E&P: Was Bush Teleconference with Soldiers in Iraq Scripted?

[highplainsdem]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001305786

Was Bush Teleconference with Soldiers in Iraq Scripted?

By E&P Staff

Published: October 13, 2005 3:23 PM ET

NEW YORK Contrary to early accounts, President Bush's question-and-answer session with U.S. troops in Iraq tied to Saturday's vote on the new constitution now seems far from spontaneous. Subsequent reports from journalists on the scene revealed quite a bit of choreography in Thursday's teleconference with the president in Washington.

The official pool report, in fact, painted this scene: "The soldiers, nine U.S. men and one U.S. woman, plus an Iraqi, had been tipped off in advance about the questions in the highly-scripted event. Allison Barber, deputy assistant to the Secretary of Defense for internal communication, could be heard asking one soldier before the start of the event, 'Who are we going to give that to?'"

Yet when asked if the soldiers' comments or questions were pre-screened, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan answered, "no."

<snip>

[catmandu57]

1. That's all I've heard

about it, that and he screwed it up.

[wryter2000]

2. Another question I have

Could they only find 11 soldiers they trusted not to embarrass that Moron-in-Chief? :shrug:

[Ferret Annica]

3. Only kool-aid drinkers were impressed with this show

You have to be mad to think this was an up and up, spontaneous event.

Bush asked thoughtfully insightful questions of rank and file military people with his mind steeled against any criticism or thought provoking question that takes his policies in Iraq to task.

And of course after asking such interrogatory, the brass who would be fiercely proud at the show of citizenship of their men in their objectiveness in taking Bush on would take them all out to dinner and letters of commendation.

Bush chose a safe crowd that could be screwed if they pissed the brass off. He did it with full intent of using the status of these men to prop himself up when the UCMJ specifically states the uniform of these men are not to be used in a political fashion.

[Ferret Annica]

5. This pisses me off

Joe McGinness pointed out how the "new" Nixon did this softball game with easy questions in a safe format and setting in his book "The Selling of the President 1968."

People have done the same thing for years since then, and the chimp is no exception.

Just in more cowardly and deceptive a fashion then Tricky Dick did.

For one thing, these men are not free to speak their mind without the brass smoking them like a cheap cigar for telling the cum-man-dear in chief he is a criminal and unsupportable. If they even wanted to tell the perp he is a disgrace to humanity -which his is - they couldn't.

Besides, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) states most definitely that one should not express political opinions under the color of the uniform.

Unfortunately, people who have spoken out against the war in uniform get prosecuted under the aupices of this charge and it's specifications, but never do if they violate the same charge and specifications for the political opinion popular to the brass.

This is merely more proof the chimp is in a job he doesn't belong, and somewhere is a cell waiting patiently for a war criminal to be removed from office, tried and convicted of his war crimes and put into it where he belongs.

[qanda]

4. There was a reporter on CNN

I think his name is Bob Franken, he said that while they were waiting for the technical difficulties to be sorted out, they were practicing what was going to be said. It was very highly scripted!

[SpiralHawk]

6. A Wig-Wag Salute of the Hawk Wing to E & P

which is the journal to the print media business, and read by lots of editors and reporters.

E & P has been doing good, solid reporting on the Bush Admin for months and months now -- shaming the regular press which should also be reporting this stuff. E & P has shown lots of courage, and basic reportorial initiative.

This is how its supposed to be done -- something we have lost track of since bubble-head bimbos and bimbas in Gourmet Suits took over the airwaves and printing presses and DEDICATED them to increasing shareholder profits, rather than serving democracy by informing the public.

Wig Wag

[leftupnorth]

7. Bob Franken was near the set right before the "event"

and heard people rehearsing the q&a with the troops. he could harldy keep from laughing when talking about it later on CNN.

completely staged and scripted, just like the rest of the presidency.

shameful

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

8. Tom Oliphant

of the Boston Globe was just on the Franken Show. He read the transcript from the staged event & was howling. I didn't catch where he got the transcript from, unfortunately. I remember one line. Before dumbya comes on, there's an aid prepping the soldiers & the aid turns to the captain & says "if the prez asks a question that wasn't in the script & the soldier can't answer, you'll have to". Right, dumbya is going to be able to ask a question that a five year old couldn't answer.

:rofl:

[highplainsdem]

11. NPR has audio of the rehearsal on their website already. Link

to the DU topic about it (w/ link to that NPR page):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5053451

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

18. Cool Thanks! n/t

[abluelady]

9. And Scotty

knows what he's talking about? Expecting an honest answer from is like expecting an honest answer from.....GWB!

[louis-t]

10. Ya mean....Scotty lied?

The dickens, you say.

[Neil Lisst]

12. If Scott told the truth, THAT would be NEWS!!

lying bastard


http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst

[stewert]

13. Scripted - Hell yes

Hotline (sub. req’d) has published this transcript of pool footage featuring a Bush aide “who was, in her own words, ’scripting’ the soldiers shortly before their ‘conversation’ with Bush”:

WH aide: “Capt. Kennedy are you ready?”
Kennedy: “I am ready, ma’am.”
WH aide: “Okay this is for the money. We are going to time this and remember that if the president cuts it short, if he asks more questions, if you have the microphone and he follows up with a question to you, no matter who has it, Captain Pratt if you have the microphone and the president hears something and he wants more information, you just keep that microphone and talk to the president.”
Kennedy: “Okay.”
WH aide: “But if he gives us a question that is not something that we have scripted Captain Kennedy you are going to have the mic and that’s your chance to impress us all.”
Kennedy: “Okay.”
WH aide: “Which won’t be a problem for you.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/13/behind-the-scenes-photo-op/

[spanone]

14. Definitely. Stepford Soldiers. It was Pathetic.

P.S. Scotty is a Professional Liar.

[Dinger]

15. They Just Played The Clip On CNN!

Ha friggin' ha! Kyra Phillips had to report it - Hee hee hee.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. Not only scripted that way. I watched it and I could swear that the

soldiers were reading off of cue cards. The video is available at c-span.org

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. At least they're not using computer-animated soldiers

...yet.