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Home Front
CNN Questions Iraq Trip Pool (Whines, Seethes)
2003-11-28
From the Atlantic Journal-Constitution
Fox, but not CNN, was at Bush’s Thanksgiving surprise
When President Bush landed in Iraq for Thanksgiving dinner, Fox News was there, but CNN was not.
"Neener-neener!"
When the president travels, the White House uses a rotating system for a pool that includes newspaper, wire-service and television reporters, but news executives were not sure Thursday whether the standard procedures had been followed, according to a story in the Washington Post.
"Marvin, was that standard?"
"We always adhere to standards, sir."
"Good enough for me."
The 13 pool correspondents summoned for the trip included Jim Angle of Fox News, Terence Hunt of the Associated Press, Mike Allen of The Washington Post, Richard Keil of Bloomberg News, a Reuters reporter and photographers from Time, Newsweek and three wire services, the Post reported.
Looks like they didn't want to bring any second-rate news orgs along...
Kathryn Kross, CNN’s Washington bureau chief, calved on the spot told the Post that a two-person crew from her network was dismissed from the White House pool Wednesday, with the understanding that no further news would be made.
"Whyn't you guys go have lunch or something? We'll... ummm... see you later. And take Wolf with you."
"We’re all for the president boosting the troops however the White House feels is appropriate," she said, according to the newspaper. "But apparently the White House put together its own group of people to accompany the president on this trip, and we’re real interested to learn their reasons for doing that."
Well, Kross, F**kin Duh.

Boy! Those grapes are really sour!
Posted by:.com

#14  "But apparently the White House put together its own group of people to accompany the president on this trip, and we’re real interested to learn their reasons for doing that."

Basically, who cares? They didn't want you, end of story. Now get lost.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-11-28 10:34:06 PM  

#13  Nic Robertson was on a while ago telling us all that the Iraqis aren't impressed because (a) It's rude to show up unannounced and (b) it's also rude to leave without allowing your host to show you some hospitality.
Posted by: Matt   2003-11-28 5:41:30 PM  

#12  My only regret is that CNN's whining, along with similar stuff from the NYT Wash. bureau chief and others, won't have a longer life or be more prominent than are likely to be the case. I just saw the news crawler on one of the cable networks reporting the Dem candidates' reactions, which were all wisely restrained and positive. So while there may not be any chance of massive (redundant?) self-inflicted wounds there, the major media could still cause some jaws to drop in the real America if they'd keep whining about this ..... it's hard to think of an event and reaction thereto that better define common sense vs. cluelessness.
Posted by: IceCold   2003-11-28 4:58:40 PM  

#11   CNN ... no longer a 'news' organization, ... partisan flack network. ... aren't trustworthy. It's disingenuous for them to cry 'foul'.

Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say they cry "fowl" - as in ChickeNN. CNN is a piece of dog mess someone needs to clean off the airways.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-11-28 4:10:35 PM  

#10  Er, has no one noticed that the even-more-disgusting Reuters was invited along? If I were Bush arranging the pool to suit me, I'd cut Reuters before I would CNN.
Posted by: Angie Schultz   2003-11-28 4:02:52 PM  

#9  WAAAHHHH WWWAAAAAAHH WWWWAAAAAAHHHHH! Poor CNN.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2003-11-28 4:00:57 PM  

#8  Seeing as how the french stringers are working hand in hand with the terrorists in iraq, it would seem likely that someone sympathetic to them might very well tip them off. CNN should realize it's no longer a 'news' organization, rather it's a partisan flack network. As such, they should know they aren't trustworthy. It's disingenuous for them to cry 'foul'.
Posted by: Anonymous   2003-11-28 3:01:33 PM  

#7  I think that CNN was not invited for the same reason Al-Jizz was not invited -- SECURITY. CNN could not be trusted not to BLAB THEIR PIEHOLE in all directions and alert the terrorists -- and loose lips sink ships.

That and the fact that CNN was not in the rotation for that day -- doh!
Posted by: CrazyFool   2003-11-28 2:40:34 PM  

#6  If CNN had been told, there would have been a hundred French camera crews (and their accompanying Strela teams) camped around the airport.

Hell, I bet al'Jazeera would have had their mobile SAM battery camera van out to cover the event.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2003-11-28 2:31:18 PM  

#5  What they're really ticked about is not being able to prepare any negatve spin on the trip in advance. They're catching up ("Yeah Bush visited Iraq but the situation remains grim, all is lost, etc.") but the on-air crew yesterday looked completely clueless -- nothing coming through their earpieces except elevator music.
Posted by: Matt   2003-11-28 2:13:58 PM  

#4  After years of being a willing propoganda tool for Saddam, CNN has no position to criticize anything that goes on in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Also, given this history, maybe CNN could not be trusted to keep the secret.

Question: If this was only about WMD then why did they call it Operation Iraqi Freedom?
Posted by: Gasse Katze   2003-11-28 1:45:29 PM  

#3  Well... My sources tell me that they got the IR signature suppression equipment installed on AF One in time and didn't need Nick Robertson, Walter Rogers, Christaine Amanpour, and Wolf Blitzer to hang over the engine exhausts anymore.

But it could be cuz Thanksgiving happened on a Thursday, this year. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with this one, I'm sure.
Posted by: .com   2003-11-28 1:39:52 PM  

#2  Why should the White House feel compelled to invite along a "news" service that is little more than a Democratic Party propaganda outlet? I occasionally land on CNN while channel-surfing but every time I do, what I encounter is far more spin than news- spin aimed at gullible idiots.

If the White House snubbed CNN deliberately, I applaud.
Posted by: Dave D.   2003-11-28 1:34:30 PM  

#1  According to Fox this AM, they are the Pool reporter on Thursdays, as Ms. Kross is well aware...Traditionally, Ms. Kross, Thanksgiving has been held on thursdays, and although it might have increased your viewership by 0.04% to have rescheduled Thanksgiving to a day when CNN has the pool report duties so you could have accompanied the President to visit the troops, most reasonable people would agree that was a bit difficult at this late date to work out. In other news, scientists have discovered that the sun does not orbit CNN headquarters.... (/sarcasm?)
Posted by: Frank G   2003-11-28 1:21:32 PM  

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