right nut jobs to cloud the issue.

[johnnyrocket]

88. Not an attempt, it will succeed! The believers need something...

to latch onto, and their hatred of liberal media is good red meat to get their blood boiling, and distract from the real story.

Very, very disturbing.

[fairfaxvadem]

7. Didn't think they could sink any lower. I was wrong.

Too bad they're too lazy to actually figure out what happened during that Rummy Press Conference and how that soldier came to ask that question.

[VaLabor]

8. wonderful

Now the story will be about the "Liberal" media misleading the troops and the Secretary of Defense...instead of on the substance of the issue -- THERE IS NO ARMOR. Great followup by Bloomberg today, by the way -- the company that makes and fits the armor is ready to do more work if the army would just order it -- which blows a hole in Rummy's "it's a matter of physics" argument.

[texas boy]

27. ummm; not quite right according to Bloomberg.

Bloomberg News was reporting today that Armor Holdings Inc., the sole supplier of protective plates for the Humvee military vehicles used in Iraq, said it could increase output by as much as 22 percent per month with no investment and is awaiting an order from the Army.

Armor Holdings, based in Jacksonville, Fla., last month told the Army it could add armor to as many as 550 of the trucks a month, up from 450 vehicles now, Robert Mecredy, president of the company's aerospace and defense group, said in an interview Thursday with Bloomberg.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usarmo1210,0,7182827.story?coll=nyc-nationhome-headlines

[MARALE]

37. Great first thread!

Welcome!

[Barrett808]

51. Welcome to DU, TX Boy!

:hi:

[imenja]

9. planted? and if it were...so what?

There was clearly support from large numbers of soldiers in the audience. Whether it was planted is irrelevant. The right claims they "support our troops" but when the troops actually ask for tangible support, the right wingers abandon the troops and instead close ranks behind the White House.
How can anyone oppose or excuse inadequate equipment and protection for our soldiers?

[Supersedeas]

10. thus turning a REAL issue on its head....do you smell propoganda?

[KC21304]

15. That's the Rovian way. That's how they got rid of

the little TANG problem.

[LoZoccolo]

"Muddying the issue" as that guy on /Outfoxed/ would say.

If they can cause some controversy around an issue that works against them and turn it into a draw, they consider it a victory.

We just need to keep pushing the armor issue and tell them to shove it about this planting thing.

[LoZoccolo]

25. dupe, self-deleting n/t

[Bragi]

55. And what's the *real* issue?

Is the real issue here that the administration needs to spend even more military spending?

From a distance, I can't tell you how bizarre, but sadly predictable, that alleged *issue* sounds in the context of an illegal, immoral war being waged by a imperial state that spends more money on military than anyone at anytime in human history.

- B

[Beetwasher]

11. It's Planted! It's Forged! It's Fake! It's Phony! Blah Blah Blah!

Nasty press. Let's just shoot 'em all and be done with it, shall we? :eyes:

Yet another Rovian misdirection...

[bullimiami]

12. Rumsfeld is whats PLANTED.

Hes a giant incompetent STINKWEED growing rampant.

[VegasWolf]

13. If I was that reporter i would turn down any opportunities to go

"embedded".

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

14. So who gives a rat's ass who came up with the question?

The problem is with the answer. What I want to know is when this government is going to take ownership of it's own mistakes. They can only blame prior administrations so long. We are talking about goddamn armor here, not missile systems or other complex weaponry that takes years to develop. In addition, we started this mess at the time of or choosing. This war was not brought to us, so any argument of preparedness is nonsense.

With a Repub administration and Repub congress, there are no excuses. Not this late in the game. They have had four years.

DBDB

[truth2power]

34. "Ownership of its own mistakes"? Bring it on!!!

PissyPants keeps talking about the "ownership society", after all. :eyes:

[imenja]

16. This is a good issue for the Dem party. Are they awake?

If the right continues to deny that the troops have legitimate claims for better armour, this can be a great issue for the Democratic Party. They need to seize the issue right away!

[high density]

17. Newsflash to GOP: Campaign season ended last month

Why must they continue this bullshit?

[VegasWolf]

19. They just can't help themselves! n/t

[Just Me]

28. Perpetual psy-ops. n/t

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

91. That's what I was thinking! Cheezus cripes! They just never stop!

[fertilizeonarbusto]

18. The problem isn't planted

Neither was Rummy's sickeningly flippant answer.
And whoever planted the question deserves a medal, IMHO.

[genieroze]

20. What ever happened to the story about those unsecured weapons? eom

[Dinger]

31. Exac-attackly

[genieroze]

49. Okallie Dokallie. lol eom

[BlueEyedSon]

22. Really? I say the answer was planted.

[LoZoccolo]

24. Everyone, with me...

WE DON'T CARE!

WE DON'T CARE!

WE DON'T CARE!

WE DON'T CARE!

WE DON'T CARE!

It was a question that needed to be asked, from the applause we heard.

[lakelly]

26. Big Deal.

I don't care if the question was "planted" by the devil himself. The problem isn't with the origins of the questions it with the answer. Nice going Mr. R. This is typical repuke strategy: take the spot light away from the problem and glare it brightly upon some insignificant piece of minutia and then try to redefine the problem in some way (any way) that will benefit them. Nothing new here.

[villagechild]

30. link

December 9, 2004 | 12:54 p.m. ET Reporter behind Rumsfeld grilling (Keith Olbermann) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

NEW YORK - An embedded reporter from the Chattanooga Times Free Press is claiming credit for the blunt questioning yesterday of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld by American soldiers in Kuwait.

In an e-mail to an unidentified colleague at the newspaper, Edward Lee Pitts — traveling with a Tennessee National Guard Unit — said that when a scheduling delay permitted him to attend Rumsfeld’s visit with 2,300 troops, he learned that only soldiers could quiz the Secretary. “So,” Pitts writes, “I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have.”

If Pitts’ account is correct, he certainly got the attention for the story that he sought. Yesterday, the Pentagon had to applaud the soldiers who questioned Rumsfeld. This morning, the President echoed that endorsement. And the Defense Department had scheduled an early afternoon briefing on the subject of armoring U.S. troop vehicles in Iraq.

Pitts had opened his e-mail to his colleague with a cogent observation: “I just had one of my best days as a journalist today.”

[insane_cratic_gal]

39. after reading the link

it's not as bad as i thought. Rummy or Bushco didn't put it there a journalist did. Phewww i thought it was implied that Bushco planted it. Man I'm getting parnoid these days.

I'm not sure if that is much better, but from the sounds of it he and soldiers sat down and tried to focus on a jarring issue. From what I read on the article.

[RumpusCat]

83. Chattanooga Times Free Press?

:D hey, that's my hometown newspaper!

[insane_cratic_gal]

32. No way

was this planted.. that is a load of crap

The have been stumbling to come up with an answer ever since. Bush said something about it.. Rummy hasn't shutup about it, what about "can you repeat the question?" that itself tells me he was caught off guard.

Rove spin is correct. MSM i just want to shake the hell out of them. The call this liberal news media? LOL yaaaaaaaa right

[BuelahWitch]

46. Send all children, spouses, brothers, etc. of the MSM

to Iraq. We'll see how they feel about it then! :mad:

[youthere]

33. What the heck

ever happened to that "Liberal" media? I'm still waiting to hear from them on ANYTHING.

[jefferson_dem]

35. So were the cheering masses of grunts also plants?

Whogivesafuck if the questioner was "coached" by the reporter before hand? See how easily the whorish chickenhawks on the right turn on the troops when their sick-fuck war policy is challenged.

[AlCzervik]

38. From what i read in that story it sure doesn't seem

like there was any arm twisting going on with the soldier that asked. It's just another---let's blame that liberal reporter!!!

[Pachamama]

41. Yeah, so what?

I mean seriously, why should anybody even care, be concerned or bothered by this?

And even if it was a pre-written, scripted question by a reporter given to a soldier, its not as if the soldier didn't have the free will to not ask the question.

And how, dare I ask, is this any different from when the White House stages its own events with "embedded reporters" who ask questions coming from gawd knows where....

Ridiculous...I can't even believe they are making news of this...and meanwhile, soldiers are dying...the question was legitimate and needed to be asked....I don't care who was doing the asking or who asked it (wrote it) first....its the question we ALL have wanted to know the answer to....

[splat]

42. Right wing media bias: Asking a question

The reporter was not permitted to ask the question, and he'd written stories about their armor problems.

So he helped the guys work out the question.

How is that "planted"? It sounds like good journalism -- getting the truth out in the face of government refusal to face the press.

[Hobarticus]

43. Watch carefully...because it was "planted", it will become "irrelevant"...

Evene though the question was relevant, planted or not, it'll get swept under the rug.

And men will continue to die.

Problem solved for Rummy!

Evil soulless ghoul...

[global1]

44. What If KKKRove.....

put the embedded reporter from the Chattanooga newspaper up to saying that he planted the questions to take the pressure off of the real fact that the U.S. GI's in Iraq are bailing on Bushco and Rummy and are really pissed by the treatment or lack thereof they are getting. This would take the edge off the story and allow the likes of Limbag and Hannipee to say the GI's really are still backing the administration and discredit the whole affair.

[NNN0LHI]

45. Bill Clinton did it n/t

[barb162]

48. doesn't make any diff it it was or not for 3 reasons at least (1)

Bush has planted interviewers with planted questions whenever he does a press conference (which is rare) and (2) I watched the faces of other soldiers when that guy asked the question and the other soldiers were nodding their heads in agreement with the question. (3)It was a honest question and should be answered and I thought Rummie evaded/ iddn't fully answer.

[NYC Liberal]

50. OK, first off,

It's from Drudge. That means that this is immedately discredited.

Second, even if it happened to be true, obviously the soldier wouldn't ASK the question if he didn't agree!

[Az_lefty]

52. It was the right question no matter where it came from.

But you can already see that this issue will be excused away because it came from the "librul" media. I hate these fucking neocons!

[phasev]

57. gotta love the spin machine

it goes round and round and round and round...

answer the question, sir.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

58. The story should be that this admin SO insulates themselves from honest

inquiry that GENUINE legitimate questions have to be planted

[jhain]

59. Bloggermann

say so , too.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

I don't give a rat's ass HOW is got to dumsfeld- as long as it DID.

[against all enemies]

60. Republicans worry about planted questions, not planted roadside bombs

As usual, they miss the point. People are dying and it's their fault. And America loves them.

[chelsea0011]

61. Riiiiiiiiiiight. And that was a planted military.

[MasonJar]

62. Well, all of their questions for the Stump are pre-programmed;

they undoubtedly assume everyone's question is. Or more likely it's just another spin job. Wow! these cronies must make tons since they daily have to bail the administration from Hades out.

[Sara Beverley]

64. Two can play the game. "My plant is bigger than yours!"

I don't give a damn how or why the question was asked. It was the answer, stupid!! We need more "planted" questions.

[Tight_rope]

63. This is not news...it's bullshit...who cares...

The point is Rummythedummy still can't see past the question. The military is il-equipped. Dumbass.

[gatorboy]

65. Ahhh, the Republican bait and switch game.

They talked about this on Outfoxed.

And it worked wonders with the Rather documents. Were the documents ever proved to be completely fake? Of course not. But they planted the "what if" in there and people bought it. And it's happening here. They plant the idea that it might be a fake question and people aren't sure what to think and that's all they need to do.

[grasswire]

66. damn that reporter

Just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Now it's the "liberal media" planting questions, which takes Bush and Rummy off the hook.

Gimme that guy's address. Grrrrr.

[lesterhalfjr]

67. rumsfeld on oreilly factor

I was expecting some "impressive" rhetoric and charm. I ahve to admit i was impressed by Cheney's performance in the debate (and edwards) I was not impressed with Rumsfeld at all. Even with Oreilly interviewing him. It was like the worst interview I've ever seen. That "rumsfelds war" on frontline was a trip. Good way to turn a war into another vietnam is to get THE SAME PEOPLE to run it!!! namely dick n don

[grumpy old fart]

70. The Whole Audience CHEERED!!!!

It doesn't matter a flying flip where the questions originated. All the soldiers in that hall cheered the question. That's the best answer to the spin crap.

[grasswire]

84. clarification

It's his email addy I'm looking for.

[The Judged]

68. Planted = Rumsfeld AmBUSHed > OR > Truth Unfairly got MSM?

How is this a story front and center in the MSM, and the original truth revealed by the soldier is second fiddle, if it is still being reported by the MSM, to this story?

This is the epitome of a MSM strictly controlled by the Republican Revolutionaries.

Though the United States Constitution provides for a Free Press, obviously the theocrats in Neocons clothing know better than the United States Constitution, and they also have hard science to prove this opinion of mine wrong :)

[merh]

72. that damned communist, pinko

oops wrong enemy, wrong war!

Nevermind! :silly:

[jimbot]

73. In the name of Dan Rather, I say FRAUD

email software generally does not spell out the date and time usually lists seconds...check your email software to make sure but the sent date and time should read:
12/8/2004 4:44:36 PM
not: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM
as the story states.
--JT

[SoiledEarthLink]

76. There as many time output formats in different email clients

As there are opinions on DU. Gonna need a better yardstick to beat this one down.

[LynnTheDem]

89. How about the TRUTH and FACTS?

That a "better yardstick"?

[Malva Zebrina]

75. No longer is the question of the poorly supplied troops, that lead to

their deaths, or their amputations, or their blindness, or their brain damage. It is now a question of whether it was a plant or not. and it is now a question of what the guys ex wife says .

The media runs with it.

Disgusting.

And it is typical of this slimy Bush administration.

Meanwhile, we will get virtually no information about how the problem will be rectified--if at all.

There is nothing within this administration but selling it's product--even if the product is an insane, religiously obssessed, fascist who NEVER will admit to an error or a mistake, even if it mean smearing his own troops

Oh yeah, I forgot, he did say today,in order to smooth over the outrageous comments of his reappointed SOD, he has seen to it that the troops get the best in equiptment.

The lie again that will NEVER be challenged--by ANYONE.

And they all will run with it until the whole thing goes down the memory hole, and the enemy will be the guy who had the nerve to challenge Rumsfeld.

[ashling]

77. Franken talked about this today

[MsMagnificent]

79. And the 2000+ who wildly applauded were plants too. Uh-huh

[AirAmFan]

81. YES, the soldier who spoke truth to power WAS a ringer (PROOF at URL

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1419123 )

Still, he had cojones by the wheelbarrowful. I hope he's a drinking man, because from now on his money is no good in any bar in the world where US enlisted personnel or vets congregate.

See kentuck's thread on "General Discussion: Politics" for a letter on poynter.org from Lee Pitts, the embedded reporter who's riding with the soldier who spoke up, in an insufficiently-armored HumVee.

The coexistence of these two threads for so many hours PROVES to me that DU has become too compartmentalized.

[Blue_Tires]

82. oh come the hell on

why do the RW bloggers continue to come out with the most outrageous stories/theories/explanations out of their asses, and the national press continues to lap it up???? but dare to ask ONE question about 9-11, and you're being fitted for tinfoil

[VolcanoJen]

85. Kick

k i c k

[LynnTheDem]

86. Well DAMN that BUSH-VOTING REPUBLICAN SOLDIER for deciding ahead

what question he'll ask bush!

REPUBLICAN SOLDIERS SURE ARE PUSSY GIRLY-MEN they can't SAY NO when a reporter asks them to come with him and ask Rummy a question OF FACT about a LACK OF EQUIPMENT that has been KNOWN and WIDELY REPORTED ON for OVER A YEAR. I never knew REPUBLICAN SOLDIERS were SO WEAK!

Everything he said was TRUE, the troops ARE short on up-armored vehicles and they HAVE BEEN for 3 years and bush STILL hasn't bothered to PLACE THE ORDER for the mfger to increase production by 50-100 vehicles /month

BUT it is FAR MORE IMPORTANT to COVER UP FOR BUSH by attempting to discredit this BUSH-VOTING REPUBLICAN SOLDIER than to examine the FACTS and SAVE OUR TROOPS' LIVES!

[Imagevision]

87. Planted? -- hey, he got the roar and applause from 2300...!

[truthisfreedom]

90. if you read rummy's answers carefully, the guy appears senile!

i swear he has dain bramage.

[magellan]

92. Deborah Norville interviewed this soldier's

father and ex-wife tonight. (The ex and soldier have children and are platonic.) The ex-wife said, knowing him as she does, this sounded to her like something her ex would ask if given the chance. She believes the reporter probably enlisted their help but also helped them fine-tune their OWN questions.

Also, C-SPAN was just airing a Q&A between a General in Kuwait and a roomful of media here in the States, I think. Suddenly the media is ALL OVER this story? Where the hell were they LAST YEAR when it first surfaced?

Oh, silly me. That was just a few "disgruntled" soldiers saying they didn't have the protective gear they needed.

Maybe, someday, we'll get around to the flak jacket snafu. And today's report from shelters around the country saying they're seeing an increase in homeless Iraq Vets.

[Guaranteed]

93. Those cheers at the end, they were planted, too.

There was someone cueing them all to cheer with one of those "CHEER!!" signs they use at The Price Is Right.