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Also occuring in 2005. The infamous "troops chat with the president" episode:
In carefully coordinated event, Bush tries to boost war supportJim VandeHei, Washington Post
Friday, October 14, 2005
(10-14) 04:00 PDT Washington -- President Bush sought Thursday to rally U.S. troops behind his Iraq strategy -- and he and his aides left little to chance.
Before Bush spoke via a video link, his event planners hand-picked 10 soldiers from the Army's 42nd Infantry and one Iraqi soldier, told them what topics the president would ask about, and watched them briefly rehearse their presentations before going live.
The soldiers did not disappoint. Each one praised the president, the war and the progress in training Iraqi troops. Several spoke in a monotone voice, as if determined to remember and stay on script.
The Iraqi, Sgt. Maj. Akeel Shaker Nassir, who is in charge of the Iraqi Army Training facility in Tikrit, had only a few words for Bush, but they were gushing: "Thank very much for everything. I like you."
Nassir's comments came near the end of one of the stranger and most awkwardly staged publicity events of the Bush presidency. It started with the president -- in Washington, standing at a lectern -- talking to the soldiers via video on a large flat-screen. The soldiers sat shoulder to shoulder and stared dutifully at the screen.
The president's delivery was choppy, as he gazed frequently at his notes and seemed several times to be groping for the right words. Bush told the soldiers they are facing a "ruthless and cold-blooded" enemy intent on "the killing of innocent people to get the American government to pull you out of there before the mission is accomplished."
Two days before Iraq votes on a new constitution that Bush considers essential to creating a democracy in the Middle East, he said the United States is making steady progress -- both in defeating the insurgents and in training Iraqi troops to take over full control of the military operation.
"We got a strategy, and it's a clear strategy," Bush said. "On the one hand, we will hunt down these killers and terrorists and bring them to justice, and train the Iraqi forces to join us in that effort." The soldiers were in complete agreement.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the troops at Bush's event were told "what to expect."
Before they spoke, Allison Barber, a midlevel Pentagon official, helped coach the troops on who would be asked what by Bush.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/14/MNG6FF89701.DTL&type=printable
And who comes out on Fox News to address this? The guy in charge of the production shop:
WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials are denying that a live video conference between President Bush and U.S. troops in Iraq was staged."On behalf of these fine young men and women, we certainly regret any perception that they were told what to say. It is not the case," said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita.
A live feed of troops from the Army's 42nd Infantry Division and an Iraqi soldier was beamed into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington from Tikrit Thursday to discuss the situation in Iraq with the president.
But some critics said the video conference was staged, referring to an on-camera shot of a Pentagon official shown coaching the soldiers.
"The soldiers were advised as to the issues they should expect to discuss, and decided among themselves who would speak to each issue as it may arise," Di Rita maintained.
The event posed technological challenges, which required preparations such as advisements to soldiers on which subjects they could expect to be asked about, Di Rita said.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172262,00.html
I'll bet there's a youtube out there somewhere of the soldiers being coached.
