What The Heck Was That?
Let's be clear: we are in NO way making fun of our brave men and women overseas.
But we have to agree with the Washington Post's Jim VandeHei, who called that live presidential telebriefing with troops in Tikrit just "bizarre."
VandeiHei: "It seemed very staged."
That it did, from the president's questions to some of the troops's answers to the moment when the President "recognized" a soldier who he had seen in New York. ("Where you there when I came to New York? Thought you looked familiar.")
One cute moment: A soldier told Bush, "I really like you Mr. President."
But mostly, awkward, stilted exchanges. CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel carried it live. We think the Daily Show will have a month's worth of fodder.
NPR reports that the call was heavily staged. The troops pacrticed asking questions to a stand-in president for an hour before the official call! Apparently the practice session was on an alternative feed.
WRT the Daily Show, this will only provide them with two good weeks of material until they go on hiatus again --- damn you Jon Stewart --- damn you!
But really, the Bush administration will find a new and creative way to screw up in the next couple of weeks to ease the job of all comedy writers, so this won't last that long as the primary butt of jokes.