Say Anything Blog

This “media event” was carefully rehearsed and loosely-scripted---ALL “media events” are carefully rehearsed and loosely-scripted, whether it’s a supermarket opening, a talk show, or a Presidential photo-op!

We all know that much of what we see on television that’s represented as unplanned is meticulously prearranged. Most producers, however, know enough not to show the world just how prearranged.

And for Dyba, it was a disaster.

The media was allowed to see and tape the rehearsals where the troops were told what would be discussed in seeming spontaneity. I would love to hear the explanation of why they allowed this to be seen. Later on, Scott McClellan had to tell reporters who’d seen the rehearsal that the event was not rehearsed.

For the last few years, the White House Press Corps has taken polite dictation and asked questions that don’t even measure up to the softball standard. Wiffleball is more like it...or Nerf. But every so often lately, there’s been some Scott McClellan tap-dance that is so far from provable reality that even the guy from Fox News has to go, “Come on.”

WOOF:

Sgt Ron long has a lot to say for a combat medic.

Is your point that combat medics don’t have combat experience?  This has to be one of the most idiotic things you’ve said on this blog.  In insurgency-styled warfare, there is no front line, no rear line (except for the patsy media types hiding in the green zone).  Why don’t you think his viewpoint is valid?

Then there is Master Sgt Corine Lombardo, who by coincidence was with Bush at NYC after 9/11 and seems to be a military spokesperson/writer by my search.

Ah!  The degrees of separation smear again!  You link one person to another event and all are immediately suspect.  Nice.  Worked for Stalin, should work for you, right?

Are you really arguing that what these soldiers are saying is out of sync with the reset of the military people in Iraq?  Like to see you prove that by comparing it with the majority of writings coming from other vets.

Imagine that, giving the soldiers a chance to prepare so they didn’t make fools of themselves.

I think this was all covered in Dan Rather’s memo’s from 1968 where it shows Colonol Killian rehearsing GW Bush for this event.

Sgt Ron long has a lot to say for a combat medic.
http://forums.ampednews.com/showthread.php?t=89727

Then there is Master Sgt Corine Lombardo, who by coincidence was with Bush at NYC after 9/11 and seems to be a military spokesperson/writer by my search.

These are the media troops , if you saw the show, better actors than the President.

Sgt Long seems to be a political combat medic. That is why he was there.

The military reacts to Pres interview by going to DEFCON 1. Every effort is made to make this thing follow the POTUS plan.
Do this wrong and stars and bars are early retirement are around the corner. No one in authority can afford to have some troop say the wrong thing. No troop can afford to say the wrong thing.

Show me a couple of squads talking while watching this show and then you would get an idea of what troops believe.

I would love to hear the explanation of why they allowed this to be seen.

Maybe because it wasn’t anything they were trying to hide… Maybe, Don, the fact that they freely broadcast the setup means they weren’t trying to hide the fact that they were rehearsing the whole ordeal (like I’m sure most of these events do). 

How about you think for yourself for once and don’t just fall behind Kos and Kids all the time....

Woofie, show me where you have proof for any of the allegations you’re making.

Also, its interesting that the only troops you’re willing to take seriously are the ones who would speak negatively about the war/President.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

You’re assuming that the term “staged” has a negative connotation.  It was a produce, public event intended to elicit an effect.  The Sgt. himself talks about how they rehearsed how to pass the microphone around, and talked about who would answer certain questions.  This is similar to what my business associates and I do before a big presentation; if the client asks about servers, or the app, or quality assurance, we already know who will handle the question.  Actors do this type of thing in preparing for an improv.  These are all staged events.

You’re assuming that the term “staged” has a negative connotation.

The way it was reported in the media and the way its being reacted to by a lot of people leads me to believe that “staged” does have a negative connotation.

After all, why would the AP devote a whole article to their claim that this was staged if it didn’t have a negative connotation?

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Then criticize the media for it’s casting of the word in a negative context. To say that it wasn’t staged is purely a factual error.

How about I criticize the media for trying to spin a non-story into some sort of controversy?

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

The way it was reported in the media and the way its being reacted to by a lot of people leads me to believe that “staged” does have a negative connotation.

Then criticize the media for it’s casting of the word in a negative context.  To say that it wasn’t staged is purely a factual error.

How about I criticize the media for trying to spin a non-story into some sort of controversy?

But this was a story, if for no other reason than that we finally got to see HOW these things get staged--they pulled the curtain back for a few minutes.

It’s like (this is not a great analogy), we all know that rock stars do drugs. However, can you understand why it would be a big story if a videotape was released showing Trent Reznor shooting up after a concert? Everyone knows he’s a drug user--but actually seeing him do it makes it newsworthy.

Same thing here. We all know that these type of events are all staged. But, for one of the rare times, we actually got to see HOW it was staged.

But this was a story, if for no other reason than that we finally got to see HOW these things get staged–they pulled the curtain back for a few minutes.

Eh, I don’t think that’s what most people were going for.  Most media outlets that pulled this story thought they caught Bush doing something bad.  Otherwise I don’t think it would have gotten any attention…

It’s like (this is not a great analogy), we all know that rock stars do drugs. However, can you understand why it would be a big story if a videotape was released showing Trent Reznor shooting up after a concert? Everyone knows he’s a drug user–but actually seeing him do it makes it newsworthy.

That’s not a good analogy at all in that “shooting up” is an illegal and very self destructive thing to do.  Not at all akin to the situation we have now.

IF your analogy were to work it’d have to be an in-depth documentary about Reznor eating a ham sandwich after the show.  Its a perfectly ordinary and acceptable thing to do, yet the documentary would be hyping it as though he were “shooting up.”

The Bush admin. did nothing wrong.  The media is trying to make it seem like he did.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs: