BANNERGATE: it is here. a major BUSH LIES story

[nostamj]

add it to the mounting pile......

it's been everywhere tonight.

olberman is doing it now. tweety hammered it.

it is a VIVID symbol of *'s LIES.

no ambiguity here. no VLWM accusations.

bushco USED SOLDIERS for pure political gain.

no ambiquity. BUSH LIED. and USED the military for political gain.

they've admitted it was a WH prop.

drip drip drip

[frank frankly]

1. you are right

this is the sort of moronic eye-candy that us robots love! or, at least, it is simple and visual and works well on the idiot box.

yep, Bush ain't running in 2004. nope.

[blm]

2. Because it's one you can SEE with your own eyes.

The media CAN'T hide it. They know it.

[SpiralHawk]

3. Taunting and insulting the reporters today, was

not too bright a move. Gives them an extra smidgen of energy to nail his lying butt. I mean, the gall of the guy...

[economic justice]

7. Thought the same thing!

That was my thought watching the news. How dare he criticize the reporters who have gave him a free ride forever. Maybe he's just pissed it's over.

[newyawker99]

42. Hi economic justice!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[maggrwaggr]

39. He said THAT? Holy moly .....what an a**wipe

I've gotta read the transcript. I missed the press conference.

[snippy]

45. He also taunted the people killing US troops. Maybe he is a dumb fuck.

That's my guess.

[Robb]

47. Yeah. "You oughtta read my speech...."

...to which the appropriate response would have been "Mr. President, how were we supposed to intepret the statement 'In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.'?"

[Cha]

4. The media should try and play

catch up to us. It's all out there like a gold mine.

[frank frankly]

5. when he told that reporter he had a face for radio

the whole place stopped and the guy said, bravely, "I WISH THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU TOLD ME THAT."

such a murdering jerk. keep making fun of the press, Chimpy! its a great move!

[markses]

19. That was a brilliant riposte that only dumbass Bush misunderstood

On several levels, Mark Smith's reply to Bushie was scathing and downright brilliant.

Bush: ...a face for radio (queue self-satisfied smirk)
Smith: (2 second delay) I wish that was the first time you told me that, sir.
Bush: First time in front of an international audience (smirk smirk)

The implication of Smith's retort, however, was lost on Bush. First, he paints Bush as thoroughly unoriginal. Not only is "face for radio" a tiresome cliche - perhaps the biggest cliche in the radio business - but it is one Bush finds amusing enough to repeat again and again. now, we all know how uncomfortable it is when some socially awkward person continues to repeat a cliche as if it is a funny remark. We almost cringe. Children do this, because they have JUST LEARNED the cliche.

On a deeper level, Smith's comment could be applied to Bush's entire performance, not just his painful attempt at humor. "I wish that was the first time you told me that, sir." Think of Bush's press conference, the tired, endless repetition of themes - repetition is the only figure Bush knows: Terror terror terror September 11 September 11 September 11 New front in the war on terror got rid of a dictator got rid of a dictator world is safer world is safer. All Bush does is repeat. At some point, for all these repetitions, couldn't we all say, couldn't the nation say:

I wish that was the first time you told me that.

I think Smith nailed Bush to the wall with that one, and only Bush was too stupid to understand the cutting reply. However, i have no doubt it was "noted in the building." When Bush "zings" you, you fall silent. You do not reply. And you certainly don't reply in an insulting manner. I thought that was shocking, and brilliant.

[frank frankly]

21. yes, yes, Mark Smith did very well

it was very moving. that evil dumb bastard Bush making fun of a person's appearance...so typical for our Boy King.

great post.

[homelandpunk]

30. I wish he just replied, "Fuck off. With all due respect,"

"you're not my fucking king, and I'm not your court jester."

[Guaranteed]

50. Or how bout "Oh yes, you're a genius, sir."

and then continue.

[nostamj]

22. yes! this was a comprehensive disaster

they had to admit the banner lie within hours. the lie that the USS Lincoln "asked for it" will follow soon.

the Smith encounter was very telling.

good. kick the POS while he's down and keep kicking!

[cally]

6. Nostamj..I heard the press conference and

noticed the lie. I haven't heard any press mention it though. What have you heard the press say?

[nostamj]

9. cally.....

it was all over. buchanan & press, CNN, the national news, Hardball, Olberman, and the night is young.

it's a blatant LIE, and the military is NOT going to take the fall on it.

and, see Stephanie's thread, even before they admitted that the WH was behind it, the proof was there.

they LIED.

they backtracked on the LIE but, they LIED.

the chimp LIED today and they WH had to admit the LIE in less then 6 hours....


:bounce:

edit? nah, typo!

[cally]

11. Thanks, I just

got home and am just now turning on the news. I'm not surprised about the lie but about the press coverage.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

28. The Air Force Times also has an article on it

I don't have a link...it's somewhere in LBN I think. And EVERYONE in the Air Force reads the AFT. So I'm sure the other services' papers will pick it up too.

Bye bye, military vote.

By the way, did you notice a lesser passing-of-the-buck onto the military during the press conference? When asked something or other about Iraq, Bush immediately said that the commanders on the ground make those decisions, he doesn't. Weasel.

[ComerPerro]

8. Please, an appeal to everyone discussing a scandal in the US:

Can we drop the "gate" suffix already???

Please?

It is a pet peeve.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. Too late.

-gate
suff.
A scandal involving alleged illegal acts and often a cover-up, especially by government officials: Irangate.



It's part of the American lexicon.

[ComerPerro]

13. I know, I know

There has been Irangate, Whitewatergate, fucking Monicagate (how stupid is that), people tried to pin "travelgate" on Hillary...

Its just dumb. Its always bothered me. It is as though people don't realize that the Watergate scandal was called that because "Watergate" is the name of the hotel...

Oh well.

[hlthe2b]

17. I understand you feelings, but that ship has long sailed...

"--gate" has become synonomous with scandal and seems to be the only trigger for the media to take notice....

[nostamj]

12. yeah, I do agree

but RUMMY, below, is right.

to break, the 'GATE' is needed in these media impaired days

[UTUSN]

14. OLBERMAN Sed the WH Made It at Navy's Request

He quoted a Navy official saying that ship's personnel physically fastened it onto the ship, but that it had been produced by the WH. There's a link around here somewhere naming the 3 p.r. people on the WH payroll handling the photo ops. Will fetch it.

On edit

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=607883

******QUOTE*****

http://www.notinourname.net/resources_links/bush_image_may03.htm
.... First among equals is Scott Sforza, a former ABC producer who was hired by the Bush campaign in Austin, Tex., and who now works for Dan Bartlett, the White House communications director. Mr. Sforza created the White House "message of the day" backdrops and helped design the $250,000 set at the United States Central Command forward headquarters in Doha, Qatar, during the Iraq war.

Mr. Sforza works closely with Bob DeServi, a former NBC cameraman whom the Bush White House hired after seeing his work in the 2000 campaign. Mr. DeServi, whose title is associate director of communications for production, is considered a master at lighting. "You want it, I'll heat it up and make a picture," he said early this week. Mr. DeServi helped produce one of Mr. Bush's largest events, a speech to a crowd in Revolution Square in Bucharest last November.

To stage the event, Mr. DeServi went so far as to rent Musco lights in Britain, which were then shipped across the English Channel and driven across Europe to Romania, where they lighted Mr. Bush and the giant stage across from the country's former Communist headquarters.

A third crucial player is Greg Jenkins, a former Fox News television producer in Washington who is now the director of presidential advance. Mr. Jenkins manages the small army of staff members and volunteers who move days ahead of Mr. Bush and his entourage to set up the staging of all White House events. ....

*****UNQUOTE****

[nostamj]

15. more on why this is big (imho, of course)

the WH is now spinning that the USS Lincoln *asked* the WH for the banner and BushCo just did the boys and girls a favor.

anyone believe that?

I didn't think so.

PROVE that the USS Lincoln "asked" for that banner?
TELL the taxpayers who paid for it (and the photo op landing while you're at it)

this is PROOF that Rove is POLITICIZING the WAR.

PROOF POSITIVE.

they must be NAILED for this.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

44. Anyway, that banner would have been taken down immediately if the Bush

team had not wanted it there. Even if it had appeared there out of thin air by magic, they would have taken it down if they had not wanted the message, "Mission Accomplished" to be given to people in huge print.

[Champion Jack]

16. I guess shrub won't be using images from that PR stunt

[bpilgrim]

18. published at GFP

http://GlobalFreePress.net

psst... pass the word :bounce;

peace

[nostamj]

20. you should post this:

this is the work of Stephanie and Cat Atomic (graphics), and I've sent it to Malloy, MWO, etc....


Bush's denial today that the WH placed the banner on the carrier:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/10/20031028-2.html

Q Mr. President, if I may take you back to May 1st when you stood on the USS Lincoln under a huge banner that said, "Mission Accomplished." At that time you declared major combat operations were over, but since that time there have been over 1,000 wounded, many of them amputees who are recovering at Walter Reed, 217 killed in action since that date. Will you acknowledge now that you were premature in making those remarks?

THE PRESIDENT: Nora, I think you ought to look at my speech. I said, Iraq is a dangerous place and we've still got hard work to do, there's still more to be done. And we had just come off a very successful military operation. I was there to thank the troops.

The "Mission Accomplished" sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished. I know it was attributed some how to some ingenious advance man from my staff -- they weren't that ingenious, by the way. But my statement was a clear statement, basically recognizing that this phase of the war for Iraq was over and there was a lot of dangerous work. And it's proved to be right, it is dangerous in Iraq. It's dangerous in Iraq because there are people who can't stand the thought of a free and peaceful Iraq. It is dangerous in Iraq because there are some who believe that we're soft, that the will of the United States can be shaken by suiciders -- and suiciders who are willing to drive up to a Red Cross center, a center of international help and aid and comfort, and just kill.

The Banner, hung (and designed? and produced?) by the USS Lincoln crew, according to Bush. Looks suspiciously similar to backdrops we see at every Bush speech:



Bush's speech on the carrier:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/05/01/bush.transcript/index.html

Bush makes historic speech aboard warship
Thursday, May 1, 2003 Posted: 9:48 PM EDT (0148 GMT)

ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CNN) -- The following is an unedited transcript of President Bush's historic speech from the flight deck of the USS Lincoln, during which he declared an end to major combat in Iraq:

Thank you. Thank you all very much.

Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.

Video of the speech linked here:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/05/01/sprj.irq.bush.speech/index.html

Bush handlers stage manage every aspect of his appearances, including this one:

Keepers of Bush image lift stagecraft to new heights
By Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times
Friday, May 16, 2003 Posted: 7:08 AM EDT (1108 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/05/16/nyt.bumiller/

The president's image makers, Mr. Bartlett said, work within a budget for White House travel and events allotted by Congress, which for fiscal 2003 was $3.7 million. He said he did not know the specific cost of staging Mr. Bush's Sept. 11 anniversary speech, or what the White House was charged for the lights. A spokeswoman at the headquarters of Musco Lighting in Oskaloosa, Iowa, said the company did not disclose the prices it charged clients.

<snip>

The most elaborate — and criticized — White House event so far was Mr. Bush's speech aboard the Abraham Lincoln announcing the end of major combat in Iraq. White House officials say that a variety of people, including the president, came up with the idea, and that Mr. Sforza embedded himself on the carrier to make preparations days before Mr. Bush's landing in a flight suit and his early evening speech.

Media strategists noted afterward that Mr. Sforza and his aides had choreographed every aspect of the event, even down to the members of the Lincoln crew arrayed in coordinated shirt colors over Mr. Bush's right shoulder and the "Mission Accomplished" banner placed to perfectly capture the president and the celebratory two words in a single shot. The speech was specifically timed for what image makers call "magic hour light," which cast a golden glow on Mr. Bush.

"If you looked at the TV picture, you saw there was flattering light on his left cheek and slight shadowing on his right," Mr. King said. "It looked great."

The trip was attacked by Democrats as an expensive political stunt, but White House officials said that Democrats needed a better issue for taking on the president. A New York Times/CBS News nationwide poll conducted May 9-12 found that the White House may have been right: 59 percent of those polled said it was appropriate, and not an effort to make political gain, for Mr. Bush to dress in a flight suit and announce the end of combat operations on the aircraft carrier.


Bush handlers admit that the event was SO stage-managed that the ship had to slow down so San Diego would not be visible to the cameras


http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A22502-2003May6?language=printer

b]Explanation for Bush's Carrier Landing Altered
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 7, 2003; Page A20

President Bush chose to make a jet landing on an aircraft carrier last week even after he was told he could easily reach the ship by helicopter, the White House said yesterday, changing the explanation it gave for Bush's "Top Gun" style event.

Bush's televised landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln, for which the president wore a flight suit and a helmet and took underwater survival training in the White House swimming pool, was the dramatic start to a visit to the carrier that included an air show and a televised speech to the nation. In his address, the president declared victory in Iraq in front of cheering sailors and a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished."

White House officials had said, both before and after Bush's landing in a Navy S-3B Viking jet, that he took the plane solely to avoid inconveniencing the sailors, who were returning home after a deployment of nearly 10 months. The officials said that Bush decided not to wait until the ship was in helicopter range to avoid delaying the troops' homecoming.

But instead of the carrier being hundreds of miles offshore, as aides had said it would be, the Lincoln was only about 30 miles from the coast when Bush made his "tail-hook" landing, in which the jet was stopped by cables on deck. Navy officers slowed and turned the ship when land became visible.

<snip>

Citing Fleischer's revised explanation, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) wrote to the General Accounting Office to ask for a "full accounting" of the cost of the trip.

After Fleischer's remarks, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) delivered an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, saying he was "deeply troubled" by Bush's actions, which he called "flamboyant showmanship." The octogenarian lawmaker criticized the White House for using the carrier "as an advertising backdrop" and the military "as stage props" for Bush's speech.


An eerily similar backdrop:

v

Mission Accomplished:



Another flag backdrop:



One more:



They used the SAME flag graphic:

This...



Makes this:

[bpilgrim]

38. linked to this thread ;-)

you should post those images in the gallery ;-)

http://bbs.globalfreepress.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=63

:hi:

peace

[DancingBear]

23. And it is very simple to understand

There is no long chain of command to unravel here (see Wilson, Niger, Plame) - it is what it is, an outright bold-faced lie. THIS is the type of stuff that middle America can get its hands on and run with - it is the $600 hammer type of thing that resonates so well (sad to say).

Unmask the liar in two easy steps:

1) Listen to him lie
2) Have a military official prove it

Nice.

[demgrrrll]

24. The cost for these props has to be enormous and when we are

running deficits the costs of Hollywood production set stages should be a huge issue. If he were any kind of true leader he could stand on his own without an expensive backdrop.

[nostamj]

25. absolutely DancingBear!

the simplicity, the utter GROSSNESS of this LIE is it's power.

the FACT that the WH had to admit the LIE so quickly.

admitting a LIE does not remove the LIE.

undermining * means identifying him as untrustworthy (remember ?W ?)

this is a very good thing

[nostamj]

26. THIS is the AirForceTimes on chimpy's BANNER

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2346349.phphttp://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2346349.php

The president sought to distance himself from the upbeat message in the banner, explaining at Tuesday’s press conference that the idea for the sign came from the ship’s crew.

“I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff — they weren’t that ingenious, by the way,” he said.

Turns out they may have been that ingenious.

[Imalittleteapot]

27. Clicked on your link and got

"Story not found or not available currently. Please check back later." hmmm.

[DoYouEverWonder]

32. Try this one

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2346349.php

it still works for me.


DU Latest Breaking News Forum

All I can say, after all these years of ranting and exposing W's lies, I don't mind if it's something stupid like this that brings him down.

[nostamj]

33. damn!

i swear it was there. hmmm... indeed!

[julka]

35. somebody linked excerpts on another thread, including two pics

they showed the MA banner, preceded by the one it resembled, in a different form

[Rooktoven]

40. The link is there twice, making it seem like one long link

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2346349.php is what you want

[Guaranteed]

48. This story got nixed...

Too much info.

[nostamj]

49. not nixed!! I goofed with the link. here's the correct one!

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2346349.php

[lovedems]

29. The first thought that ran through my mind when I saw the speech

on the USS Abe was political ad for the 04 campaign at the taxpayers expense. It was all so completely staged! If he hadn't screwed everything up there isn't a doubt in my mind we would have seen that image of him in his flight suit and the banner played OVER AND OVER again in this upcoming year. So much for the cake walk in Iraq!

[VolcanoJen]

31. I envision the perfect Democratic Candidate ad

When the WH started denying that Bush ever meant "Mission Accomplished," weeks ago, I thought it was an issue the Dem candidates should seize on. When we have our eventual nominee, I hope s/he uses the photo-op played against Bush's stumbling explanations about "ingenious advance guys who are not so ingenious" planting the sign against his will.

"Do you want four more years of this kind of leadership?"

I smell a winner,
Jennifer :-)

[julka]

34. blecchhhh!! John King says this story goes away in a few days

just heard him on Aaron Brown

he DID say, however, that "it was odd" that dumbo chose to deal with the question in the way he did.

THEN, he said that "aides quickly" contradicted what he said about the genesis of the banner, repeating the contention that the Navy asked for it, but that the WH paid for and produced it.

Before that, he and Brown discussed the landing, the message, and the subliminable nature thereof. Brown said it was pretty obvious what the banner display was intended to communicate, despite the chimp's demurral that it was done by/for the navy's mission.

very timid portrayals of the hugely cynical ploy, but at least they mentioned it at all.

Unfortunately, given the nature of the handmaidens, I'm afraid King is right. After all, he's there. he knows the drill. he knows that if he axes the wrong question, he won't be invited to lunch.

re: the lunch.....did you see the conference? I just watched it on CSPAN II. 2d to last reporter was told that, after one more Q, "we're going to lunch." Reporter asked if he was going to be invited. Pretzeldent said, "depends on your question." after he asked it, Boosh said, "you're not invited to lunch." wussies just smiled and laughed. why didn't they HISSSSSSSS!!??!!!

[Corgigal]

36. You might be right

however the people who served on the Lincoln who had to wait hours for Bush to show up and pose pretty for his BS photo op won't. They really wanted to believe Bush was on their side when he came into office but with friends dying in Iraq and him lying about a small thing like a banner will just go to prove that they can't trust the jackass.

A Officer who is bucking for some Military Complex job might fall on the sword but the regular military guys and gals won't. They know it and can see the King as no clothes.

Forget John King, he's just a talking head who wants to keep his options open. He will report what is in his best interest.

[julka]

37. of course, re: King

that's why I brought up the lunch invite thing.

access is all for these geebs

part of the career path.

don't rock the boat enough so's they don't take/return your calls.

THAT's all they care about.

if the tide begins to turn somewhat more, then the CW/herd instinct will take effect.

both Robert Parry and Eric Alterman wrote books about this YEARS ago.

Parry: Fooling America, and Alterman: The Punditocracy, or something like that

both well worth looking at today.......the more things change, etc

[symbolman]

41. What about the rewriting of the White HOuse website?

We caught them changing the statement "end of combat" made on May 1st to MAJOR Combat on the White House Website and other govt sites..

NOW the media says it everywhere..

THAT was the real scandal -- here's the link:

http://www.takebackthemedia.com/whitehouselies.html

check it out and pass it around :)

[NewJeffCT]

51. very interesting

I'd like to see actual text of the speech he gave, not just summary one-liners on a website. If he actually announced that "combat operations" were over and not "major combat operations".... then, it would be a big story.

[WillyT]

43. Check Out THIS Spinner:

Link: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-ussign293515712oct29,0,193304.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines

Yeah... Right...

:grr:

[snippy]

46. Time for some President Pinocchio ads.