"Mission accomplished"-the work of a prankster?

[duck]

Bush Disavows 'Mission Accomplished' Link
Tue Oct 28, 8:21 PM ET Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!



WASHINGTON - Six months after he spoke on an aircraft carrier deck under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished," President Bush (news - web sites) disavowed any connection with the war message. Later, the White House changed its story and said there was a link.


AP Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: President Bush



Related Links
• Text of Bush News Conference (AP)
• Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended - May 1 (White House)



The "Mission Accomplished" boast has been mocked many times since Bush's carrier speech as criticism has mounted over the failed search for weapons of mass destruction and the continuing violence in Iraq (news - web sites).


When it was brought up again Tuesday at a news conference, Bush said, "The `Mission Accomplished' sign, of course, was put up by the members of the USS Abraham Lincoln, saying that their mission was accomplished."


"I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff — they weren't that ingenious, by the way."


That explanation hadn't surfaced during months of questions to White House officials about proclaiming the mission in Iraq successful while violence continued.


After the news conference, a White House spokeswoman said the Lincoln's crew asked the White House to have the sign made. The White House asked a private vendor to produce the sign, and the crew put it up, said the spokeswoman. She said she did not know who paid for the sign.


Later, a Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman called The Associated Press to reiterate that the banner was the crew's idea.


"It truly did signify a mission accomplished for the crew," Navy Cmdr. Conrad Chun said, adding the president's visit marked the end of the ship's 10-month international deployment.


The president's appearance on the Abraham Lincoln, which was returning home after service in the Persian Gulf, included his dramatic and much-publicized landing on the ship's deck.


Bush's disavowal Tuesday brought new criticism from Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) of Massachusetts and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark (news - web sites), who are both seeking the Democratic nomination to run against the president. Clark said Bush "backtracked on his May 1 political photo op on the USS Abraham Lincoln by blaming the troops on the aircraft carrier for the declaration of 'mission accomplished' in Iraq."

[Haiw]

:roll:
1984-ish

[duck]

My God, even the National Review was fooled by the unknown Navy prankster. Excerpts:

"August 1, 2003, 10:10 a.m.
Meet the Failing Press
Getting to the point.

By Peter J. Wallison



he public's esteem for the press and the media continues to fall along with the ratings of the presidency and Congress. This is a strange phenomenon, somewhat akin to the frog and the scorpion going down together. But several recent episodes illustrate why this is happening.
...
As American soldiers are attacked and in some cases killed in Iraq, the reports from all media sources have assumed the same structure. "Two American soldiers were killed in Iraq today," the report begins, "the 44th and 45th combat death since the president declared the end of major combat activities on May 1." What is the point of tabulating the number of deaths since the president's speech declaring that the airmen and sailors aboard the Abraham Lincoln had accomplished their mission? Like every other American, I cringe when I hear that another soldier has died, but I am angered when that loss is linked to what is obviously political point-scoring on the president."

Shocking, that the most conservative weekly is fooled in the same way as the more liberal papers. Was there a single news source that correctly quoted the President: "And if you want to have a laugh, look at that ridiculous banner behind me."

[Apogee]

In my opinion, this is President Bush's attempt at distancing himself from the notion that we had won when he landed on that carrier. But who are we kidding, he actually believed that the hard part of the operation was over.

I don't expect the President to be a fortune teller, b/c thats clearly unfair. But to change his opinion about his feelings a couple months ago is unfair to the American public.

Just my opinion though....

[StarvingStudent47]

The idea that Bush didn't know the banner was there, or didn't approve it, is horsepuckey. Come on guys, who are we trying to kid?

He'd have a lot more credibility if he said "Yeah, that was a mistake and it was very premature to display such a banner. If I could do that day again, I wouldn't put up that banner." Bush's refusal to admit any fault about anything--even over a minor but embarassing issue like this--severely damages his credibility overall.

[Splinter26]

Blaming it all on troops now huh? Goddamn I miss Clinton...