Barbara Starr on CNN International: Pentagon press shaking their heads...

[DeepModem Mom]

and asking each other why the Pentagon had this press conference in the first place. Indicated it was of no use whatsoever, and, in fact, was counterproductive, as it gives the explosives story more legs, and extends its news-cycle time. Is this not what is being said on CNN domestic?

[priapis]

1. But CNN just being "balanced"

using words like unclear when its VERY CLEAR that the major wasnt talking about the same stuff.

NO SEALS.

NO FUCKING SEALS.

[dennis4868]

3. We are living...

in the age of the he saId vs. she said media and never telling us what the fucking truth is. This will all change of course as soon as a dem is in the WH!

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

9. All right, all right, already

Happy now?

[HootieMcBoob]

17. This is the face we should have seen at the podium

rather than the Major.

He's much cuter :)
Liberals love seals :toast:

[Robbien]

2. This joke of a press conference does keep the story alive

but our librul media has a different agenda. Spinning madly for Bush.

[dennis4868]

5. YEP.....

it is amazing that Kerry has a chance to win the election when the repubs, WH, and the media continues to spin any bad news for Bush....

[Richardson08]

4. Starr,Raditz and Mik(NBC) were all seen shaking their heads

[tomfodw]

8. Will any of them have the guts to actually SAY this ON THE AIR?

How about it, Jim Miklaszewski (sp?) - gonna lead with how bogus this press conference was, how the Bushies let that poor major twist in the wind, how it doesn't explain a damn thing?

I didn't think so.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. Starr said it on CNN International, to the rest of the world, loud...

and clear --

[Jane Austin]

16. Wonder if Raditz will be on Washington Week tonight?

She sometimes is, and maybe she will say that there.

http://www.auntiejane.com/sammy.htm

[Proud2BAmurkin]

6. yup she said nobody knows WTF the Pentagon was thinking

Now they've introduced another attempted WHITEWASH. Idiots!

[AlCzervik]

7. as much as i dislike CNN

Barbara Starr always does a good job and so do Christiane Amanpour, Nic Robertson and Karl Penhaul.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. Amanpour somehow managed to stay alive after Arnett left

[Nordic]

10. Dean Staley BURIED Bush in the CNN interview

It was great. He gave the account of how he and his cameraman, and the soldier you see in the tape, stumbled across the cache, well after the fall of Baghdad, and while the area was under total American control. The place was 100% unguarded.

if people see this interview it won't matter one bit what any of the pundits say

[kostya]

11. The whole purpose is the same as always when they get

caught red-handed. SPREAD DOUBT. Offer out so many theories and alternate scenarios that no ordinary citizen can sort it all out, they just throw their hands up in the air and call it quits. Unfortunately with so little time left before the election this tactic probably works fairly well. - K

[Iceburg]

12. Toss Barbara Starr a life preserver ... the CNN ship is sinking

[Poiuyt]

14. Great graphic!

[Synnical]

15. Transcript

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/29/lol.02.html

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Kyra, this story continues to grow at the Pentagon in Washington and, of course, across the campaign trail every day this week.

There are a number of developments. We have just finished a half hour briefing with the top political aide to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Larry Di Rita, accompanied by a U.S. Army major to the podium of the briefing room here.

This Army major involved in some of the technical issues. He says he was with the unit that arrived at the al Qa Qaa weapons facility on April 13. And his munitions unit removed 250 tons of material. What he cannot say, even from the Pentagon podium, is that any of that material was under seal by the International Atomic Energy Agency, that it was any of the material that has been under question for the last several days. Major Austin Pearson told reporters that it was about 250 tons, he believes. It did include plastic explosives, detonation cord, some of the type of material that has been of concern.

But he was very clear, having been brought to the podium by Secretary Rumsfeld's aides, that he could not testify to the fact that it was the material that the IAEA has been concerned about.

Now, we're going to listen to what Major Pearson had to say for just a minute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR AUSTIN PEARSON, U.S. ARMY: I did not see any IAEA seals at the locations that we went into. I was not looking for that. My mission specifically was to go in there and to prevent the exposure of U.S. forces and to minimize that by taking out what was easily accessible and putting it back and bringing it into our captured ammunition holding area.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now, so what he's talking about is that he cannot match up this is the material that the IAEA has expressed concern about.

The dates are very interesting, Kyra. He was there on April 13. If was April 18 when a television crew from an ABC affiliate in the United States arrived at that site and filmed and taped soldiers going into some of these locked bunkers, opening up some of these materials that clearly were under IAEA seal.

That was five days after this major was there, removed materials and said he not say that he saw anything under any type of international regulatory seal.

So, Kyra, the bottom line is we've had this half hour briefing, but it is not at all clear that it really addresses the point -- Kyra.

[priapis]

19. Now Giuliani's Comment Is Clear.

they knew yesterday they were going to throw this major out there.

giuliani planted the seed "did the soldiers do a thorough job of searching" etc

they send the Major out to say he was ordered to clear out al qaqaa. he took a bunch of stuff out, BUT

8 days later, ABC films the iaea sealed xplosives unguarded.


the Giuliani seed was supposed to grow into "it IS the soldiers fault" after the press conference.

BUT IT DIDNT WORK.

asswipes.