"That's called political propaganda," Bush said. >

[Stephanie]

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050311/480/lasa10503112341

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www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28120-2005Mar11.html

Social Security: On With the Show
President's 'Conversations' on Issue Are
Carefully Orchestrated, Rehearsed

<snip> To help make its case, the White House recruits people such as Mark Darr, 31, an insurance agent from Benton, Ark., who joined the president on stage at a forum in Little Rock last month. In a subsequent interview, Darr said he believes he was chosen because he went to college with one son of Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee and provided insurance for another.

After the governor's office called, Darr said, he began receiving one call after another from the White House, quizzing him on his thoughts on Social Security and his family history, just as they did all the other candidates. "I'm sure they wanted to . . . make sure they weren't going to embarrass the president," Darr said.

Not so his mother. At first when he mentioned that she receives Social Security, he said, White House aides seemed eager to add her to the panel. Then they called her. "She wasn't really for the private accounts, so they didn't decide to use her," Darr said.

The night before the event, the chosen participants gathered for a rehearsal in the hall in which the president would appear the next day. An official dispatched by the White House played the president and asked questions. "We ran through it five times before the president got there," Darr said.

* * * *

Pastor Andrew Jackson of the Faith Temple Ministries Church of God praised Bush for tackling the issue and lamented what he described as some of the false charges made about the president's plan. "That's called political propaganda," Bush said.

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[MissB]

1. The irony just slays me. (nt)

[Eric J in MN]

2. Strangely written quote.

Maybe the Wash. Post is saying that Pastor Andrew Jackson said that Bush said that criticism of his plan is "political propaganda."

But it's unclear whether Bush actually used that phrase, and if so, when.

[Stephanie]

4. no, it's clear in context

the writer describes several different people who appeared at the event and the remarks they made, and Bush's responses.

[rodeodance]

3. he has been couched on how to say new words (mindless stringing

of terms together)

[cthrumatrix]

5. practiced 5 times....for what? becuase is SUCKS ...this is democracy

[snippy]

6. So the War on Social Security is so popular that only five rehearsals

were needed for the Bush followers to learn their lines. Evidently Bush's followers are easily trained.

[murray hill farm]

7. Just looking at that pic of bush u posted...

Sort of standing back and looking at it....and wondering how we all in America would have responded if 10 yrs ago, someone had shown us that picture as a glimpse into the future...of who would be president of the USA in 2005....we all would have said..."HUh...no way". ON the other hand, if we had been given that picture as a glimpse into the future, we might have known how bad things in any country would be who had that clown for a president.

[displacedtexan]

8. We would have said...

Shut up, Cassandra!

[Stephanie]

11. I have had that said to me, exactly.

In 2001, when I was obsessively recounting the strange coincidences around 9/11. I've been called Cassandra. But I haven't been wrong yet. It just sometimes takes a lot longer than I expected (esp. WRT Plame).

[woodsprite]

9. He looks like a sleazy lounge singer doing these SS plugs. n/t

[jdots]

10. Yo Bushkin We got you a gig on Venus at a casino

learn a few more songs with Karl ,take your big band with the cabinet background singers.........the mother ship leaves in 2 weeks.

[kodi]

12. Leni Riefenstahl would be so proud

.