'Thrown Away Flags' Story False, Dem Convention Official Says

[NYCGirl]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/06/thrown-away-flags-story-f_n_124499.html

"The campaign says the flags were recovered from Invesco Field after the Democrats concluded their convention there," Fox News reported, "and they are going to be used as part of the warm-up ceremonies before McCain takes the stage" for a rally in Colorado Springs, Col.

But according to a senior official involved in organizing the Democratic convention, the McCain camp is simply lying about the flags.

"All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere," the official said, speaking anonymously since he was not authorized to talk to the press.

Fox News' Carl Cameron and Bonney Kapp reported that they had "been told" that "a vendor at Invesco Field found the flags, which were going to be thrown out, and turned them over to the McCain campaign."

The Democratic convention official says that's not true.

"It's pretty reprehensible on their part," he said. "Someone made an assumption, took the flags, and essentially lied about what was going to happen to them. I mean, c'mon, we were never ever going to throw out flags."

MORE AT LINK

[BuyingThyme]

1. So, McCain is using stolen flags at his event?

[NYCGirl]

3. Yep, hot flags. NT

[tekisui]

4. Stolen flags from his opponent.

He is lower than low.

[quantass]

5. MSM will never make that fact known..."rescued" is a all you will hear

[NYCGirl]

7. Back when I was a hippie, we used to call that "liberating" stuff. NT

[Fridays Child]

15. PETAF

People for the Ethical Treatment of American Flags

[Barack_America]

8. Yep. Seems so.

Freaking morons.

[nc4bo]

17. He's a proven thief even before this flag incident. Big thief hiding in plain site thanks to media

and American complacency.

[hedgehog]

2. In other words - the real story is the Republicans are handing out

stolen flags!


I guess when the money is tight, you have to be creative!

[Peregrine Took]

6. So Fox just passes on moronic rumors now? How can they even justify

their existence?

[hisownpetard]

19. You don't really need the word "now" in your post.

[Jennicut]

9. This is too freakin funny. Can the Rethugs get ANYTHING right?

I mean, they are now using stolen flags at their rally? God, someone please retake these poor flags before they become contaminated by Rethug slime.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. that works just as well, if not better, for the pugs.

you can be sure they'll run with it, just as MCC and Palin keep repeating the bridge and plane stories

what's the downside?

lying works for them, even though the lies are debunked

they don't CARE

they just keep lying about the same things

isn't it interesting that when dems get something wrong, or even if the story is correct (but damaging to the pugs), they're INSTANTLY shouted down, set upon with outrage by the RW noise machine, and usually the media

[rzemanfl]

11. I hate this "Senior Official" bullshit. Why are people so fucking

afraid??????? Oh yeah, Bushco, Gitmo, no Habeas Corpus and a judiciary owned by the Repukes. The size of the federal judiciary needs to be increased by at least 25% to dilute the impact of the Repuke appointees or else we need to get real agressive about impeaching judges.

[Zombie2]

12. I didn't need them to tell me that....

I mean, it came from FOX, what did anyone expect?

This is one of those non-issue distractions... like the kind Obama warned me about the other day and again today.

[Cha]

32. Zactly!

Zombie.

[dkf]

13. Stealing Flags is lower than low.

And the Repubs knew they came from the Dems and didn't inquire about the legitimacy of their receipt. Very bad due diligence.

[goodgd_yall]

14. I take it those flags were bought with donations to the Democratic Party

possibly? How dare McCain use Democratic Party funds for his Republican candidacy.

[Onlooker]

16. Look at this photo

On one website, someone claims this is a photo of those flags. What in this photo makes them look like trash? There are no trash cans, no other garbage in the room, and the flags look quite well cared for.

[BuyingThyme]

22. Sure do.

[NYC_SKP]

18. "veterans will haul these garbage bags filled with flags out onto the stage"

Since WorldNetDaily and Fox the Denver Post blog are the only hits that come back from a Google News search, I'm taking it as a good sign that the story is bullshit, or, better, a set up.

Let's see if the McCain campaign plans to go through with this:

Guerrilla campaigning. They will use these flags at their own event today in Colorado Springs with John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Before McCain speaks today, veterans will haul these garbage bags filled with flags out onto the stage — with dramatic effect, no doubt — and tell the story.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/opinion/2008/09/06/republican-recycling/

Fuck them, I hope they try it and get nailed on it.

Of course, we're going to need more proof than a campaign spokesperson's explanation.

:patriot:

[Vinca]

20. We demand our flags back! nt

[NYCGirl]

21. I think this story needs to get to Olbermann, at the very least. NT

[AZBlue]

23. This is a DISTRACTION! Don't fall for it.

[Gabi Hayes]

25. publicity stunts and distraction are the BACKBONE, the essential fundament of their campaign.

it's all they have, aside from fearmongering and wedge issues, which themselves are a distraction, upon which to run

and look how badly it's worked for them since 1968

forty years...twelve years of dem presidents

[theothersnippywshrub]

24. The DNC had hundreds of volunteers sort all of the trash for recycling.

If the flags had been thrown away they would have been at the recycling centers at the Pepsi Center or the Colorado Convention Center to be sorted. The flags were stolen by the republican party. And now they are lying about it. This is very republican. Quintessentially republican in fact.

[yourguide]

26. Interesting...12000 flags were supposedly distributed to the rally

and there were 12000 tickets given away. Whats the likelyhood the theif would count out exactly 12K flags or is this an ENTIRELY made up story by the mccain campaign?

[NYCGirl]

28. The McCain campaign IS an ENTIRELY MADE UP STORY! NT

[hootinholler]

27. Sounds like a clear case of theft to me.

How much are those flags worth? would it be a misdemeanor of a felony? at $.25 a pop, that's $3000.00!

Sounds like the police should be looking into that vendor.

-Hoot

[mamalone]

29. We should ask to have them returned!

Seriously... the Dems should send a letter to the Repubs "requesting the return of our property."

[creeksneakers2]

30. Or demand compensation

[DCBob]

31. Fox still has it a legit story and FudgeReport is linking to it. Bastards.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/06/mccain-camp-to-chastise-dems-for-discarding-american-flags/

[judasdisney]

33. Rumor: RNC had children dressed in bondage gear for pedophile parties

I've heard that they were able to get away with this because the police were busy rioting in the streets.