Photo Challenges Conservative Bloggers’ Claim Of “Staged” Obama Troop Visit
There’s a claim making the rounds right now on the top right wing blogs that the image of wildly-cheering troops during Obama’s visit with them in Iraq was staged.
The charge appears to be that Obama’s team manufactured the image by cherry-picking in advance troops who said they’d voted for Obama, giving cameras to them, and asking them to point them towards their Commander in Chief.
The big right-wing blogs Hot Air and Red State are on the case, with many other conservative bloggers in tow.
The basis for the whole claim appears to be an email that a talk radio guy says he received from an anonymous sergeant in Iraq. That sergeant claimed that the audience had been “pre-screened” and added: “They even handed out digital cameras and asked them to hold them up.”
The proof, according to the sergeant’s email, is that if you look at this Associated Press picture of the event, you’ll see that “all the cameras are the same models.”
Well…not sure about this one. Here’s another picture of the same event, and the cameras don’t really look so much like the same models. Click on the image to enlarge:
Of course, you never know — maybe the Obama team deliberately planted a couple of pink cameras in the audience in order to make the ruse more convincing.
So how long until CNN asks the White House for comment on this and runs a long segment on it?
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Actually, I don’t mind if Gibbs gets asked about it. But CNN and others better call out the liars if (as expected) this is all a bunch of hooey.
I don’t ever recall having seen a “single-use” camera with a zoom lens, as most of the cameras in that picture seem to have.
The right-wingers are lying. Big surprise.
Greg
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Here is the the thing, we all predicted they would find a way to try to devalue the troops cheering for him and if you notice most of the wingnut websites don’t even link to the actual guy who claims he got an anonymous email about it. The link through to someone else who links through to someone else who links to him. Mind you if its anonymous how could the original guy have known it was legit?
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On the other hand this exposes the idiocy of the right wing wrt to the military. Lets think on something for a moment. If in fact several people in the crowd had the same kind of camera would that be that surprising given that these are people in the military currently serving in Iraq? I can’t imagine that they have a Best Buy down the street. People who are running with this story WANT to believe it. Thats why RedState ran a story saying Captain Phillips jumped in the water and thats why he got rescued. They don’t care about the truth and this evidence won’t disuade them at all. See also the Hannity/Goldberg clip I posted in the other thread.
Is it just me, or is “Hot Air” one of the most appropriately named sites on the web?
The people that go to those websites and listen to right wing hate radio have preconceived notions and only wait for the garbage that comes from these right wingers to affirm their convoluted beliefs.
Can you smell the desperation??? Can you, can you…it smells a little like…hmmm…I can’t quite put my nose on it…hmmm…what is that smell? Oh…I got it now…it smells just like earl grey tea….
What a RIDICULOUS complaint! The Bush events were ALWAYS pre-screened and the questions were softballs. The Obama team allows other sides into events. The military is a captive audience, remember the time a soldier had the temerity to ask Sec. Rumsfield about armor for the Hummers? That never happened again. I think the soldiers are committed to the mission but tired of the revolving door redeployments they have endured in Iraq.
It gives me great pride and a sense of relief to know that we now have a President, VP and SOD determined to care for our brave soldiers, no matter for whom they voted. What a difference from bush/cheney/rumsfeld, who were content to screw even those brave troops who gave them their vote. No wonder the wingnuts are jealous and desperate. The see it too.
I am always surprised when anonymous information becomes credible by simply repeating it. Jammers have been doing this for decades and amazingly, even after being caught running fake stories manufactured by Jammers, the MSM will continue to propagate the lies rather than admit they were duped.
Sad and pathetic.
A most pathetic attempt. There are more different camera models than I would even think that soldiers overseas had access to. Another non-verified claim from an unnamed source. The only reason to even post this claim is to refute it. Show a verified quote from a named reliable source. Or at least a photo that shows that they have the same cameras. There is neither do the claim is proven false.
You know, the troops can bring cameras from home when they deploy. Those who want this country to succeed and prosper need to just “stay focused.” The right wing nuts are gonna be at this for atleast 4 more years (hopefully 8). So again, take it with a grain of salt and “stay focused.”
in wingnuttia, the bullshit train will never run out of cars.
since bush staged everything, down to pre-screened audiences
and planted questioners in the audience, the wingers assume
that Obama HAS to be doing the same.
of course the troops were cheering. Obama intends to send
them home. Iraq v. home. what a toughie?
Here’s my response – “So what if it’s true?”
That there would be many Obama supporters in the military is no great stretch of the imagination – AS HE WON A MAJOR ELECTORAL MANDATE!!! Plus, it’s not as if those in the military who voted for McCain wouldn’t also want to be photographed with the Commander-in-Chief while on active military duty, especially when Obama has promised to get them the hell out of there by sometime in 2010!
Wingnuts rejoice! They’re sputtering and stuttering because they don’t know how to get to Obama. I think it’s hilarious!
My mom and little brother are Obama supporters serving in Iraq with the 449th. Located a little bit away from where Obama came and met the troops. If he wanted soldiers for staged photo ops I think they would have been his first choice. They didn’t even know he was in Baghdad till he left, if they were pre-screening soldiers word would have got out. You can’t screen a thousand or so people and not have someone spill the beans.
Okay, this is ludicrous! The so-called “proof” is lame… If this sergeant thinks that all the cameras are the same in the Boston Globe photo, he needs to get his eyes examined! Just look at the thickness of the cameras! Please! And, as everyone who’s ever served in the Army in remote locations knows, the PX offers very little selection so you often end up with many Soldiers having the same cameras, CD players, TV’s, etc. We even wear the came civilian clothes…!
Of course they were especially chosen. They always choose VIPs to stand on the podium when the presidents comes. I have been to three events, while in the Army to see the president. That is just standard public events practice. As a soldier, I would have been THRILLED to get a free camera to take pictures. There was no lack of people trying to take pictures of President Clinton at my events, and free cameras weren’t even handed out,
Not only did Obama receive an electoral mandate, troops abroad donated money to his campaign by a six-to-one ratio over McCain.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/08/troops-deployed-abroad-give-61.html
To anyone based in reality, it should be no surprise to see him received well there.
Oh, you can be sure that they’ll be asked about it. Because, apparently, anything said by a right-wing blogger must be true! Or, at least that’s how the MSM treats it. So, before the end of the week, look for someone in the White House press corps to ask about this… If all else fails, and Chip Reid or Jake Tapper won’t step up, Major Garrett will faithfully answer the call.
Again it boils down to popularity. In the Republican Fantasy World, Obama is not very liked by the people. On the other hand, George W. Bush was. In order to look more popular (liked), Obama has to manufacture events. It’s delusional but there’s no other way to explain it.
It’s like right wing Little Green Footballs said the other day, “Wow. Racists, 9/11 truthers, and conspiracy theorists, all brought to you by Fox News. Featuring ‘the great Alex Jones.’ What the hell is wrong with Fox News?”
The right has become bizzaro world.
When he flies in, pretending to be a jet pilot, slips out of his flight suit and declares and end to combat operations, THEN we can say it is staged!
As a soldier who served in Afghanistan I can tell you the reason why so many people have the same camera. At the PX there is only a few types available without having to get one shipped in. There is no big box store to shop around at. At least in Kandahar in 2002 and 2005
“So how long until CNN asks the White House for comment on this and runs a long segment on it?”
Right after they get to the bottom of the “plastic turkey” and “Sarah Palin’s fake pregnancy” stories.
I’m not sure you guys really got the point of it, but that’s okay.
This is just plain stupid. He is the Commander-in-Chief–of course they’re gonna be cheering. What dumb f*** put this worthless non-story in print?
I was there when Bush arrived. A visit by the C-in-C required us to be welcoming and respectful. It made good sense. I never agreed with Bush’s Iraq adventure, but I took an oath and discharged my duty. I saluted the C-in-C even though I did not agree with his policy. No one forced me to do anything. I am guessing it was the same with Pres Obama. Man, when the C-in-C arrives you have no time for gripes. You just want to show up and be respectful. Were there #ssholes in my Brigade. Sure. But the army has the same quota of #ssholes as does our society at large.
Right wingers are goofy.If you’re going to report on each new bit of lunacy you’re going to wear yoursefl out on fiction.
People like Obama! This drives the right nuts. Suppose he did cherry pick the crowd for the image (99 percent unlikely), how would this be different than 8 years of Bush PR events? handpicked audiences for Bush appearances? prepicked questions for Bush media events?
BULL ****! That one pic might look like all the “same” (ie silver, which most cameras are) but if you look at other pics of that scene you will be hard pressed to see even TWO that look alike! Red, blue, black, yellow… this is all bull. No one supplied those cameras.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leecraker/sets/72157616512110404/detail/
Of course the Obama visit was staged. If the troups actually supported the President that would mean the world view of the conservative movement was completely wrong. So the only explanation for it must be that it was faked.
More pics linked here:
http://digg.com/political_opinion/Cam_Sham_Obama_s_Photo_Op_with_Cheering?t=24867591#c24867591
it is very difficult to fake a happy reaction. Very difficult…
Yep! There are a very wide seletion of camera models and manufacturers represented in that photo…almost as many as if you went into a camera store and looked at the selection of digital cameras below $500.
So if that claim is wrong…the eyewitness to this “staged event” probably really wasn’t there.
You’d think that these “fake soldiers” would at least be more careful about their claims and check them with the available news photos. And you’d hope that the same people that went into vast detail showing everyone how the Bush Military records were not the correct font and kerning would fact-check their sources.
NOT the same models…not by a long shot.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leecraker/3423816687/in/set-72157616512110404/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leecraker/3424622744/in/set-72157616512110404/
I don’t how many of you are military veterans, but when I was stationed overseas, the PX camera shop only had two or three various camera models to choose from. And since most everyone buys one if they don’t have one when they arrive, it is not unusual to have similar cameras. We just had to mark them/engrave an I.D. mark to prove ownership…so don’t get all conspiracy theory-itis for God sake. Everyone take a deep breath!
fake unsourced allegation is fake
I just received an anonymous email from an Iraq Seagant telling about some Saddam Hussain hidden foreign curreny they found hidden in one remote village.
They said, they need my name, bank account and address and a small fees and they will transfer the money to my account. They also said, I should keep 20% of the money for my headach and transfer the remaining to a foreign account in Nigeria, Africa. The total amount of the currencies, they said in US dollars is: $28.5 Million dollars.
This must be true, I have finally hit payday; please rejoicy with me by printing this in your blogs and neswpaper.
Since I am a very generous & godly person, I plan to share some of this lot with anyone who care to write me at:
Iraq_Seagant_Fees_Fraudster@Anonymous.com
Another laughably pathetic attack from the desperate lunatic fringe on the right.
But for the sake of argument, Obama is the Commander in Chief. As in, the highest ranking BOSS they have! Do you expect them to boo their boss or something? i mean, I believe their reactions are 100% genuine, but you’re not gonna see any negativity from an enlisted man towards the President in a very public media event like that!
This is all right-wingers are good for anymore. Why don’t they get another job, because America’s not listening to the idiotic rhetoric. Grow up, losers and take note of how “real patriots” do things! Your act and actions has grown increasingly boring.
Did anyone else notice that a “Jim Treacher”posted a blog above at April 14th, 05:24 pm. Odd, because a “Jim Treacher” was the author of the original blog linked to at “Hot Air.”
Same right wingnut, or a different right wingnut (or just a troll)?
No one has covered the fact that this fake story impugns not just the integrity of Obama and his team, but also General Odierno and his staff, and the troops at the event.
But then again, the right wingnuts consider the troops their props and tools. They can do whatever they want with them.
To include impugning them.
Mamzic has uncovered the conspiracy!
How does it impugn the integrity of the troops, exactly?
For those who thought that the election would put an end to this type of BS from the right-wing, it appears that with their diminishing strength and numbers, they’re making up for it in volume and desperate absurdity. Happy Teabag Day! lol
So… which defense are you guys going with?
Is is…
A. The cameras all look alike because the PX only has one or two models available, which proves the wingnuts are lying
or
B. The cameras don’t all look alike, which proves the wingnuts are lying?
Talk amongst yourselves if you have to (using the usual Townhouse/Journolist/New Way Forward/8:45am conference calls/etc.), then let the rest of us know which of your two mutually exclusive devastating rebuttals you decide to run with.
25% of our military voted for acorn boy, chew on that surrender monkeys. Oh by the way, the surge didn’t work and we are gutting the military budget. Yep, we love the military.
Of course many of the cameras are the same model. The PX only has a couple of models and a couple of years ago, Canon, Nikon and Kodak sent thousands of cameras to the troops.
Apparently no one sees the irony in the fact that the right wing blogs have the exact same wingnuts….
On politico, Ben Smith followed the twitter of a U.S. soldier who was at the event. The links are provided:
http://twitter.com/natevanloon
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0409/A_note_from_the_front.html
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0409/Twitters_from_the_Green_Zone.html?showall
Skippy–i see you are getting your news on Faux again. “we are gutting the military”. I know academics are not a strong suit for you guys, but when last years budget was $513 billion and it goes to $543 billion, that is an INCREASE not a DECREASE. I know that is not what Faux told you but I thought being homeschooled taught you about numbers.
Jim Treacher who wrote the piece at HotAir is a Right Wing loon who’s friends with Greg Gutfeld, go figure. Let them keep doing this, it and everything else they are doing. By the time they are done with the GOP we won’t have to worry, they are destroying their own party from within and it’s fabulous.
My wife and I handed out disposable cameras at our wedding. Strangely, they were all the same model. Our guests used them and provided shots of candid moments we would otherwise not have captured.
Does that mean my wedding was ’staged’?
Considering that the military gave 6 dollars to Obama for every 1 dollar they gave McSame, I’m not surprised they are grasping for straws. How did they miss the last eight years if they were paying this much attention?
The Republicans are suffering from Minority Hysteria.
# Jim Treacher | April 15th, 2009 at 02:55 am
Mamzic has uncovered the conspiracy!
How does it impugn the integrity of the troops, exactly?
You are implying that they are being manipulated by Obama’s PR team. Fact is Obama has the respect and admiration of the troops in ways AWOL and 5 Deferments never did. Why do you hate the troops and, by extension, America?
If you zoom in you can spot at least 1 iphone, 2 or three Cannons(all different colors) and a few Nikons. that’s what you can make out in about ten seconds of review. Another hoax post from the blogosphere. Anybody get verification that this guy was there?
Note to the construct labelled “Jim Treacher:” What is a treacher? Arthur Treacher’s teabagged little brother? Treachery misspelled? Agent of treachery? Or the better half of treacher-collins syndrome, facial defects?
I don’t recall anyone dressing him up in flight suit or having him parade around with a plastic turkey…they must be confusing him with the other guy.
my, what big balls the Republicans have! and bright, too… are they brass?
Regardless of the degree to which this event was staged, and whether it was more staged or less staged than George W’s events, we all agree that it would be wrong to ask soldiers in active service who they voted for, right?
Reticulator, you are absolutely right.
However, if the camera part was a lie then what makes you think that asking the soldiers who they voted for wasn’t a lie too?
Or, I should say, what makes you think that part of the story is true?
“Jim Treacher who wrote the piece at HotAir is a Right Wing loon who’s friends with Greg Gutfeld, go figure.”
Friends? Oh no, my dear. Much, much more than friends.
“You are implying that they are being manipulated by Obama’s PR team.”
But how does that impugn the integrity of the troops? How could they know they were being duped? You’re silly.
Even if this event is not staged, it does not take away from the fact that 85% of the military voted for McCain. Sorry guys, but puffing up your chests about something that makes very little diffference in the grand scheme of things is a waste of time. You might want to think about why your commander in chief is out telling the world that we are not a Judeo-Christian society when 65-70% of americans relate themselves to one sect of Christianity or another.
I have examined a bunch of these photos. Unlike many on this blog, I’ve been there, done that. I’ve been at the VIP visits in the last administration. When the soldiers got to the “cattle call” line, they didn’t pre-screen. Soldiers did ask questions of VIPs, to include about gear. As far as the digital cameras go — having been deployed and having first hand knowledge of the PX system there (when it was even more austere)…the obvious preponderance of a given model is unusual.
Something I hope you consider: There is a huge disconnect between what we see in-country and what is shown in the news. I can understand how its hard to draw a bead on things overseas if you use the media. Its not a left or right wing thing. The military comes from a cross section of our population. More important than abstract political issues is the concrete “who do I trust more to keep me alive and let us win.” Its literally life and death, “will I be able to live and be with my family.” That’s who the military tends to votes for, regardless of their party affiliation. The military isn’t a “red state/blue state”, they are simply Americans. No one overseas cares who they vote for, they are simply Americans, and those hostile to Americans will attempt to kill them regardless of their party affiliation. I’m a registered independent and have no love (or trust) for either party — and this is more common than is percieved by most. Parties don’t mean squat when you’re facing incoming rounds and IEDs, or representing our nation in any number of ways. Obama is our president and CinC, just as every other president before him. This is our service to the nation. The petty comments about red/blue is missing a color… its red, white and blue. Politics end at the water.
Then again, these people also claim the moon landing was a fake…
Those are not Marines in the photo. Army Reserve personnel who serve as support and rarely see combat would be quite happy to see President Obama. The Marines, who do almost all of the fighting and dying, would not be so giddy.
What about me. Sarah isn’t paying attention to me no more…
Really informative article ! waiting for more from you
really going to subscribe.