Anatomy of a photo-op.
Anatomy of a photo-op.
Bush at Walter Reed: “Journalists were allowed to take pictures and watch for only a few minutes before being ushered out, though not before Bush told photographers to take pictures of Sgt. Mark Ecker’s tattoo of a naked woman. Reporters were not allowed to interview patients in Abrams Hall, hospital officials said, citing logistics. The hospital instead made available two doctors, who spoke glowingly about the president’s visit and had no information to provide about the facility’s problems.” Bush wrapped up his visit an hour before the scheduled time.
UPDATE: “The president was not taken into the shut-down Building 18 yesterday but was shown a well-kept, empty dormitory room equipped with flat-screen television and desktop computer in Abrams Hall, where some Building 18 patients have been moved.”
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Presidenting is hard work. The visit was probably cutting into his bike time.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:05 amWell that fixes everything. Thanks, Georgie!
March 31st, 2007 at 11:07 amEverything is a photo-op for Dubya. He cares nothing about the wounded and/or maimed soldiers.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:08 amTYPICAL BUSH PROPAGANDA.....HE CARES MORE ABOUT "MY PET GOAT" AND ANOTHER TAWDRY PHOTO OP THAN HE DOES ABOUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. IMPEACH HIS BUTT NOW!
March 31st, 2007 at 11:09 amThis guy is clearly in lalaland.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:09 am....and pure, unadulterated, and very transparent jackass tactics. His numbers are tanking and when they reach their nadir will be the lowest of any president yet.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:10 amLIFE IS ONE BIG PHOTO OP FOR GEORGE W. BUSH.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:10 amAmericans continue to suffer while rove/bush think a few "nice" photos will cause Americans to believe something has actually been accomplished. I think george believes his presence alone will fix problems!
March 31st, 2007 at 11:15 amIt's just image, baby, like the Wizard of OZ.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:17 amYou know, the important stuff...
March 31st, 2007 at 11:18 am#9 I think we're beginning to see the "very small man behind the curtain at Oz" as our president these days.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:18 am"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself -- not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel."
--George W. Bush, after visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006
March 31st, 2007 at 11:19 amunbelievable > Bush is a complete wuss, and could not handle having his arm or leg amputated, so he makes jokes about crashing his bike and getting small cuts in the process.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:26 amC & L has a very compelling article on the possible charade by this Congress with the Iraq bill - check it out. Crooksandliars.com
I'd love to not engage in perpetual cynicism but, at this point in the exercise, it is nearly impossible to believe, however, altruistically, that this new Congress is representing the wishes of the people who placed them into office.
The compelling evidence about how this bill was spun (or ballet as it is called) disgusts me and, if the premise that this is simply typical "democratic posturing" to get one of their own into the white house and continue this war, then it's time we put them all on the hot seat to discern where their motivations and intentions lie.
Of course, if we really want to "play it safe" and not be, again, betrayed by those we believe in, then we need to vote Dennis Kucinich at this point. Every last one of the others (except perhaps Obama) may be deceiving us right now.
Forewarned is forearmed, as they say and the author of the article certainly makes a compelling hypothesis. We need to remain vigilant and grounded in logic and reality and, as the all-too-familiar drill goes: if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, quacks like a duck....etc.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:26 amdid anyone notice Bush's obvious inability to enunciate yesterday and his obvious difficulty in forming thoughts into speech? I know, I know....he's a first class buffoon when it comes to public speaking, but yesterday he made some horrible mistakes "harm way" was one of them and there were a few more. He looks like he's coming unglued before our very eyes. And aging....wow! Makes the case for how absolute power corrupts absolutely, doesn't it? He's decaying with each passing day.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:28 amRight on! veritas
March 31st, 2007 at 11:29 am#9 I think we’re beginning to see the “very small man behind the curtain at Oz†as our president these days.
Comment by veritas — March 31, 2007 @ 11:18 am
I think WE see it because we are looking behind the headlines and learning the truth. Unfortunately the "average American" can't be bothered questioning what is spoon fed to them. Until there is accountability in the media our "neighbors" continue to buy into this crap.
Many of them today probably believe that the Walter Reed issue has been resolved.
March 31st, 2007 at 11:36 am"I Appp-ologize ?" (ala-Chandler Bing of Friends). The guy even choked when he said those words. It must be hard to say that, just like being president is a lot of hard work. Yeah, right!!
March 31st, 2007 at 11:42 amAh, reminds me of the good old days in Soviet Union when our beloved leader would visit the troops. We would volunteer to see who would play which wounded soldier and we would smile broadly and demand to be sent back to the front when beloved leader asked us how we were feeling. Such acting, such pathos! It made me wish I'd ignored my mother and studied drama with Stanislavski instead of joining the propaganda dept. I could have been a star.
March 31st, 2007 at 12:16 pmGood old alcoholic denial as usual.....
March 31st, 2007 at 1:13 pmGDumbya's publicity stunt at Walter Reed was just like his whole presiduncy and, in fact, his whole pathetic little life -- all hat and no cattle.
March 31st, 2007 at 3:51 pmONE OF THESE DAYS, AT ONE OF THESE "CAREFULLY STAGED" PHOTO-OPS, SOME BRAVE INDIVIDUAL LIKE MYSELF, IF I HAPPENED TO BE THERE BY CHANCE, IS GOING TO HAUL OFF AND GIVE CHIMPya A BIG PUNCH IN HIS SAPPY FACE AND KNOCK THE F*CKING CRAP OUT OF THIS CREEP----NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A "PHOTO-OP"O(A)wsome PUNCH-OP!!!! HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!!! HAH!
March 31st, 2007 at 5:19 pmGross.
March 31st, 2007 at 5:21 pmThe picture in my hometown paper had Bush almost high fiving a guy's prosthetic arm.
March 31st, 2007 at 8:04 pmBush: "This things pretty cool, wish I had one, your welcome by the way."
Did President Ding-Dong get on a treadmill with a one-legged soldier?
March 31st, 2007 at 9:35 pm[...] Reed would just be another photo op. You can read the commentary at Crooks and Liars and this from Think Progress » Anatomy of a photo-op.: Anatomy of a [...]
April 1st, 2007 at 6:53 amAnd as I vowed to rebuild New Orleans that night in Jackson Square, so will I rebuild Walter Reed. I promise. (hehe, ddn't see me with my fingers crossed, didya? hehe, psych).
April 1st, 2007 at 7:15 amWhat, exactly, was he appologizing for? The fact that he was too much of a coward to risk the same sacrifices these young men and women have? The fact that he repeatedly signed spending bills that CUT funds to Veterans programs over the past 6 years? The fact that he started an unjust, unprovoked, and illegal war based on lies? The fact that once he gets home he'll forget all about them again? Somebody should ask him what he plans to do to make things BETTER for these victims of his splendid little war, not just what he thinks this might do for his ratings. Surely he has some buddy somewhere he can appoint who can do a heck of a job...?
April 1st, 2007 at 7:41 amThinkProgress blows the lid off of Presidential Photo Ops. Great Work here folks.
April 1st, 2007 at 8:32 am15.- Good call on the aging. Look at rove too; he looks just like the emperor from star wars but he's still has a pretty good spring in his step during his rap debut - ugh
April 1st, 2007 at 5:32 pm