Why not just an honest question and answer session with our troops for once ~ even if Bush received a pointed remark (as Rumsfeld did) that would IMHO be better than this publicity stunt. __________________ 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." _____ Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution. "This is an important time," Allison Barber, deputy assistant defense secretary, said, coaching the soldiers before Bush arrived. "The president is looking forward to having just a conversation with you." Barber said the president was interested in three topics: the overall security situation in Iraq, security preparations for the weekend vote and efforts to train Iraqi troops. As she spoke in Washington, a live shot of 10 soldiers from the Army's 42nd Infantry Division and one Iraqi soldier was beamed into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building from Tikrit — the birthplace of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "I'm going to ask somebody to grab those two water bottles against the wall and move them out of the camera shot for me," Barber said. A brief rehearsal ensued. "OK, so let's just walk through this," Barber said. "Captain Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?" "Captain Smith," Kennedy said. "Captain. Smith? You take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked. "Captain Kennedy," the soldier replied. And so it went. "If the question comes up about partnering — how often do we train with the Iraqi military — who does he go to?" Barber asked. "That's going to go to Captain Pratt," one of the soldiers said. "And then if we're going to talk a little bit about the folks in Tikrit — the hometown — and how they're handling the political process, who are we going to give that to?" she asked. Before he took questions, Bush thanked the soldiers for serving and reassured them that the U.S. would not pull out of Iraq until the mission was complete. "So long as I'm the president, we're never going to back down, we're never going to give in, we'll never accept anything less than total victory," Bush said. The president told them twice that the American people were behind them. "You've got tremendous support here at home," Bush said. Less than 40 percent in an AP-Ipsos poll taken in October said they approved of the way Bush was handling Iraq. Just over half of the public now say the Iraq war was a mistake. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday's event was coordinated with the Defense Department but that the troops were expressing their own thoughts. With satellite feeds, coordination often is needed to overcome technological challenges, such as delays, he said. "I think all they were doing was talking to the troops and letting them know what to expect," he said, adding that the president wanted to talk with troops on the ground who have firsthand knowledge about the situation. The soldiers all gave Bush an upbeat view of the situation. The president also got praise from the Iraqi soldier who was part of the chat. "Thank you very much for everything," he gushed. "I like you." On preparations for the vote, 1st Lt. Gregg Murphy of Tennessee said: "Sir, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make this thing a success. ... Back in January, when we were preparing for that election, we had to lead the way. We set up the coordination, we made the plan. We're really happy to see, during the preparation for this one, sir, they're doing everything." 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." link
While this is pretty cheesy, I'm going to suggest that all presidents do this regardless of party or popularity. Maybe Clinton was an exception when someone asked if he wore boxers or briefs? But then again maybe that was staged as well.
Are you saying this with regard to the Bush administration or to Politicians in general? If you think that just Bush does stuff like this I've got a bridge to sell you in Florida....
Well, of course not - but it's just so blatant - I mean the soldier who was at ground zero just happens to be at this Q & A ~ "I thought you looked familiar"... Ug.
Oh - I think it's a general thing for sure. But Bush has taken it to a whole new level. Those "town hall" meetings - that's bull**** on a whole new level.
Don't tell me you want honest questions and answers? First they are caught having a gay male prostitute with no journalism experience pitch softball questions to the whitehouse, then they are caught multiple times bribing journalists to run favorable news stories of their policies. Then they make promo pieces and try and play them as actual news footage. Now they aren't allowed to have some planned out questions and answers? Geez, those poor whitehouse guys aren't allowed to have any fun.
Reading from beginning of the article, I see only rehearsing of the procedural part, not the actual content of the answers. So it seems the suspicion is somewhat a leap of faith that soldiers to be interviewed were force-fed. Then you see: Now that's nothing but bullsh!t.
I saw the live feed or whatever this morning of the lady going through the routine with the soldiers, it was really bad. The soldiers’ answers seemed very coached and rehearsed; like everything is just peachy in Iraq.
And then Scott McClellan denies it! In this morning's gaggle, Scott McClellan got asked whether the teleconference the president had with troops in Tikrit was scripted. Here's what he said ... QUESTION: How were they selected, and are their comments to the president pre-screened, any questions or anything... MCCLELLAN: No. QUESTION: Not at all? MCCLELLAN: This is a back-and-forth. Here's how the pool report (i.e., from the designated reporter on the scene) described what happened. 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?" Come on American "FREE" Press grow a backbone and expose these clowns and all their lies!
I believe it's universal for all politicians. That's what PR people do, they designed gestures, speeches, and even the jokes those politicians tell. Some can remember them well, and present well, some just don't. But most of the things are scripted. But I guess it will be reduced, if everyone treats the material they get fed from the media, left or right, with some level of skepticism, and maybe listen to both sides. Most of the truth must be somehow inbetween.
Fox Propaganda sets the record "straight" : Pentagon Denies Talk With Troops Was Staged Friday, October 14, 2005 Fox News WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials are denying that a live video conference between President Bush (search) and U.S. troops in Iraq was staged. "On behalf of these fine young men and women, we certainly regret any perception that they were told what to say. It is not the case," said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita. ...
