The Anchoress

When I read this story, the first thing I thought about was that reporter who “staged” a question to Donald Rumsfelt by feeding it to a soldier. Then I thought about the “staged” moment when President Clinton was photographed building a cross from rocks…on stone-less Normandy Beach.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this seaon’s Turkeygate. When Bush visited the troops in Iraq, the press spent two weeks carrying on because Bush posed for a snapshot with the troops by holding up a plastic turkey table ornament!

A pal of mine - a moderate Democrat - who has worked with media for decades says that the Clintons did the same sort of setting up and advance work, (because it is sensible) They just didn’t get “caught” at it. I wonder why. He suggests that the WH badly needs Karen Hughes to get back there. I agree.

I wonder - is it possible that with the Plamegate story possibly taking a left turn, and with voting on the Iraq constitution the truly important but way undercovered story of the day…perhaps the press simply wants something it can use all weekend to bash Bush and keep those other disagreeable stories from scrutiny?

Because this is pretty damned silly.

“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.

That’s a STAGING? That sounds like going over the logistics of interviewing and passing a mic to people who are not used to doing it - which is what normal, ordinary people do when they are in a new or unusual situation. I’m quite sure the press observed the Clinton advance people doing precisely the same thing at one time or another and found it - quite rightly - not news-worthy.

But I see the press - neither normal nor ordinary people - really has their dresses up over their heads about it. Oh, the humanity!

Speaking of STAGED…

Michelle Malkin is first out the gate and all over the story

Ankel Biting Pundits are amused and dismayed

Wide Awake Cafe says, Staged? I’ll tell you from staged!

Dr. Sanity looks at the relentless negative onslaught from the press and wonders, as I do, how the president manages to function when every move or thought is so reflexively and hatefully pounded upon.

Gateway Pundit is saying Bring the troops back…and ask them some more questions!

Hyscience notes that the press story framings fall in line with the Democrat talking points.

Tim Graham cites a study which shows that (surprise!) press coverage of the military, and Iraq, even the constitutional stories is overwhelmingly negative. At all times, folks. Graham points out that even Juan Williams praised this study

Michael Fumento makes the case for the media perhaps vetting itself

Attention President Bush…PLEASE bring home Karen Hughes!