Staged Military Photo Ops Suddenly Awesome
posted at 6:54 am on April 14, 2009 by Jim Treacher
regular view
Back in 2003, the left was astonished and dismayed that George W. Bush got such a warm Thanksgiving welcome from our troops in Iraq, even after he was evil enough to send our troops to Iraq. So what did our friends on the port side do? Oh, the usual: They concocted a controversy out of whole cloth.
“Hey, that Thanksgiving turkey Bush was carrying looked pretty fake. Wait a second, I know… It was plastic! What a perfect metaphor for this whole fake war! Plastic turkey, plastic president. Am I right, people?”
They weren’t right. They didn’t even bother to find out if they were. But that didn’t stop this weird, fact-free, too-good-to-check meme from oozing through the Internet until it finally dripped onto the desks of our finest bastion of journalistic certitude, the New York Times. Here’s what Richard L. Berke said about it on July 4, 2004, in the middle of a thumbsucker about John Kerry (remember him?) trying to find some way to grab the nation’s attention. Kerry was having a tough time because, well, he’s John Kerry. But also because the wicked and nefarious George Bush kept stealing the spotlight:
And how does Mr. Kerry top the suspense-filled plot line of this White House, which regularly negotiates hairpin turns? Just last week, the handover of Iraq happened two days earlier than expected.
There are also the manufactured surprises, like Mr. Bush’s cloak-and-dagger Thanksgiving trip to Baghdad, which drew praise even from Democrats. (The public relations bonanza fizzled after the press reported that Mr. Bush had posed with a mouth-watering – but fake – turkey.)
It took a week for the NYT to issue a correction, but at least they finally did:
An article last Sunday about surprises in politics referred incorrectly to the turkey carried by President Bush during his unannounced visit to American troops in Baghdad over Thanksgiving. It was real, not fake.
Which would seem to be no small matter, considering that this “fact” was being used far and wide to triumphantly prove the fundamental fakeness of the Bush administration. But then, this is the same newspaper that, just two months later, would run the headline “Memos on Bush Are Fake but Accurate, Typist Says.” Fake, real, accurate, inaccurate… whatever!
Despite the NYT’s correction, the meme of “Bush’s plastic turkey proves he sucks and stuff” survives to this day, still popping up occasionally on the Internet and in “reputable” publications all over the world. Just ask the great Tim Blair, who has served as Turkey-Tracker #1 ever since the first outbreak of this particular form of mental illness.
Which brings us to 2009, and a new president who’s on record as saying our troops in Afghanistan are “just air-raiding villages and killing civilians” indiscriminately. A president who opposed the Iraq War and, during his brief, stepping-stone tenure as a senator, voted against the surge. A president who’s even more image-conscious than most (mainly because it’s his one and only qualification for the job), and who’s obviously stung by the rather lukewarm reception he’s received from military audiences in the early days of his presidency.
So you’re the president, you’re making a surprise visit to Iraq, and you want to look good. But so far, the troops haven’t really been falling all over themselves whenever you glide into the room. What do you do? How do you shut up those pundits who dare to take note of reality? Well, according to Macsmind:
…about that “surprise visit”.
It wasn’t. The visit was communicated a full 24 hours in advance and a small contingent of soldiers – not screaming hordes – were rustled into a meeting place at Camp Victory.
Got this email from a sergeant that was there.
We were pre-screened, asked by officials “Who voted for Obama?”, and then those who raised their hands were shuffled to the front of the receiving line. They even handed out digital cameras and asked them to hold them up.
Take a look at the picture at AP and notice all the cameras are the same models. Coincidence? I think not.
How do you make sure a crowd likes you? Screen out anybody who didn’t vote for you. Even if they’re serving their country under your watch.
Flopping Aces and Redstate have followed up on this. Will they be the only ones? Will the American press try to confirm or debunk this claim? Will it make its way to the hallowed halls of the NYT?
Guess it all depends on how eager they really are to flush out a fake turkey.
Update: Whoops, sorry, I forgot… Allegedly.
Update: In the comments, somebody points to “Different Presidents, a Different Corps.” I’m not sure that video is really fair, because it’s comparing two different kinds of events. But it’s the sort of thing that would bug me enough to stage my own celebratory photo op, if I were a narcissist.
Update: “Our people are doing the vetting. Even if some of it is hitting dead ends, other ones are striking direct hits. My role is to sit back and let the citizen journalists do their job, and I amplify the stuff that shakes out.” So said noted thinker Markos Moulitsas, regarding the stories on the Daily Kos about Sarah Palin faking her pregnancy. If that newsgathering system is good enough for attacking the mother of a small infant, why isn’t it good enough for questioning the authenticity of a photo op?
Update: Hey, did you know that if anybody in the crowd had a different kind of camera, that proves the Obama team couldn’t possibly have handed out cameras? Good catch, Greg Sargent! I missed the part where the Obama team was accused of confiscating everybody’s cameras before handing out their own, but it’s good to see that pros like Sargent are on the case. (If it seems like I’m putting the burden of proof on the accused, see previous update.)
Update: Is it just me? Maybe it’s just me.
Update: The Right Knight raises a good point… “My concern, however, would be the chilling effect on the (albeit constrained) political rights of these soldiers when they’re asked by the elected Commander-in-Chief (through his staff) whether they voted for him. Someone please explain how in the hell that is his or anyone else’s business? Has military service officially become a matter of political favor from top to bottom?” And: “Little do these Obama-loving soldiers know, they’ll soon be monitored by Homeland Security upon their return from Iraq, much to the chagrin of the American Legion.” But at least they got a hug out of the deal!
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Oh the humanity…oh the horror…oh the hypocrisy!
ladyingray on April 14, 2009 at 7:21 AM
Un.Bee.Lievable. Thanks for posting this.
Here’s how they do it for civilians.
Buy Danish on April 14, 2009 at 7:38 AM
That post is RACIST!!!
I assume that this question is purely a rhetorical flourish on your part, as the MSM would go out of their collective way to ignore or poo-poo video of Obama buggering a nun.
Physics Geek on April 14, 2009 at 7:44 AM
Disturbing, to say the least.
BadgerHawk on April 14, 2009 at 7:49 AM
How does government taste?
Coronagold on April 14, 2009 at 8:05 AM
Kind of a pork flavor.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 8:12 AM
Obama isn’t a fake turkey. He’s a real turkey.
MadisonConservative on April 14, 2009 at 8:14 AM
Nothing about the Obamas is real. Nothing they say can be counted on as being truthful. But we shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve had 8 years of then (the Left) warning us about how they will act when in power.
Hurricanes on April 14, 2009 at 8:33 AM
Fake early , fake often.
the_nile on April 14, 2009 at 8:43 AM
Not sure how I feel about Greem Room stories being linked in the headlines.
BadgerHawk on April 14, 2009 at 8:47 AM
Stop the spin in 2010.
marklmail on April 14, 2009 at 8:49 AM
Amazing.
Did they get to keep the cameras? My feeling is no; they probably had to cough them up as soon as TOTUS left.
carbon_footprint on April 14, 2009 at 8:49 AM
I’m just surprised they didn’t fly in a bunch of ACORN thugs, who traded in their brown shirts for fatigues.
rbj on April 14, 2009 at 8:49 AM
I thought the crowd seemed overly zealous when I watched it on TV. This explains why.
qestout on April 14, 2009 at 8:50 AM
Yeah, we wouldn’t want people reading this stuff…
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 8:52 AM
How do you know they didn’t? They’ve got the cash to do it, thanks to the porkulus.
jgapinoy on April 14, 2009 at 8:52 AM
The vacuously vacuous vacuousness that is Obama is pathetically pathetic.
csdeven on April 14, 2009 at 8:52 AM
Now, now. There are egos to be stroked and they will not be denied.
csdeven on April 14, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Should I be surprised the Obama Admin. would stoop to this?
Nope.
Yakko77 on April 14, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Sounds like somebody’s feeling left out…
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 8:55 AM
But, but Jim — They were real cameras! Don’t you see, that makes it all different.
jon1979 on April 14, 2009 at 8:55 AM
I wish Presidents of all stripes would leave Soldiers out of politics.
Send_Me on April 14, 2009 at 8:55 AM
The turkey was real. It was news about President Bush with a plastic turkey that was fake. The turkey was a display turkey, just as restaurants have display carts for their desserts, but was a very real turkey.
From:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/11/weekinreview/c-corrections
-271020.html
New York Times
Corrections
Published: Sunday, July 11, 2004
RBMN on April 14, 2009 at 8:56 AM
Good point, I should have quoted that in my post.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Hey, at least he didn’t fly in on a plane he was trained and qualified to in order to congratulate to an aircraft carrier in order to honor returning naval forces which had accomplished their mission of leveling Saddam’s government in less than 2 months……………..
Techie on April 14, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Nothing like your Commander-in-Chief show a stunning lack of testicular mass by only meeting with military members that voted for him. Probably couldn’t handle coming in contact with someone who might not have leg tingles at the sight of him.
Anna on April 14, 2009 at 8:58 AM
control the message, control the people.
marklmail on April 14, 2009 at 8:58 AM
1. A number of the Green Roomies have their own blogs, to which HA has linked, so I’m not sure what the big deal is;
2. IIRC — and FWIW — the mgmt has a longer-term plan for how to promote the Green Room on the front page, outside headlines.
Karl on April 14, 2009 at 8:59 AM
My respect for Obama just went down. He is worse than horse poo for staging something like this.
therightscoop on April 14, 2009 at 9:00 AM
Imagine if Bush was president and someone asked the military personal…”Who voted for Bush?”.
Talk about the potential for intimidation…
right2bright on April 14, 2009 at 9:00 AM
If I remember correctly, it was reported that Obama was taking 500 people with him…coincidence?
PappaMac on April 14, 2009 at 9:02 AM
So Obama needs a fake audience of turkeys who voted for him to avoid a hostile reception.
They should have held out for iPods, IMO.
Right_of_Attila on April 14, 2009 at 9:02 AM
I apologize for that previous abomination of a sentence.
Techie on April 14, 2009 at 9:02 AM
Heh. That’s not what I meant. It’s a very good article, it just seems odd to be posting headline links to green room posts. Give me some time to digest it before you attack.
BadgerHawk on April 14, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Here’s another incident involing the MSM and media “stunts” in Iraq.
Karl on April 14, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Give me some time to attack before I actually attack. Sheesh…
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 9:04 AM
LOL.
Nice post.
A fake turkey. Those were the days.
Remember when we stomped Lurch in the election?
Ahhhh. I remember being a senior in HS and being so pumped about the bush victory, enjoying the sight of my leftist history professor being beside himself.
Thanks for the memories, treacher.
blatantblue on April 14, 2009 at 9:04 AM
Fantastic post. Pathetic President.
LibTired on April 14, 2009 at 9:05 AM
I meant teacher. Not professor. High school teacher.
blatantblue on April 14, 2009 at 9:06 AM
The account of the staged photo op seems rather thinly sourced. If it’s true, it’s quite appalling.
CP on April 14, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Why is the very awesome Treacher writing here?
And just after I finally was convinced that he and Allahpundit weren’t the same person.
albo on April 14, 2009 at 9:07 AM
I knew it was a stage when I saw it. Recall last year when the O finally decided to visit Iraq and none of the soldiers even got up when he entered the room. They just kept on chowing.
Key West Reader on April 14, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Can you imagine??? OMG there would have been lib riots in the streets.
marklmail on April 14, 2009 at 9:08 AM
I noticed the striking similarity of all of the cameras at the time to the Mrs.. We thought that maybe they were the only ones available at the P.X.
thomasaur on April 14, 2009 at 9:08 AM
They needed less evidence than that to run with the “plastic turkey” thing. That one didn’t even have a quote. Will they look into this one?
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Awww, and for awhile there old Bo was thinking “they like me, they really like me…”
obladioblada on April 14, 2009 at 9:09 AM
it’s those small details (such as similar cameras) that always catch people being dishonest about the truth.
poppieseeds on April 14, 2009 at 9:11 AM
The media is lazy and corrupt, so they will not cover this story, the tea parties, or anything that sheds light on what’s happening in this country. But that’s OK because the MSM is a shriveling prune of nonsense that sheds it audience on a daily basis.
I don’t want the MSM to cover any of these stories, because their negligence only hastens their departure. As the audience of the New Media grows, this is where you want these types of stories to break.
Just think of tea party attendees as former NYT readers.
EMD on April 14, 2009 at 9:11 AM
This article is really worthy of a front page top-left post appearance. Great post.
therightscoop on April 14, 2009 at 9:11 AM
Sounds like someone likes attention.
csdeven on April 14, 2009 at 9:13 AM
<blockquote.Will the American press try to confirm or debunk this claim?
Perhaps not just yet. But it’s coming.
Bob's Kid on April 14, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Excellent piece, Jim. The best I’ve seen on this particular matter…I’d forgotten about the “plastic turkey” incident…thanks for reminding the rubes how BDS is the end and all of how we got to this place…
RepubChica on April 14, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Obama is carrying on in the best traditions of:
Fidel Castro
Saddam Hussein
Mao Zedong
Kim Jong-il
Joseph Stalin
etc, etc, etc,
all leaders who had to stage events
to show the world that their people “loved” them.
Pretty pathetic Obama, pretty pathetic.
izoneguy on April 14, 2009 at 9:15 AM
don’t be a killjoy csdeven
blatantblue on April 14, 2009 at 9:16 AM
Agreed.
RepubChica on April 14, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Orwell called it 25 years earlier…ut he called it.
jukin on April 14, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Hey, man, I don’t have anything to do with who got picked. Talk to AP or Ed, I’m sure they just forgot.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 9:19 AM
Quick – there’s a fake turkey in just one of these two photos – ten bucks to the first one to spot it!
TexasJew on April 14, 2009 at 9:21 AM
That’s an amazing story! Good Work.
jonezee on April 14, 2009 at 9:22 AM
I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.
patriette on April 14, 2009 at 9:24 AM
So, if Bush was a “chickenhawk” by merely flying fighter jets in Texas, what does that make Obama?
TexasJew on April 14, 2009 at 9:25 AM
They needed less evidence than that to run with the “plastic turkey” thing. That one didn’t even have a quote. Will they look into this one?
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Actually, the Times interviewed the plastic turkey after the incident, and it turned out to be an “ex-Republican”.
TexasJew on April 14, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Should officials even be asking this question?
misslizzi on April 14, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Heh. “As a simulacrum of a delicious holiday meal and a former conservative, I’m very concerned about the president’s manipulation of the media…”
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Staging rallies. Didn’t Fascism start that way in Germany & Italy back in the 30s?
juanito on April 14, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Lol.
Nice post (though I’m concerned it fuels resurgence in radicalization and recruitment), great title.
Spirit of 1776 on April 14, 2009 at 9:31 AM
I will admit to being entirely too predisposed toward believing this.
Count to 10 on April 14, 2009 at 9:32 AM
And the recent Olympics spectacle in the square.
qestout on April 14, 2009 at 9:35 AM
They probably led the Ron Paul voters away in chains to undergo a body cavity search by Janet Napolitano wearing a white lab coat.
TexasJew on April 14, 2009 at 9:38 AM
Maybe, people will get use to it but when you see or at least when I see a headline with no comments, I think it is a dud and that is why no one is posting.
Blake on April 14, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Ha!
Earlier this evening I sent this link to Tim Blair with the title ‘fake turkeys’.
You know what they say about great minds Jim
It seems too, that pseudo-journalist Jennifer Loven and Associated Press continue to be quite a pair.
saint on April 14, 2009 at 9:40 AM
I… have… no idea what that means.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 9:41 AM
Maybe, people will get use to it but when you see or at least when I see a headline with no comments, I think it is a dud and that is why no one is posting.
Blake on April 14, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Blake, Tim Geithner has a job opening for you!
TexasJew on April 14, 2009 at 10:27 AM
obama displays plenty of arrogance. However, the man holds not a shred of self-respect or pride. He’d throw his grandmother under the bus if he thought it would advance him and his agenda. Oh wait, he did that already.
jdflorida on April 14, 2009 at 10:52 AM
It means that there should be someway to indicate that it is not a HA post but a greenroom post. Now I know that if there are no comments, it doesn’t mean that the post sucks and no one wants to comment on it, but that one has to go to another page to comment.
Blake on April 14, 2009 at 10:58 AM
TexasJew, Go f*ck yourself.
Blake on April 14, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Rule #1 of a Communist takeover: Seize control of the media.
Crusty on April 14, 2009 at 10:59 AM
Jim – Great post. I love your pithy comments, so it’s a treat to hear your extended thoughts on something. Looking forward to more of this.
Now, please don’t dismiss me with a terse statement with my comments below. I want to discuss this issue.
Something about this sergeant’s report gives me pause. I read it on BlackFive and RedState when they linked it the other day and I just wonder about the accuracy of an official asking “Who voted for Obama?” (Other military people please weigh in.) If it was a Washington “official” and not a military member, then I can see it happening. But I highly doubt a military member would ask them directly who got their vote.
I just asked my husband, who has 22+ years in the military w/Marines, Army, National Guard, and Navy (no Air Force!), and he said this would be an anomaly. The military is really apolitical. They support the CinC, but politics isn’t discussed or made an issue. They could have said, “If there is anyone that would like to support President Obama, then come to the mess hall for his visit.” That would be more believable.
I do find the sudden rock star treatment of Obama by the troops suspicious. I don’t doubt that this could happen, I would just like more than one comment by an anonymous sergeant. I wouldn’t want us to be guilty of doing the same thing the lefties and NYT’s did with the “fake turkey” report.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 11:01 AM
I do like seeing these articles in the Headlines, so I know when a new post is up.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 11:03 AM
I know an incident like that happened at the Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii when the Obamas were on the Christmas vacation last year. I remember reading about the incident because we lived on the same base and ate at the Chow Hall.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 11:05 AM
If my terse comments have ever stopped anybody from discussing anything, it’s news to me.
Could be. I’m sure our hardworking, unbiased news media will start debunking it any minute. Hey, if they can still talk about plastic turkeys after almost 6 years, we can bring up this one.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Treacher doesn’t get the leg tingles over Lefty women like Meghan McCain.
Kensington on April 14, 2009 at 11:10 AM
The general make-up of the audience showed that as a given.
Come on, you know I’m right.
DethMetalCookieMonst on April 14, 2009 at 11:12 AM
My point being that I would like something more than one anonymous comment in which to hang my hat. The same cameras seem a bit coincidental.
It’s clear the Obama Administration doesn’t like the military and needs a photo op to convince us otherwise. The DHS report on right-wing extremism that singles out military vets is a clear giveaway of their true sentiments toward the military.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Treacher has some standards.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 11:14 AM
The Headlines link to this is a separate page entirely, and it has no comments, so there’s no way to tell from a glance at the HotAir homepage how many comments this discussion really has.
Kensington on April 14, 2009 at 11:14 AM
All the news that’s
fit to printfake but accurateBuy Danish on April 14, 2009 at 11:14 AM
She’s cute, but it would kill two birds with one stone if she sewed her lips shut.
Fair enough. I just think this deserves wider notice. If it’s proven untrue, I’ll post an update. That’s how Kos claims they do it over there…
Ah, okay. Yeah, maybe they could add a little Greenroom logo or something.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Chicken sh*t?
DethMetalCookieMonst on April 14, 2009 at 11:22 AM
No one but those of us who read blogs like this will ever hear about this. This administration and their media (most of the US media), are going to put us through four years of this lying, cheating, socialist, fascist “Chicago-politics” hell. I am convinced that no matter how much Obama ruins this Country, the media’s lies are going to attempt to cover it up. We are doomed, Conservatives and Republicans, just as Chicago and most of Illinois are all Democrat because of the corruption, so will we be. Hate to be so negative, but I cannot see how things are going to change, when ignorant people are not aware of what is really going on.
Susanboo on April 14, 2009 at 11:23 AM
This might be OT, my apologies if so, but do you know how hard it is to fly a fighter jet? To fly an airplane period? My dad got his pilot’s license in his 60’s and he proudly told me that only 1% of the population knows how to fly an airplane. It’s an elite group. The lie that Bush is stoopid, is just that: a lie.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Chickenpatriot
Kensington on April 14, 2009 at 11:28 AM
I thought it was obvious from the beginning that the audience for the Obama appearance was made up of mostly fans. It wouldn’t be too hard to put together a self-selected crowd – send the word around ahead of time and the folks who voted for him, or who are just excited to see the President (especially a celebrity President) will show up.
It’d be better if there were some stronger evidence than the camera story and the unverified sergeant’s email, though. Because if those get debunked, the left will just say, “See wingnuts! The troops really do love Obama and y’all are just haters!”
Missy on April 14, 2009 at 11:31 AM
So what you’re saying is that if the story is proven wrong, it’ll be wrong. Right there, you’ve got a leg up on 95% of the left.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Oh, yeah! Bill Whittle elaborated upon this point with much eloquence a few years back.
It’s frustrating. A friend of mine last night was still gushing over Barack Obama’s intelligence. It was annoying mainly because my friend was so unquestioning about it. I don’t doubt the man is intelligent, I’m just not ready to compare him favorably to, say, Einstein. Or Mark Steyn, for that matter.
Kensington on April 14, 2009 at 11:44 AM
I get a 404 not found error when I try to forward this item. Anybody else getting it or is it just me?
liberty0 on April 14, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Chicken Little.
Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to his share of the stimulus money!
Susanboo on April 14, 2009 at 12:10 PM
It’s frustrating. A friend of mine last night was still gushing over Barack Obama’s intelligence. It was annoying mainly because my friend was so unquestioning about it. I don’t doubt the man is intelligent, I’m just not ready to compare him favorably to, say, Einstein. Or Mark Steyn, for that matter.
Kensington on April 14, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Only one of the following released his college transcripts for public view:
Albert Einstein
Barack Obama.
Why is that, I wonder?
TexasJew on April 14, 2009 at 12:14 PM
And if there were any doubt that Obama’s phony reception by the troops was staged, check out this video, “Different Presidents, A Different Corps” and tell me how President Manchild could go from the tepid response in that video to the goo-goo display at the “surprise” visit.
Oh, and Treacher, you got any new cartoons coming up we might see here? I’m dry, man, I need a comedy hit.
Crusty on April 14, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Great story Treacher. Hope to see more of your stuff here at HA.
conservativemama on April 14, 2009 at 12:23 PM
I’m not sure that video is really fair, because they were different kinds of events. But that’s the sort of thing that would bug me enough to stage my own celebratory photo op, if I were a narcissist.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 12:31 PM
Picked for what?
csdeven on April 14, 2009 at 12:33 PM
JT, Karl, and a few others, are good, very good, for the main parlor. It’s silly to keep them in the ‘respected commenters’ green room.
Entelechy on April 14, 2009 at 12:36 PM
LOL.
baldilocks on April 14, 2009 at 1:05 PM
Exactly. Obama wasn’t going to let that happen again. And surprise surprise, it didn’t.
Missy on April 14, 2009 at 1:10 PM
It was obvious to me as well–almost all racial minorities and lots of women in the photo op. The military is almost male and white, even among REMFs which, of course, have a higher distaff contingent.
baldilocks on April 14, 2009 at 1:13 PM
The military is almost all male and white
baldilocks on April 14, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Community Based Reality! Wheeeeeeee!
TheUnrepentantGeek on April 14, 2009 at 1:34 PM
Now THAT was a great post!
nottakingsides on April 14, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Well, for what it’s worth, that “identical cameras” business has been pretty thoroughly debunked.
http://digg.com/political_opinion/Cam_Sham_Obama_s_Photo_Op_with_Cheering?t=24867591#c24867591
All you have to do is check out the other pics of the crowd – even the same group from different angles – to see that.
Which means the whole story boils down to an uncorroborated claim from a single anonymous source.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 1:51 PM
If soldiers WER$ asked whether they voted for Obama, that is a basic violation of republican principle. It is information that the military should NEVER employ. This is the same information that would be used to conduct a purge. I have put in multiple requests to CENTCOM for answers on this. If it is tru, they CAN’T take this lying down. And if Obama DIDN’T do it, that needs to come out too.
CENTCOM should be forthcoming here, and so should the soldiers who attended Obama’s surprise visit, whatever their political persuasion. This goes to the proper relation of the military to civilian government. As with all federal officials, the ultimate responsibility of every soldier is to the Constitution, and if military personnel are being asked who they voted for, that directly imperils the military’s ability to resist unconstitutional power plays by the Commander in Chief.
Alec on April 14, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Clearly this was a carefully managed moment of spontaneous affection for Obama.
However, and I say this as a guy on active duty with some familiarity how high-profile events like this tend to be run in the Army, I wonder (1) how much of the “managing” was the Obama folks, and (2) how much similar screening or staging was done for Bush, or for other presidents, for that matter.
I would doubt that Bush visits would be restricted to Bush voters, at least by Bush or his people, but you don’t think some 1SG or CSM who doesn’t want to make a bas impression on his commander would perhaps choose the people he figured would be more likely to not cause any embarrassing moments, like having some SGT make an awkward comment along the lines of, “What are we doing here and when are we going home?”? I don’t find that terribly unlikely.
Muswell Hillbilly on April 14, 2009 at 2:12 PM
pilgrim
Que pasa? I am fully aware that all Air Force MREs come with a midget waiter and wine steward (Tech Asst: Person; Small) but you should be aware that your hubby, as a ground pounder, never washes below his neck. Are we not in Obama’s age of post-serviciality?
As to flying a fighter jet, Bill Whittle has the most insightful takedown of the slander I’ve ever read. It comes with funbook pictures so even a blue sky boy can figure it out.
I kid, because I love. I also think it is fantastic, perhaps phantasmagoric, that young Treach has another outlet.
Uncle Pinky on April 14, 2009 at 2:30 PM
DISGUSTING.
Y-not on April 14, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Anyone surprised?
deidre on April 14, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Haha! So true–the Air Force is the crème de la crème of the military branches. All the other branches, especially the Marines, look down their noses at them.
conservative pilgrim on April 14, 2009 at 3:42 PM
Yeah, that was pretty much my 1st thought too. Not saying there aren’t a lot of minorities in the military, but that was a very dark crowd. Nice that they were able to find a picture with the only 4 white dudes there in it.
Russell28 on April 14, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Great post!
gwelf on April 14, 2009 at 4:01 PM
“Yeah, that was pretty much my 1st thought too. Not saying there aren’t a lot of minorities in the military, but that was a very dark crowd. Nice that they were able to find a picture with the only 4 white dudes there in it.”
Russell28 on April 14, 2009 at 3:47 PM
———————————
“The only 4 white dudes,” huh? Are you sure about that?
Obama with troops
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 4:09 PM
Which is still more than, say, “Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy.”
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 4:20 PM
THAT’S what you’re gonna hang your credibility on? Ooookaaaay…..
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 4:25 PM
Dear heart, I’m not really concerned with whether you find me credible or not. Ooookaaaay?
Like I said, if it’s disproven, I’ll make note of it. That’s the way “citizen journalism” works, according to Kos.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 4:29 PM
I’m sure just mentioning this fact will earn whoever says it a spot as Olbermann’s Worst Person in the World.
Speedwagon82 on April 14, 2009 at 4:31 PM
OMG WTH
A serious post.
Knock it off.
Valiant on April 14, 2009 at 4:43 PM
You were the one insisting on the comparison.
Now that the “identical cameras” business HAS been disproven, maybe you’ll make a note of that.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 4:46 PM
You proved that they didn’t hand out cameras? How exactly did you do that?
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 4:53 PM
The anonymous “sergeant” backed up his story by saying, “Take a look at the picture at AP and notice all the cameras are the same models.”
Well, no, they’re not. And all the other pictures of Obama meeting the troops bear that out. Links above.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 4:59 PM
So if anybody had a different camera, that proves they couldn’t possibly have handed out cameras? Well, it’s a theory.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 5:01 PM
I showed that the anonymous “sergeant’s” claim that all the cameras used by the troops in that picture “are the same models” is demonstrably false.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 5:09 PM
And you were adorable doing it. But how does it prove they couldn’t possibly have handed out cameras?
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 5:12 PM
I never said that. I said that the claim about the cameras all being “the same models” has been disproven.
Bringing us back to the comment where you jumped in: “Which means the whole story boils down to an uncorroborated claim from a single anonymous source.”
A point I notice you didn’t disagree with.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 5:20 PM
If he’d said, “They handed out cameras and confiscated the ones people already had,” then I’d see your point. But… let me double-check… nope.
And I notice you don’t disagree than it’s more proof than was needed to citizen-journalize the “plastic turkey” and “Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy” stories. If that doesn’t seem fair to you, don’t complain to me. Complain to Kos.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 5:25 PM
But he didn’t say that. He said: “Take a look at the picture at AP and notice all the cameras are the same models.” A claim that, once again, is demonstrably false.
And so the entire story is based on the uncorroborated claim of a single anonymous source.
A point I notice you STILL do not disagree with.
PS, I have no opinion on the relative silliness of the Palin or turkey stories, but a single uncorroborated claim by a single anonymous source hardly seems like “more proof” than any other unproved story.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 5:34 PM
I know, sweetie, that’s the point. You’ve disproven that he had perfect knowledge of every single person in the crowd, yes. Have you disproven that the Obama team could have possibly handed out cameras?
See, in this scenario, the idea is that they wanted to get the troops all snapping pictures of Obama. But what if they didn’t all bring cameras? “Hey, here are some cameras, go nuts.” Why would they take away the cameras of those who’d already brought them? Does letting them keep their cameras make it any less manipulative?
Allegedly.
Maybe if you keep repeating it, you’ll convince me that the Kos standard of proof is no longer applicable.
Look, if it sounds like bunk to you, fine. It doesn’t hurt my feelings.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 5:47 PM
Well Jim, you can introduce all the false issues that you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that the anonymous “sargeant” made a claim to back up his story that proved to be false.
And that no matter how you want to parse it, you are simply repeating an Internet rumor with no substantiation at all.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Did you get this mad when they said Palin’s baby wasn’t hers? I’m guessing you did.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Great post, Jim. Thanks.
the48car on April 14, 2009 at 6:16 PM
Damn. Those cameras do [almost] all look the same. Advance team did a good job.
I’m actually curious to look at some comparable events. I think a larger percentage of people use cellphones as cameras instead of stand alones.
Spirit of 1776 on April 14, 2009 at 6:32 PM
This does not surprise me. I figured all along that there had to be some troops over there who voted for Obama and no doubt they found some of them for a hug and kiss session. Needless to say if Bush did this, there would have been much scorn heaped upon him and the military.
Terrye on April 14, 2009 at 6:41 PM
Sure they do.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Skylark is convinced that they couldn’t have handed out cameras, because the cameras they allegedly handed out don’t look like the cameras they didn’t allegedly hand out.
It’s called logic, people.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 6:51 PM
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Expand your sample size (look at the larger picture) and the percentage of those that appear identical shoots up dramatically.
Spirit of 1776 on April 14, 2009 at 6:54 PM
It’s called a strawman argument.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 6:57 PM
Is that not what you’re saying? I thought the whole thing was debunked because the Obama team obviously didn’t confiscate everybody’s cameras before handing out their own, even though nobody has claimed that they did. You’ve got a little something in your hair, looks like a piece of hay.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Actually, no. Take a close up look at that or any other picture and you will see that very few look “identical” in anything but a generic silver color.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:00 PM
So you’re not saying it’s impossible for the Obama team to have handed out cameras because some of the troops brought their own cameras; you’re saying it’s impossible for the Obama team to have handed out cameras because some of the troops brought their own cameras.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:04 PM
There’s no accounting for what you think, Jim.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:05 PM
Or for what you’re talking about, apparently.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:13 PM
It’s so awesome when you hoist people on their own petard, Jim (I’m pretending we are on a first name basis. Indulge me)
Granted, they don’t need much of a boost, but still.
Excellent piece, by the way. Now there is yet another site (or an additional portion thereof) that I need to check daily. Um, thanks for enabling my procrastination habit!
Lori_Z on April 14, 2009 at 7:17 PM
Shorter Jim: “I know you are but what am I?”
Yawn. Oh sorry, did I just yawn?
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:26 PM
If you did, can you prove it?
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:27 PM
I dunno, can you prove you’re not posting in a scuba diving mask?
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:31 PM
And then I post a picture of myself in a scuba diving mask and flippers, thus failing the Skylark test.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:34 PM
Poor Jim. Always under the shadow of his wittier brother, Arthur.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:39 PM
So we’re done talking about the photo op, I guess.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:39 PM
Seems we all were mostly watching you talk to yourself.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:41 PM
Don’t sell yourself short. You exist, even if your arguments don’t.
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:45 PM
I take that back. I can only speak for myself.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:48 PM
Great. When do you start?
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:48 PM
Yes, because you are SO attentive to what other people are actually saying.
But I’ll just go wash my hair, I’m sure you’ll keep yourself entertained.
You take care now. Buh bye.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:54 PM
Nope, not up to Arthur standards a’tall.
skylark on April 14, 2009 at 7:55 PM
“Um, your whole argument hinges on your claim that you’re wearing a scuba diving mask. But this picture shows you in a scuba diving mask and flippers. Why haven’t you posted a retraction yet?”
Jim Treacher on April 14, 2009 at 7:58 PM
Anybody who didn’t think the photos were staged with pro-Bama soldiers right from the get is kidding themselves. I don’t think the PR minions would let a little thing like reality get it their way. Barry is to appear beloved at all cost.
anniekc on April 14, 2009 at 9:43 PM
For what it’s worth, I thought I should point out that perhaps the troops have similar cameras because many of them buy the cameras in the same place on the same bases. I dunno…
And, also, while I would NOT put this sort of thing past a narcissistic moron like Obama, there are pictures of his visit where there are pretty clearly HUGE crowds. I think our service men and women are mature and respectful enough to give any Commander in Chief a hell of a welcome.
DaveS on April 14, 2009 at 9:47 PM
Note to Michelle
Hire Jim Treacher.
Basilsbest on April 14, 2009 at 9:58 PM
I thought it looked fishy. Not the cameras but the makeup of the crowd. I said before, notice the conspicuous number of black females in the front row? Being black I’ll let you know the most sold out, anything for dear leader demographic is black women. And I mean to, the, bone. If he wants to look as if he is adored simply put black women in the front row it’ll be like the freakin’ Beetles are taking the stage. That lead me to believe “something” was up. The CO calls ouit “Obama is here” and every black woman on base is in the area? Come on.
Theworldisnotenough on April 14, 2009 at 10:12 PM
Theworldisnotenough on April 14, 2009 at 10:12 PM
Bush did that too… they all do that.
DaveS on April 14, 2009 at 10:18 PM
“What about the cheering, the applauding, the moaning, the screaming?”
“Fake, fake, fake, fake”
Fed45 on April 14, 2009 at 10:28 PM
Nope, you missed the real indicator of an … interesting… event…
This crowd is both “multicultural” and had a high proportaion of females for a war zone…
They don’t look like combat troops to me….
And when he thanked the “troops” for attending, he thanked Three Staff Groups, and a Band… not a single combat unit.
We have a term for those type… REMFs….
Romeo13 on April 14, 2009 at 10:33 PM
Jim Treacher >> Allah
Kjeil on April 14, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Yep, Obama’s got that gobble, gobble down pat, huh?
Texas Gal on April 14, 2009 at 10:52 PM
Y’know, come to think of it, Obama is a plastic turkey. He’s got our Nation’s plastic credit card and he’s gobbling up everything in his path.
Texas Gal on April 14, 2009 at 10:57 PM
1984. This time it’s real.
Scotsman on April 14, 2009 at 10:58 PM
Do you have any photo links for that claim if you’re discussing the hall where the NYT’s photo was taken, Dave? Because usually the MSM doesn’t use tight close-up photos of a p.c. crowd when it really is a crowd–they usually use them for under-attended demonstrations etc. that they want to make look like there are more people there than there really are.
BTW, an Ace commenter who is an Iraq vet said that the hall is huge and was packed when Bush was there; that it has balconies, so there’s no reason not to get a full-crowd shot if you want to show how packed the place was; and that the place is really noisy when it’s really full and it sounded pretty quiet there in the MSM videos.
andycanuck on April 14, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Thank you for posting this, finally. I’ve been pasting the macsmind link all day.
TTheoLogan on April 14, 2009 at 11:28 PM
I’ve always preferred pogues myself.
jdkchem on April 14, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Plastic turkey. That’s odd. Did they think real turkeys couldn’t look that good? Mine do.
Alana on April 15, 2009 at 12:11 AM
I thought this whole photo op looked unprofessional for our men and women in uniform – soldier saying “love you”, hugging the commander-in-chief in public. Obama giving army “shout-outs” during his speech comes across as patently fake for someone who has never served in the armed forces. This photo op was staged for the media after the conclusion of the dismal G20 London Summit failure. It’s a typical well-choreographed Obama staged campaigning event.
eigafan on April 15, 2009 at 12:13 AM
Kim Jong-il would be proud.
hillbillyjim on April 15, 2009 at 12:17 AM
Did the cameras they handed out have batteries?
Johnson on April 15, 2009 at 3:27 AM
Obama has planted supporters in many of his rallies while campaigning and after.
Do we all remember that townhall recently where questions, supposedly taken from the internet, were asked and some of the people there were all supporters or people who worked in his campaign. This story is one I would believe.
I say if he did it before…he will surely do it again.
becki51758 on April 15, 2009 at 6:57 AM
My experience as a former Army wife is most military members would not be this excited to see a POTUS like this.They sure as hell weren’t ever excited to see Clinton that I ever knew of.
The ones that are excited joined the military bcs they supposedly had no other options,AKA grew up on the welfare dole & are still on it, even though they are serving.
This is my observation & I’m sticking to it.
Badger40 on April 15, 2009 at 9:16 AM
**snort**
No, they’re just dating casually, thanks.
Heh heh heh
Wind Rider on April 15, 2009 at 2:05 PM
if this wasn’t you, i would walk silently by and pretend this didn’t happen.
since it is you, i have to ask: did you float this nonsense with the same level of certainty with which you continually accuse me of being a moby?
what if i said that someone posting this du-style concoction must have intended to embarrass his fellows.
sez jim in reply: “oh, but i was only trying to make a point about the epistemological double-standard the leftosphere enjoys!”
sure, jim. sure.
eh on April 15, 2009 at 4:35 PM
How do you keep an idiot in suspense?
Jim Treacher on April 16, 2009 at 10:05 PM
Nice to see this thread linked to in the lastest RNC Weekly Trunk email!
Least of These on April 22, 2009 at 5:56 PM