[Vision2020] Re: The photo op sign
DonaldH675@aol.com
DonaldH675@aol.com
Thu, 4 Mar 2004 01:51:08 EST
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Well, not quite P. Kraut. I think the following news story is more complete
and more accurate than your account.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/
Navy suggested it, White House made it, both sides say
>From Dana Bash
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, October 29, 2003 Posted: 9:18 AM EST (1418 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- What was once viewed as a premier presidential photo op
continues to dog President Bush six months after he landed on an aircraft
carrier to declare "one victory" in the war on terrorism and an end to major combat
operations in Iraq.
Attention turned Tuesday to a giant "Mission Accomplished" sign that stood
behind Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when he gave the speech May 1. The
president told reporters the sign was put up by the Navy, not the White House.
"I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff
-- they weren't that ingenious, by the way," the president said Tuesday. Now
his statements are being parsed even further. Navy and administration sources
said that though the banner was the Navy's idea, the White House actually made
it.
Bush offered the explanation after being asked whether his speech declaring
an end to major combat in Iraq under the "Mission Accomplished" banner was
premature, given that U.S. casualties in Iraq since then have surpassed those
before it.
During the speech in May, Bush said, "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a
war on terror that began on September 11, 2001, and still goes on."
The speech and events surrounding it were widely publicized and served as the
symbolic end to the war in Iraq.
At the time, it appeared that every detail of the day's events had been
carefully planned, including the president's arrival in the co-pilot's seat of a
Navy S-3B Viking after making two flybys of the carrier.
The exterior of the four-seat S-3B Viking was marked with "Navy 1" and
"George W. Bush Commander in Chief."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the
speech, Navy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a "Mission
Accomplished" banner, and the White House agreed to create it.
"We took care of the production of it," McClellan said. "We have people to do
those things. But the Navy actually put it up."
The banner has been used by critics of the Bush administration as evidence of
bravado and an unclear sense of how dangerous the postwar conflict in Iraq
would be.
Assigning responsibility elsewhere, especially to the military, is not a
typical move for the Bush administration and raised suspicions among critics.
Cmdr. Conrad Chun, a Navy spokesman, defended the president's assertion.
"The banner was a Navy idea, the ship's idea," Chun said.
"The banner signified the successful completion of the ship's deployment," he
said, noting the Abraham Lincoln was deployed 290 days, longer than any other
nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history.
At the time of the event, Democrats worried President Bush would use his
speech and the dramatic landing for political gain.
On Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidates, hoping to make it a political
liability for Bush, accused him of trying to shift blame for the stagecraft
to the Navy.
"Landing on an aircraft carrier and saying 'mission accomplished' didn't end
a war, and standing in the Rose Garden and stating that 'Iraq is a dangerous
place' does nothing to make American troops safer," Sen. John Kerry of
Massachusetts said in a written statement Tuesday."
Rose Huskey
Once you lose integrity everything else is easy.
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<H3 style=3D"MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=
=3D3>Well, not quite P. Kraut. I think the following news story is mor=
e complete and more accurate than your account.</FONT></SPAN></H3>
<H3 style=3D"MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A href=
=3D"http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/"><FONT s=
ize=3D3>http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/28/mission.accomplished/</FON=
T></A></SPAN></H3>
<H3 style=3D"MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=
=3D3>Navy suggested it, White House made it, both sides say<o:p></o:p></FONT=
></SPAN></H3>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">From D=
ana Bash<BR>CNN </SPAN><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt;=
FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Washington</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State></FONT><FONT s=
ize=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Bureau<BR></SPA=
N><st1:date Month=3D"10" Day=3D"29" Year=3D"2003"><SPAN class=3Dcnnstorytime=
><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><!-- date -->Wednesday,=
October 29, 2003</SPAN></SPAN></st1:date><SPAN class=3Dcnnstorytime><SPAN s=
tyle=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Posted: </SPAN></SPAN><st1:tim=
e Hour=3D"9" Minute=3D"18"><SPAN class=3Dcnnstorytime><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SI=
ZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">9:18 AM EST</SPAN></SPAN></st1:time><SPAN clas=
s=3Dcnnstorytime><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> (1418=20=
GMT)</SPAN></SPAN></FONT><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"=
><BR style=3D"mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style=3D"mso-special-ch=
aracter: line-break"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P><!-- /date -->
<P><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><!--startclickpr=
intexclude--><FONT size=3D3>WASHINGTON (CNN) --</FONT></SPAN></B><FONT size=
=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </SPAN><B><SPAN st=
yle=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">What was once viewed as a prem=
ier presidential photo op continues to dog President Bush six months after h=
e landed on an aircraft carrier to declare "one victory" in the war on terro=
rism and an end to major combat operations in Iraq.</SPAN></B><SPAN style=
=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Attent=
ion turned Tuesday to a giant "Mission Accomplished" sign that stood behind=20=
Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln when he gave the speech May 1. </FONT></=
SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>The=20=
president told reporters the sign was put up by the Navy, not the White Hous=
e. </FONT></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT s=
ize=3D3>"I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from=
my staff -- they weren't that ingenious, by the way," the president said Tu=
esday. </FONT></SPAN><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FO=
NT size=3D3>Now his statements are being parsed even further. </FONT></SPAN>=
<SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Navy and=20=
administration sources said that though the banner was the Navy's idea, the=20=
White House actually made it. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Bush o=
ffered the explanation after being asked whether his speech declaring an end=
to major combat in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FON=
T-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Iraq</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-regio=
n><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> under the "Mission Ac=
complished" banner was premature, given that </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1=
:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">U.S.</SPAN></st1:=
place></st1:country-region><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Aria=
l"> casualties in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-=
SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Iraq</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region>=
<SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> since then have surpass=
ed those before it. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY=
: Arial">During the speech in May, Bush said, "The battle of </SPAN><st1:cou=
ntry-region><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I=
raq</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region></FONT><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE:=20=
10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3> is one victory</FONT> in a war on=20=
terror that began on </SPAN><st1:date Month=3D"9" Day=3D"11" Year=3D"2001"><=
SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">September 11, 2001</SPAN>=
</st1:date><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, and still g=
oes on." <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The sp=
eech and events surrounding it were widely publicized and served as the symb=
olic end to the war in </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"=
FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Iraq</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-re=
gion><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">. </SPAN></FONT></P=
>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN=
></FONT><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>A=
t the time, it appeared that every detail of the day's events had been caref=
ully planned, including the president's arrival in the co-pilot's seat of a=20=
Navy S-3B Viking after making two flybys of the carrier. <o:p></o:p></FONT><=
/SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>The ex=
terior of the four-seat S-3B Viking was marked with "Navy 1" and "George W.=20=
Bush Commander in Chief." <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>White=20=
House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the speech, N=
avy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a "Mission Accompli=
shed" banner, and the White House agreed to create it. <o:p></o:p></FONT></S=
PAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>"We to=
ok care of the production of it," McClellan said. "We have people to do thos=
e things. But the Navy actually put it up." <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The ba=
nner has been used by critics of the Bush administration as evidence of brav=
ado and an unclear sense of how dangerous the postwar conflict in </SPAN><st=
1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Ari=
al">Iraq</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10=
pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> would be. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Assign=
ing responsibility elsewhere, especially to the military, is not a typical m=
ove for the Bush administration and raised suspicions among critics. <o:p></=
o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>Cmdr.=20=
Conrad Chun, a Navy spokesman, defended the president's assertion. <o:p></o:=
p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>"The b=
anner was a Navy idea, the ship's idea," Chun said. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN=
></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>"The b=
anner signified the successful completion of the ship's deployment," he said=
, noting the Abraham Lincoln was deployed 290 days, longer than any other nu=
clear-powered aircraft carrier in history. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>At the=
time of the event, Democrats worried President Bush would use his speech an=
d the dramatic landing for political gain. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT size=3D3>On Tue=
sday, Democratic presidential candidates, hoping to make it a political liab=
ility for Bush, accused him of trying to shift blame for the stagecraft to t=
he Navy. <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">"Landi=
ng on an aircraft carrier and saying 'mission accomplished' didn't end a war=
, and standing in the Rose Garden and stating that '</SPAN><st1:country-regi=
on><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Iraq</SPAN=
></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMIL=
Y: Arial"> is a dangerous place' does nothing to make American troops safer,=
" Sen. John Kerry of </SPAN><st1:State><st1:place><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE:=20=
10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Massachusetts</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN=20=
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> said in a written statement T=
uesday."</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Rose H=
uskey</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3D3><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN=
></FONT><FONT size=3D3>Once you lose integrity everything else is easy.<SPAN=
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT size=3D3> =
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