I thought Bush admitted Armstrong was paid by his administration

[Maraya1969]

Is this study in pathology lying again or is he just lying again? Here is the transcipt at a press conference.


The "Gannon"-Bush Two-Step Media Politics

Mike Malloy played the audio for this Friday night on Air America. Blew my mind.

At his press conference on January 26, Bush was asked about revelations that his administration had surreptitiously paid "journalists" like Armstrong Williams to act as purveyors of administration propaganda, passing it off as legitimate journalism. Here's the exchange, from the White House's own transcript:

Q Mr. President, do you think it's a proper use of government funds to pay commentators to promote your policies?

THE PRESIDENT: No.

Q Are you going to order that —

THE PRESIDENT: Therefore, I will not pay you to — (laughter)

Q Fair enough. Are you ordering that there be an end to that practice?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I am. I expect my Cabinet Secretaries to make sure that that practice doesn't go forward. There needs to be independence. And Mr. Armstrong Williams admitted he made a mistake. And we didn't know about this in the White House, and there needs to be a nice, independent relationship between the White House and the press, the administration and the press. So, no, we shouldn't be going for it.

Yes, sir.

Q Well, Mr. Williams made a mistake —

THE PRESIDENT: Who?

Q Mr. Williams made a mistake. Did the Department of Education make a mistake?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. They did.

Q What will happen to the people that made this decision?

THE PRESIDENT: We've got new leadership going to the Department of Education. But all our Cabinet Secretaries must realize that we will not be paying commentators to advance our agenda. Our agenda ought to be able to stand on its own two feet. I'm confident you'll be, over the course of the next four years, willing to give our different policies an objective look — won't you? Yes, I can see that.


http://www.pastpeak.com/archives/2005/02/the_gannonbush.htm

[nashville_brook]

1. and then he promptly called on Jeff Gannon

yes, he admits here that they were pursuing an intiative to pay "reporters," but calling armstrong williams a reporter is like calling a HoHo food.

then he states that AW is sorry and won't do it again.

then he intimates that b/c there's new cabinet members, this won't be a problem.

so many avenues to pursue. which is it Mr. Prez? you, your cabinet, or the HoHos?

[Old and In the Way]

2. Rich Irony, no?

Just gets grilled by a real journalist asking about government propaganda and immediately calls on a fake journalist to deflect the line of question away from fake commentators.

[Bostonian]

5. How do you know Bush knew Gannon was a fake?

I'm not surprised that Bush would choose a friendly reporter, but I don't know why you assume Bush knew Gannon was a fake.

[robbedvoter]

7. And I answer you: why not?

Just borrowing from your arsenal....Arkansas project, Swiftboaters - learning, learning:

[Old and In the Way]

8. Why do I assume this?

This guy got 2 years worth of day passes because he couldn't measure up for a permanent pass. Because this WH controls access to the pResient like no other admiistration I've ever seen. Because Karl knew GOPUSA was a Republican front. Because I've had 4+ of watching these lying POSs do a propaganda/disinformation number on this country.

Only someone who has drank deep from the kool-aid or is totally naive about this misadministration would even consider that Bush didn't know.

[tinanator]

9. lol

giggle
chortle
nope cant quite work up a guffaw here, sorry

[snippy]

10. Because Gannon orally pleasured Bush and McClellan every chance he got.

[tinanator]

11. HEY!

Thats baseless and offensive! Wheres the moderator to lock this thread?

[tinanator]

12. Oh I get it

only Lesbianism is offensive, baseless or not.
Can you believe a poster wrote me to complain about how "icky" it was to suggest someone was a lesbian?
Ill be absofuckinglutely goddamned if I can share that sentiment.
I wouldnt blame any woman for writing off men, and I sure wouldnt call women/women relationships icky.
How unevolved are we? ludicrous

[bullimiami]

3. you know bush lied. he spoke.

[Maraya1969]

4. specifically THIS................

Q Mr. Williams made a mistake. Did the Department of Education make a mistake?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. They did.



Williams made a MISTAKE? He blames the whole thing on Williams now? Oh and the Department of Education - like he had NOTHING to do with it!

[robbedvoter]

6. Hard to keep them straight anymore: