posted on May 21, 2001 08:32:10 AM new
Heres a big shocker. Why doesnt it surprise me faux news was involved?
WASHINGTON -- The General Services Administration has found that the White House vandalism flap earlier this year was a flop.
The agency concluded that departing members of the Clinton administration had not trashed the place during the presidential transition, as unidentified aides to President Bush and other critics had insisted.
Responding to a request from Rep. Bob Barr, a Georgia Republican, who asked for an investigation, the GSA found that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
"The condition of the real property was consistent with what we would expect to encounter when tenants vacate office space after an extended occupancy," according to a GSA statement.
No wholesale slashing of cords to computers, copiers and telephones, no evidence of lewd graffiti or pornographic images. GSA didn't bother to nail down reports of pranks, which were more puckish than destructive.
Among those pranks was the apparent removal, by aides to former President Bill Clinton, of the "w" key from some computer keyboards and the placing of official-looking signs on doors, saying things like "Office of Strategery," after a popular "Saturday Night Live" spoof on Bush.
But the vandal scandal, tales of torn up offices and items stolen from the presidential jet, was the hottest story in town during the early days of the Bush administration until White House furniture and last-minute pardons pushed it off the front page.
"I think it was this calculated effort to plant a damaging story," said Alex S. Jones, director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University. "There was a sort of fertile ground for believing anything bad."
Typical was Tony Snow, a syndicated columnist and former presidential speech writer for President Bush's father, who wrote that the White House "was a wreck." He also said that Air Force One, after taking Clinton and some aides to New York following the inauguration, "looked as if it had been stripped by a skilled band of thieves -- or perhaps wrecked by a trailer park twister."
He went on to list all manner of missing items, including silverware, porcelain dishes with the presidential seal and even candy.
"It makes one feel grateful that the seats and carpets are bolted down," Snow fumed.
Except none of it happened. An official at Andrews Air Force Base, which maintains the presidential jets, told The Kansas City Star at the height of the controversy that nothing was missing. Bush himself acknowledged the same a few days later.
And now GSA has made it official.
"They told me that there were papers that were not organized lying on the floor and on desks; there were some scratches here and there, but the bottom line was they didn't see anything really in their view that was significant and that would appear to some as real extensive damage," said Bernard Unger, director for physical infrastructure for the General Accounting Office, which asked GSA to look into the allegations.
Mark Lindsay, who oversaw the transition as Clinton's assistant for management and administration, said he was pleased that the record has been set straight.
"Because of President Clinton, this was one of the smoothest transitions in the history of the presidency," he said. "This was nothing more than just lies."
As for the critics, Barr's office didn't return calls about the GSA findings. Snow was somewhat contrite. "I'm perfectly willing to admit my error on the aircraft," he said, but added that he still believed his sources who told him about damage at the White House.
"What often happens in Washington is gossip becomes news. That's not a good thing."
posted on May 21, 2001 09:50:50 AM new
This is not news. Bush put these rumors to rest months ago. Do you not keep up?
Um I dont think you keep up with the news or you would have saw it on the weekend news shows. Funny it was printed in the major papers over the weekend, but its old news????? Hehe the guys at here at work wonder what kind of republican you are lol.
As far as this transition being one of the smoothest ever, were we watching the same transition. Perhaps you meant 'roughest', and just made a typo.
LOL, ok you contact the newspapers and ask them if it was a typo, and please let me know what they tell you. Here is the email address for the papers:
posted on May 21, 2001 10:18:46 AM new"Well, it's news to me, and I make it a point to keep up with current events."
And Then...
"I rely on krs and others on this board to keep me informed"-Femme
That explains it.
"Um I dont think you keep up with the news or you would have saw it on the weekend news shows. Funny it was printed in the major papers over the weekend, but its old news?????"-chum
What you saw on the news was that an independent investigation found that there was not the level of mischief that was rumored. As I said, Bush denied the mischief rumors when he took up residence which was, as I said, months ago. Hence, old news.
"Hehe the guys at here at work wonder what kind of republican you are lol."-chum
No wonder, I'm not a republican. Go figure.
As far as this transition being one of the smoothest ever, were we watching the same transition. Perhaps you meant 'roughest', and just made a typo.
LOL, ok you contact the newspapers and ask them if it was a typo, and please let me know what they tell you. Here is the email address for the papers:-chum
For those of us who don't need our opinions spoon fed to us by the agenda laden news organizations, I can assure you, it was not a smooth transition. Clinton wouldn't allow Bush in the White house as is customary during this smooth transition. In fact, Bush had to rent office space nearby in order to set up his transition team. You must not remember reading that in your precious spoon feeding junior high reading level newspapers though, do you?
posted on May 21, 2001 11:24:54 AM new
Actually, it was news to me too this weekend.
Yes, I too have locked out the Fox Foam-at-the-Mouth "unbiased" News channel since the House was voting to see if Clinton should be put on trial. I wouldn't have believed it at any rate, knowning that Clinton has class and that Republicans have none (evidenced by dumping pornography all over the Internet to embarrass Clinton).
Hey! JLPiece2! Are you actually JLPiece?
I was once having AW host some pictures and I used a different handle for it and accidently (stupid cookie logged me in) posted something and the moderator caught it and terminated that name's posting priveleges (which I would have wanted anyway). Maybe you ought to ask the moderator to block JLPiece2 account name from being able to make posts as well? Just a thought.
posted on May 21, 2001 12:52:25 PM new
Maybe some knowledgeable republican (Now THERE'S an oxymoron) could bring forth some evidence that bush denied the republican allegations as listed above?
I doubt it because it never happened. All Bush said on the matter was that it was not something he was encouraging anyone to pursue, but was careful to mention that it wasn't his choice of whether to press an investigation or not. In short (why don't they call him "stub"?) Bush merely backed away from the claims but he never set the matter to rest by admitting that they were not true.
posted on May 21, 2001 01:42:23 PM newkrsMaybe some knowledgeable republican (Now THERE'S an oxymoron) could bring forth some evidence that bush denied the republican allegations as listed above?
I'm not a knowledgeable republican, I'm one of those genius democrats (I voted for Buchanan by mistake however). But if you read the first post I think it mentions Bush denying some of the vandalism that was reported. I saw that on ABC news a long time ago, for me it is old news, but then I forget the dwell factor on some issues.
Typical was Tony Snow, a syndicated columnist and former presidential speech writer for President Bush's father, who wrote that the White House "was a wreck." He also said that Air Force One, after taking Clinton and some aides to New York following the inauguration, "looked as if it had been stripped by a skilled band of thieves -- or perhaps wrecked by a trailer park twister."
He went on to list all manner of missing items, including silverware, porcelain dishes with the presidential seal and even candy.
"It makes one feel grateful that the seats and carpets are bolted down," Snow fumed.
Except none of it happened. An official at Andrews Air Force Base, which maintains the presidential jets, told The Kansas City Star at the height of the controversy that nothing was missing. Bush himself acknowledged the same a few days later.
posted on May 21, 2001 01:57:33 PM newuaru, don't feel too badly. I'd rather (looking skyward for lighting to strike) that you voted for Buchannon than Bush, as if Buchannon was in the White House, at least we'd stop paying for Japan's and Germany's complete millitary every year.
posted on May 21, 2001 03:59:20 PM new
"laughing off" is not a denial, in fact the persistent attitude conveyed by bush was as if to say "well, what can you expect from the likes of them--we're better". He never denied that the things happened in the white house offices at all, and only made vaque references to the possibility that the charges to do with AF 1 may not have been COMPLETELY true.
Anyone who thought otherwise might do well to record their fox news reports for later viewing with an adult interpreter.
Sorry, chum
I count on ken
..Good shot 