white house press

ABC's Failed Attempt At Humor

ABC earlier posted a memo that was supposedly leaked from someone in the White House. They did this on their political page "The Note"

Maybe leaks are going to be more common in the Tony Snow Era.

The man has not even started officially yet as White House press secretary, and already the tightness of the Andy Card days seems to be a thing of the past.

ABC News has exclusively obtained this undated memo from Snow to his new colleagues. It is not clear when it was written, but from the content, it must have been in the last few days. It was given to ABC News by a Republican who is not pleased with Snow's hiring.

At publication time, calls to Snow, Bolten, and the White House press office were not returned

Raw Story, Huffington Post and a Daily Kos blogger made reports on this. I even had one ready to go until I checked out the reliable Raw Story to see if they had anything and boy did they:

Earlier today, RAW STORY linked to a story by ABC News which purported to be a memo from the new White House press secretary Tony Snow. ABC News has confirmed the memo was intended as satire, though no indication was made on the story.

An ABC spokesman confirmed the memo was satire in a response to an email query.

"The Note is our daily political newsletter, which is also available on our site. I often send out popular and original stories from our web site (not press releases)," ABC News Media Relations spokeswoman Megan Mollman said. "The memo was a satire."

The Note occasionally provides satire pieces, though this was the first RAW STORY received from ABC that wasn't real news. Some bloggers have picked up the memo as real.

Snow Officially Replaces McClellan

It is now official - Tony Snow will be moving into Scott McClellan's office:

Fox News commentator Tony Snow was named White House press secretary today after top officials assured him that he would be not just a spokesman but an active participant in administration policy debates, people familiar with the discussions said.

A former director of speechwriting for President Bush's father, Snow views himself as well positioned to ease the tensions between this White House and the press corps because he understands both politics and journalism, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the appointment had not been officially confirmed, although an announcement is expected today.

I want to take a moment to clarify on the Storm Front article. There is some discussion that Tony Snow may not have written that article for Storm Front and instead they just put it up. I agree that is a great possibility. As matter of fact sites do that all the time but most respectable sites will also link to the place that they got the article or put a foot note that the article was originally written for so and so and appeared in whatever outlet.

Looking Like Snow In The White House

He will still be the mouthpiece of the administration, the only difference is he will now be in Scott McClellan's office:

Sources close to the White House said Monday that Fox anchor Tony Snow is likely to accept the job as White House press secretary, succeeding Scott McClellan.

The sources said they expect him to announce his decision within the next few days.

A source familiar with the discussions said Monday that newly appointed Chief of Staff Josh Bolten asked Snow to make a decision by early this week.

Two sources familiar with the discussions said Bolten wanted to fill the post this week, as early as Tuesday.

Sources familiar with Snow's deliberations said he has been focusing on family, finances and his health.

It will be really interesting to see how long old Tony can handle this job. True he does have a good resume for it. Working for Fox has given him some great practice at lying to the American people. I just wonder now if Tony will ask Storm Front to remove his piece. That could really cost the administration some minority votes if it got out.

Does Rove Signal More To Come In Plame?

The front page of today's Washington Post has an interesting headline - "White House Shifts Into Survival Mode":

In a White House known for both defiance and optimism, yesterday's senior staff changes represent a frank acknowledgment of the trouble in which President Bush now finds himself. They are also a signal of how starkly Bush's second-term ambitions have shifted after a year of persistent problems at home and abroad.

Longtime Bush confidant Karl Rove -- who had hoped to use his position of deputy chief of staff to usher in an expansive conservative agenda -- was relieved of his policy portfolio to concentrate on long-term strategy and planning for a November midterm election that looks increasingly bleak for Republicans.

Rove probably will remain one of the most influential voices in the White House, but his shift in responsibilities suggests that new White House Chief of Staff Joshua B. Bolten intends to operate a different White House than his predecessor, Andrew H. Card Jr., who resigned after more than five years at the helm.

Bolten's White House, say former administration officials and Republican strategists, is likely to have clearer lines of authority and less free-lancing by powerful officials. They also expect Bolten to play a more active and influential role in shaping domestic policy than did Card.

What is interesting is how a lot of the media is dodging around the real question of why Rove was switched. Perhaps the question still lies in the Valerie Plame case. Interesting is the fact that at the same time of this announcement yesterday this was also going on:

White House Shake Up Continues

First up - what about Scotty?

A Bush administration shake-up continued Wednesday, with White House press secretary Scott McClellan announcing his resignation and a source saying that adviser Karl Rove would shed some duties.

Appearing with Bush on the White House South Lawn just before the president boarded a helicopter at the start a trip to Alabama, McClellan, who has parried especially fiercely with reporters on Iraq and on intelligence issues, told Bush: “I have given it my all sir and I have given you my all sir, and I will continue to do so as we transition to a new press secretary.”

Bush said McClellan had “a challenging assignment.”

“I thought he handled his assignment with class, integrity,” the president said. “It’s going to be hard to replace Scott, but nevertheless he made the decision and I accepted it. One of these days, he and I are going to be rocking in chairs in Texas and talking about the good old days.”

Yeah it is a "challenging assignment" when your sole purpose of existence is to stand before a bunch of reporters and the American people day after day and lie. Perhaps Scotty will have a nice new career as a used car salesman.

Also it looks like the shake up is hitting Rove some:

Also, a senior administration official revealed another move in the ongoing shake-up of Bush’s staff, saying Rove, the president's longtime confidant and adviser, is giving up oversight of policy development to focus more on politics with the approach of the fall midterm elections.

The source told NBC that the shift was “an acknowledgement of the tough political climate.”

Rove “is the best pitcher in the league in terms of politics and strategy,” the source added, so “it’s obvious” he should focus on the mid-term elections.

The Libby Response

After reading through the 29 page response filed by Scooter Libby's attorneys this week, I uncovered something I found of interest.

The response gives us a look into who may be called to the witness stand and what role their testimony could play.

Firs up is Marc Grossman, former Under Secretary of Political Affairs. Grossman's involvement in the case is of no surprise to anyone following it. We have known for quiet sometime that he allegedly told Scooter Libby about Valerie Plame. Grossman also refused to answer this allegation during the grand jury investigation.

Up next is former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. The defense is questioning rather Ari learned about Plame's identity from someone at the State Department or at the CIA. The response also highlights that night aboard Air Force One when the secret memo containing Plame's identity was allegedly passed around:

Press accounts suggest that Mr. Fleischer may have learned about Ms. Wilson during his trip to Africa after seeing it in a classified report sent to Mr. Powell on Air Force One and then disclosed this information to reporters.

Here is the most interesting part of the filing involving Ari Fleischer

Finally, the defense also seeks documents that will shed light on the Administration’s response to criticism from Mr. Wilson. The government questioned Mr. Libby about this topic at length in the grand jury, and it put it at issue in the indictment and with its proposed use of the NIE. As the White House press secretary, Mr. Fleischer likely played a key role in orchestrating and implementing the Administration’s strategy for rebutting Mr. Wilson’s claims. Documents from his files – or from anywhere in the White House – that relate to this subject must be produced pursuant to Rule 16.

The Road to Guantanamo

You have to watch this: http://www.channel4.com/guantanamo

I've been sitting here for the past two hours watching a documentry/film about the 3 british Guys who were detained at Guantanamo for months.

It tells the story of their capture, why they were there, how they were captured and above all the relentless abuse and torture they suffered at the hands of the US Troops.

It's disgusting, it's shocking, the Bush administration must be held accountable for the actions of the troops in Guantanamo. What is shown breaks every rule in the Geneva Convention, no food, no water and torture.

No wonder no one has access to what goes on there, if there was, Bush would be out of office and up in court on charges.

Now I know some of you will sit there and agree with what goes on there, but just try and remember back to the days of Dessert Storm, remember your troops that were captured and tortured, remember the outcry, the protests, the White House press conferences condemming what was going on. Well blow me..if the Bush administration isn't doing the same now....EXCEPT this time it's OK because I'm the President of the USA and I can do whatever I fucking please.

Ahhhh..that feels better for airing my thoughts

take a look here: http://www.channel4.com/guantanamo

The AP Picks Up The Vanity Fair Story

With the Associated Press picking up on the Vanity Fair article about Abramoff and Bush is a real good thing:

Convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff says President Bush knew him well enough to joke with him about weightlifting. "What are you benching, buff guy?" Abramoff said Bush asked him. The president has said he doesn't know Abramoff.

Abramoff said he finds it hard to believe Bush doesn't remember the 10 or so photos he and members of his family had snapped with the president and first lady.

"He (Bush) has one of the best memories of any politician I have ever met," Abramoff wrote in an e-mail, according to Vanity Fair's April issue being released this week. "Perhaps he has forgotten everything. Who knows?"

Now that the story is getting out there even louder it should provoke for another heated round in the White House press room. I am sure the spin machine is pulling an all nighter to figure out how to deal with it.

Shock and Awe; the Sequel

I came across this blog entry at opednews.com and found it extremely interest reading and felt it well worth putting on here, read it all yourself and draw your owm conclusions:

The Bush administration has unilaterally repealed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) by demanding that Iran cease all uranium enrichment. This action overturns the central principle of the treaty which provides states with the "inalienable right" (NPT phrase) to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Two years of intrusive inspections by the UN watchdog agency (IAEA) have never produced "any evidence of nuclear weapons programs" or any diversion of nuclear material. Nevertheless, the US insists that Iran be deprived of the same right that is afforded to every other signatory of the NPT.

What gives Washington the right to rescind an internationally-recognized treaty?

White House press secretary Scott McClellan summarized the administration's view saying, "We've made it clear as have many in the international community that the regime must suspend all enrichment activity. It cannot be allowed to pursue enrichment in any capacity on any scale that would allow the regime to develop technologies needed to develop nuclear weapons."

McClellan's comments are a clear violation of the letter and spirit of the treaty which is not intended to arbitrarily deprive any member of the advantages of nuclear technology. The administration's brazen declaration puts the onus on the 35-member board of the IAEA to reject the demands. Unfortunately, most of them are already cowed by the bullying tactics of the US.

We Got Another Leak

This is too funny to pass up:

Latest Bush administration leak comes
from ... Bush

CAMBRIDGE, Md. The source of the latest leak from the Bush administration
is: President Bush himself.

Thanks to an error by a White House technician, the sound of what were
supposed to be private remarks to G-O-P House members was relayed to the
White House press corps.

Bush made a brief public speech to lawmakers at their retreat on
Maryland's Eastern Shore. He then shooed out reporters and photographers,
saying, "I support the free press, let's just get 'em out of the room."

Once they were gone, Bush -- not realizing he was still audible -- said,
"I expect this conversation we're about to have to stay in the room." He
added, "I know that's impossible in Washington."

Bush then spoke for roughly two minutes on the war on terror and his
warrantless eavesdropping program before the outside feed was switched off.
On the surveillance, he repeated earlier assertions he'd cleared the program
with top government lawyers.

Via kaji8.

I wonder if someone will be losing their job over this one.

Photos Of Bush And Abramoff Do Exist

Since the guilty plea of Jack Abramoff there has been a lot of back and forth
discussion in the White House Press room regarding the President's acquaintances
with Abramoff. Scott McClellan has tried hard to deny any such meetings yet
reporters like David Gregory have been hard to fire back and try to get answers.

One of McClellans's defenses has been there are no photos of Bush and
Abramoff together. Yesterday that defense seemed to have some holes in it when

Washontonian reported they had scene photos of the two together:

If the White House canÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t find the photos, prosecutors already know where
to look. The Washingtonian has seen five photos of the President with
Abramoff or his family. One photo shows the President and Abramoff shaking
hands at a meeting in the Old Executive Office Building, where a
bearded-Abramoff introduced Bush to several of the lobbyistÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s
native-American clients.

View complete article
here.

That article did not get much attention yesterday because it wasn't reported
on by the mainstream media. Well today that changes.
Time
magazine is now reporting that the photos do exist:

Change A Word, Change A Poll

Here is a prime example of how different wording in a poll can alter its
outcome.

Should the National Security Agency be allowed to intercept telephone
conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people
living in the United States?

Yes 64%

No 23%

That was Rasmussen's
poll released earlier this week. Notice the poll does not include the word "warantless".
This poll was even referenced during a White House press briefing this week by
Scott McClellan (Think
Progress has more on that).

Now for today's new poll done by

AP-IPSOS:

Should the Bush administration be required to get a warrant from a judge
before monitoring phone and internet communications between American
citizens in the United States and suspected terrorists, or should the
government be allowed to monitor such communications without a warrant?

Should be required to get a warrant 56%

Should be allowed to monitor without a warrant 42%

Not sure 2%

So only 64% think the administration should be able to tap period. That is
with or without a warrant since the question did not clarify it. Actually that
is a very low number. That means the rest of the people might question if the
courts should be allowed to issue warrants at all.

McClellan's Mother Parts With GOP

It seems as though White House press secretary Scott McClellan's mother has
some problems with the Republican Party.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn turned her back on the
Republican Party and announced Monday she will run for governor as an
independent.

The move allows Strayhorn to escape a potentially ugly primary battle
against Gov. Rick Perry. The GOP primary is set for March 7.

Strayhorn, who calls herself "One Tough Grandma," has been a harsh critic
of Perry's leadership over the past couple of years. Monday's announcement
all but guarantees Perry will be the Republican candidate on the November
ballot.

"I am a Republican," she said. "But I know we must set partisan politics
aside and do what's best for Texas. That is why I am running for governor as
a Texas independent."

View complete article

here.

Even though it sounds like a pretty non-partisan, neutral stance on her
reasoning's for leaving the party, Raw Story
gives us a better look into some of her harsh words against Rick Perry:

Strayhorn has been a harsh critic of Perry's leadership over the past
several years. She has described Perry as "a weak leadin', ethics ignorin',
pointin' the finger at everyone blamin', special session callin', public
school slashin', slush fund spendin', toll road buildin', special interest
panderin', rainy day fund raidin', fee increasin', no property tax cuttin',
promise breakin', do nothin' phony conservative."

More White House Dirty Tricks

Here's a new exciting low to the ethical level the White House will go. It
appears as though they are now changing the transcripts of the press
conferences. This view
Think
Progress:

There is a brewing controversy about what exactly was said at the White
House press conference on October 31. Everyone agrees NBC?s David Gregory
said this:

Q Whether there?s a question of legality, we know for a fact that there
was involvement. We know that Karl Rove, based on what he and his lawyer
have said, did have a conversation about somebody who Patrick Fitzgerald
said was a covert officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. We know that
Scooter Libby also had conversations.

Congressional Quarterly and FNS both transcribed Press Secretary Scott
McClellan?s answer as ?That?s accurate.? The White House transcript lists
McClellan?s answer as ?I don?t think that?s accurate.?

View full article
here.

This really comes as no surprise. If this story gains momentum then it will
be the perfect excuse for the White House to replace Scott McClellan with
someone else. As matter of fact, that could be the very reason for this
alteration.

What Did Bush Know and When?

Tuesday during the Senate shut down that Harry Reid caused, the Situation
Room had James Carville on talking about the leak investigation. During his
statements they were discussing the need for the vice-President to come clean on
his involvement in the leak. I thought it was interesting when Carville said "we
need the President to come clean".

Appearing in tomorrow's edition of the New York Times is an article which
also addresses the President's involvement.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 - In the hours before the Justice Department informed
the White House in late September 2003 that it would investigate the leak of
a covert C.I.A. officer's identity, Scott McClellan, the White House press
secretary, gave reporters what turned out to be a rare glimpse into
President Bush's knowledge of the case.

Mr. Bush, he said, "knows" that Karl Rove, his senior adviser, had not
been the source of the leak. Pressed on how Mr. Bush was certain, Mr.
McClellan said he was "not going to get into conversations that the
president has with advisers," but made no effort to erase the impression
that Mr. Rove had assured Mr. Bush that he had not been involved.

Since then, administration officials and Mr. Bush himself have carefully
avoided disclosing anything about any involvement the president may have had
in the events surrounding the disclosure of the officer's identity or
anything about what his aides may have told them about their roles. Citing
the continuing investigation and now the pending trial of I. Lewis Libby
Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, they have declined
to comment on almost any aspect of the case.

The issue now for the White House is how long it can go on deflecting the
inquiries and trying to keep the focus away from Mr. Bush.