From: "Robert Comer" 

It was *fake* staged as real, and they were stupid enough to show it as
such.  I'm offended by things like that, and I expect whomever,you think
the target audience is, are too.   (with the attitude: What, do I look
stupid,
because you sure are treating me like I'm stupid...)

--
Bob Comer



"Mark"  wrote in message
news:434fc349{at}w3.nls.net...
>I dunno Rich, I guess I just don't see what the big deal is here.
>
> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
> news:434fba1a$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>> Oh Right. The Iraqi voters were the intended target for a conference
>> between Bush and US Troops.
>>
>> 
>>
>> Reporter "Was the event with the troops choreographed?"
>>
>> Scott Mclellan  "No. But talk to the DOD about that. I don't
think it was
>> rehearsed."
>>
>>
>> It sounds more like Bush is trying to pep up US Troops prior to the Iraqi
>> elections. Nothing wrong with that at all. They didn't have to use the
>> 'spontaneous' ruse though
>> http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/10/20051013.html
>>
>>
>> "Mark"  wrote in message
>> news:434fb0c8$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>I don't suppose it occurred to you, that you were not the intended
>>>audience. Perhaps, just perhaps, Bush wanted some media coverage straight
>>>from the horses mouth to reassure the Iraqi voters -- hence the selected
>>>questions and the timing just before the constitutional referendum.
>>>
>>> So, yes, I think you (and the press, but they always do) did get caught
>>> up in insignificant side issues.
>>>
>>> "Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
>>> news:434fa1e3$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>> Yeah right. I reckon I just got caught up in 'side
issues'. The belief
>>>> that Bush would engage in an honest conversation with the troops.
>>>> ===
>>>> Later, at the White House briefing, Scott McClellan, the press
>>>> secretary, deflected questions about the choreography,
saying reporters
>>>> who asked about that were getting caught up in "side
issues."
>>>>
>>>> "Mark"  wrote in message
>>>> news:434f2ab0$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>> Why in the world you'd think any televised interview
by anyone of
>>>>> anyone, would be anything but pre-planned for brevity
and content is
>>>>> beyond me Rich. "Caught?" with the cameras
running all along?
>>>>>
>>>>> But this is a most entertaining take on it:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://biglizards.net/blog/archives/2005/10/ap_response_to.html
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Rich Gauszka" 
wrote in message
>>>>> news:434ee31b{at}w3.nls.net...
>>>>>> The Bushies get caught again
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051013/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_iraq_8
>>>>>>
>>>>>> WASHINGTON - 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."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

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