Three major stories surfaced, over the flat and guarded media holiday, Barack Obama's Memorial Day Story (on one of his uncle's being the first to save a concentration camp, of Jewish people, in W.W.II) and Sharon Stone (in Cannes, France) at the Cannes Film Festival's Red Carpet, where she made a comment about China's Earthquake, being "Karma" for their treatment of the Dalai Lama and Tibet. Finally, Scott MCClellan has come out with a brand new book, which levels huge dispersions, against the Bush White House, cabinet members, and other things which may, or may not have been 100% accurate. All three of these stories, which have just broken over the last 24 hours (in the US), have legs, but are the actually being reported and discussed accurately?
First, Barack Obama stood in front of a captivated audience, in New Mexico. He was speaking about the United States troops, both past and present, when he broke into a story from his past.
He said, "I had an uncle, who was one of the, um, who was part of the first American troops to go in Auschwitz. And liberate the concentration camps. The story of our family, was when he came home, he just went up to the attic and did not come outside the house for six months."
A truly compelling story, on a day that is meant for reflection and remembering those who are serving, or who have served. However, upon the media's digging, "The Red Army" was the group that liberated Auschwitz, not Obama's uncle, Obama's uncle's unit, not even an American force. However, upon further evaluation, Obama's uncle (Charles Payne) was a member of a unit, in W.W.II, that did liberate a concentration camp, in Buchenwald. Mistakes are made in speeches and/or taken out of context, but Alex Conant (of the RNC, Republican National Convention, spokesman) issued a press release on the mistake.
He said (on behalf of the RNC), "Obama's frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead, as commander-in-chief."
Obama's campaign, then had to take care of damage control and issued the actual story and clear up the misconception (mistake, if you will). Bill Burton, of the Obama campaign said, "Yesterday he mistakenly referred to Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald in telling of his personal experience of a soldier in his family who served heroically."
The next snafu of words, was not from a politician, but a Hollywood elite and friend of the Dalai Lama, Sharon Stone. Stone was asked a question, from an Asian reporter (on the red carpet of a film festival), about the situation in China and the earthquake that has killed over 80,000 people, with thousands still in hospitals and missing. Ms. Stone had a staggered approach to her answer, to the question, Staggering it in a linear and time line, in her own head, as she answered.
She openly said, "Well you know it is very interesting, because at first I was not happy about the Chinese and the way they were treating the Tibetans, because I do not believe that anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so, I have been very concerned and have had to think, about how and what to do about that, because I don't like that. Then I was, like, how to we (the US) deal with the Olympics? Because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake happened and I began to think. Is that Karma, when you are not nice and then the bad things happen to you? And then I got a letter, from the Tibetan Foundation, and they wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry. And they asked me if I would write a quote about that? And I said that I would, because it was a big lesson to me, that sometimes you have to learn and put your head down, be of service, even when people are not nice to you."
When the Sharon Stone quote is read, it is an obvious reflection of how she felt like she was wrong, in thinking that the earthquake was "Karma" and the Chinese deserved whatever they got. In turn, she was actually saying, no matter who a person, group, country, or ideological society is and what they are doing (right, or wrong), a person is still to "put their head down" and do the right thing. However, on Greta Van Susteren's show, "On the Record" on Fox News Channel, Greta and Dawn Yaneck, of Life & Style Weekly, put Sharon Stone thru the ringer. Stating only the facts, of the "Karma comment" and leaving out the totality of her comments. They insinuated (even using the frozen graphic, under the interviewer and Susteren) and blatantly stated, "Actress Sharon Stone suggests earthquake in China was Karma." When this could not be any further from the truth, as shown, by the complete remarks, above.
Finally, former official White House Spokesman/Press Secretary, Scott MCClellan, has written a book, What Happened. In this soon to be released book, in early June, he hammers President Bush, Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams, Scooter Libby, and other White House officials. In fact stating, "I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood. It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively. I didn't learn that what I'd said was untrue until the media began to figure it out almost two years later." This quote involving the Valerie Plame story, Hurricane Katrina, and the war in Iraq. He continued saying that "he and President Bush" were victims of deception, in the Plame fiasco (ruled over by Rove, Libby, Cheney, and others). Yet, he hammered President Bush on his handling of Iraq and the Katrina disaster.
One of these quotes is especially appealing, to look at, he states in the book, "History appears poised to confirm what most Americans today have decided: that the decision to invade Iraq was a serious strategic blunder. No one, including me, can know without absolute certainty, how the war will be viewed decades from now, when we can fully understand its impact. What I do know is war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war, was not necessary." He continued on stating, "the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the country."
What is amazing about the MCClellan story and soon to be released book, is every person in the White House Corps, has come out stating that Scott never broke rank, raised any objections to policy, and stayed in lock step (rather than speaking out, until now, in book form). However, his job description, as all White House officials, is to speak up and take a stand in things they could sway, not agree with, and most of all speak out against things, they believe to not be in the nation's interest, but also with their own interests. MCClellan has leaked these several quotes out, just days before his book hits shelves, using Politico.com to speak at his behest, just giving the interviewer, enough of a carrot to take to the major media, news media, and talk radio media outlets, to create a buzz for his book sales. When working for the White House and President Bush, Scott MCClellan was a "yes man" (with no shadow of a doubt), now he looks more like a Huffington Press blogger/hit man.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The amazing thing about the three of these stories: Barack Obama made a simple mistake, in a setting that was non-scripted and in front of a live crowd of people (on a National Holiday). Everyone is entitled to a mistake, which Obama obviously made, then corrected. Sharon Stone made a linear statement, once again live and off the cuff, and she spoke from the heart, was eloquent in her point and ending. Although, was crucified by the television people, taken out of context, and was put as the antipathy of good taste. The media people going almost to the point, of saying she thought the Chinese people deserved to die, in the earthquake (which was not at all, what she said). Finally, Scott MCClellan, spills just enough venom and twists some words out of his book, to a web site reporter, to stir a buzz, just to sell books. He has thrown everyone under the bus, and looks transparent and weak, in his statements.
Where the truth begins and the distortion begins, is sometimes hard to find. However, when dealing with clear cut quotes, actual scenarios, and a book in print, there should not be any real disputing whole details. Should there? Three different scenarios, above, on the same day in the news, but three different outlooks, smearing campaigns, and an overall self serving outlook. Whether it is the Clintons (or republicans) hammering Obama for political gain, Greta Van Susteren and some mediocre tabloid beauty for rating, or a former White House official distorting his experience in the White House (when he was not in classified oval office meetings, things he alluded to and did not give full answers, and he never spoke up when being employed by the White House) to sell books. It all boils down to some kind of narcissism and sadly anyone is a target, to the whims of people serving themselves.
First, Barack Obama stood in front of a captivated audience, in New Mexico. He was speaking about the United States troops, both past and present, when he broke into a story from his past.
He said, "I had an uncle, who was one of the, um, who was part of the first American troops to go in Auschwitz. And liberate the concentration camps. The story of our family, was when he came home, he just went up to the attic and did not come outside the house for six months."
A truly compelling story, on a day that is meant for reflection and remembering those who are serving, or who have served. However, upon the media's digging, "The Red Army" was the group that liberated Auschwitz, not Obama's uncle, Obama's uncle's unit, not even an American force. However, upon further evaluation, Obama's uncle (Charles Payne) was a member of a unit, in W.W.II, that did liberate a concentration camp, in Buchenwald. Mistakes are made in speeches and/or taken out of context, but Alex Conant (of the RNC, Republican National Convention, spokesman) issued a press release on the mistake.
He said (on behalf of the RNC), "Obama's frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead, as commander-in-chief."
Obama's campaign, then had to take care of damage control and issued the actual story and clear up the misconception (mistake, if you will). Bill Burton, of the Obama campaign said, "Yesterday he mistakenly referred to Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald in telling of his personal experience of a soldier in his family who served heroically."
The next snafu of words, was not from a politician, but a Hollywood elite and friend of the Dalai Lama, Sharon Stone. Stone was asked a question, from an Asian reporter (on the red carpet of a film festival), about the situation in China and the earthquake that has killed over 80,000 people, with thousands still in hospitals and missing. Ms. Stone had a staggered approach to her answer, to the question, Staggering it in a linear and time line, in her own head, as she answered.
She openly said, "Well you know it is very interesting, because at first I was not happy about the Chinese and the way they were treating the Tibetans, because I do not believe that anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so, I have been very concerned and have had to think, about how and what to do about that, because I don't like that. Then I was, like, how to we (the US) deal with the Olympics? Because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake happened and I began to think. Is that Karma, when you are not nice and then the bad things happen to you? And then I got a letter, from the Tibetan Foundation, and they wanted to go and be helpful, and that made me cry. And they asked me if I would write a quote about that? And I said that I would, because it was a big lesson to me, that sometimes you have to learn and put your head down, be of service, even when people are not nice to you."
When the Sharon Stone quote is read, it is an obvious reflection of how she felt like she was wrong, in thinking that the earthquake was "Karma" and the Chinese deserved whatever they got. In turn, she was actually saying, no matter who a person, group, country, or ideological society is and what they are doing (right, or wrong), a person is still to "put their head down" and do the right thing. However, on Greta Van Susteren's show, "On the Record" on Fox News Channel, Greta and Dawn Yaneck, of Life & Style Weekly, put Sharon Stone thru the ringer. Stating only the facts, of the "Karma comment" and leaving out the totality of her comments. They insinuated (even using the frozen graphic, under the interviewer and Susteren) and blatantly stated, "Actress Sharon Stone suggests earthquake in China was Karma." When this could not be any further from the truth, as shown, by the complete remarks, above.
Finally, former official White House Spokesman/Press Secretary, Scott MCClellan, has written a book, What Happened. In this soon to be released book, in early June, he hammers President Bush, Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams, Scooter Libby, and other White House officials. In fact stating, "I had allowed myself to be deceived into unknowingly passing along a falsehood. It would ultimately prove fatal to my ability to serve the president effectively. I didn't learn that what I'd said was untrue until the media began to figure it out almost two years later." This quote involving the Valerie Plame story, Hurricane Katrina, and the war in Iraq. He continued saying that "he and President Bush" were victims of deception, in the Plame fiasco (ruled over by Rove, Libby, Cheney, and others). Yet, he hammered President Bush on his handling of Iraq and the Katrina disaster.
One of these quotes is especially appealing, to look at, he states in the book, "History appears poised to confirm what most Americans today have decided: that the decision to invade Iraq was a serious strategic blunder. No one, including me, can know without absolute certainty, how the war will be viewed decades from now, when we can fully understand its impact. What I do know is war should only be waged when necessary, and the Iraq war, was not necessary." He continued on stating, "the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the country."
What is amazing about the MCClellan story and soon to be released book, is every person in the White House Corps, has come out stating that Scott never broke rank, raised any objections to policy, and stayed in lock step (rather than speaking out, until now, in book form). However, his job description, as all White House officials, is to speak up and take a stand in things they could sway, not agree with, and most of all speak out against things, they believe to not be in the nation's interest, but also with their own interests. MCClellan has leaked these several quotes out, just days before his book hits shelves, using Politico.com to speak at his behest, just giving the interviewer, enough of a carrot to take to the major media, news media, and talk radio media outlets, to create a buzz for his book sales. When working for the White House and President Bush, Scott MCClellan was a "yes man" (with no shadow of a doubt), now he looks more like a Huffington Press blogger/hit man.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The amazing thing about the three of these stories: Barack Obama made a simple mistake, in a setting that was non-scripted and in front of a live crowd of people (on a National Holiday). Everyone is entitled to a mistake, which Obama obviously made, then corrected. Sharon Stone made a linear statement, once again live and off the cuff, and she spoke from the heart, was eloquent in her point and ending. Although, was crucified by the television people, taken out of context, and was put as the antipathy of good taste. The media people going almost to the point, of saying she thought the Chinese people deserved to die, in the earthquake (which was not at all, what she said). Finally, Scott MCClellan, spills just enough venom and twists some words out of his book, to a web site reporter, to stir a buzz, just to sell books. He has thrown everyone under the bus, and looks transparent and weak, in his statements.
Where the truth begins and the distortion begins, is sometimes hard to find. However, when dealing with clear cut quotes, actual scenarios, and a book in print, there should not be any real disputing whole details. Should there? Three different scenarios, above, on the same day in the news, but three different outlooks, smearing campaigns, and an overall self serving outlook. Whether it is the Clintons (or republicans) hammering Obama for political gain, Greta Van Susteren and some mediocre tabloid beauty for rating, or a former White House official distorting his experience in the White House (when he was not in classified oval office meetings, things he alluded to and did not give full answers, and he never spoke up when being employed by the White House) to sell books. It all boils down to some kind of narcissism and sadly anyone is a target, to the whims of people serving themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment