Yesterday, I saw the folks at Media Matters try to get this idiotic ball rolling:
After President Bush’s June 28 speech at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, reporters on ABC, NBC and Fox News noted that the only round of applause during the speech was initiated by Bush staffers. But CNN and MSNBC made no mention of the staffers’ role, instead attributing the outbreak of applause to the troops. CBS’ brief post-speech coverage made no mention of the applause.
Appearing on MSNBC, Newsweek managing editor Jon Meacham stated: “It was striking to me that the one moment of applause at that very well-disciplined military crowd was that ‘we will stay in the fight until the fight is won.'” CNN host Wolf Blitzer stated that just once “the troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, interrupted the president and politely applauded him.” CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash added that “it was quite noteworthy that there was only a round of applause at one particular moment” because the White House wanted it to be “sedate” in order avoid criticism for “having sort of a campaign or political rally.”
Congrats, guys. David Sanger picked up the ball and ran with it:
So what happened to the applause?
When President Bush visits military bases, he invariably receives a foot-stomping, loud ovation at every applause line. At bases like Fort Bragg – the backdrop for his Tuesday night speech on Iraq – the clapping is often interspersed with calls of “Hoo-ah,” the military’s all-purpose, spirited response to, well, almost anything.
So the silence during his speech was more than a little noticeable, both on television and in the hall. On Wednesday, as Mr. Bush’s repeated use of the imagery of the Sept. 11 attacks drew bitter criticism from Congressional Democrats, there was a parallel debate under way about whether the troops sat on their hands because they were not impressed, or because they thought that was their orders…
Capt. Tom Earnhardt, a public affairs officer at Fort Bragg who participated in the planning for the president’s trip, said that from the first meetings with White House officials there was agreement that a hall full of wildly cheering troops would not create the right atmosphere for a speech devoted to policy and strategy.
“The guy from White House advance, during the initial meetings, said, ‘Be careful not to let this become a pep rally,’ ” Captain Earnhardt recalled in a telephone interview. Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, confirmed that account.
As the message drifted down to commanders, it appears that it may have gained an interpretation beyond what the administration’s image-makers had in mind. “This is a very disciplined environment,” said Captain Earnhardt, “and some guys may have taken it a bit far,” leaving the troops hesitant to applaud.
Just shoot me now and get it over with, because I refuse to argue with any Democrats in the future that the lack of applause was proof that ‘even the military hated the Iraq mission and Bush.’ Because you know it is an argument someone will try to make. You just do.
Jeff
My favorite Media Matters post of all time was, right after the election, apparently Bill O’Reilly (a guy that even a moderate Republican like myself thinks is an ass) made a comment that on election night “Judy Woodruff looked like she was gonna cry” when it was called for Bush.
So, Media Matters had a post that said something like “we’ve reviewed the tape of this incident and determined that Judy Woodruff DID NOT look like she was gonna cry”.
Hard hitting stuff! I wonder if Soros is gonna ask Brock for his money back.
Christie S.
Steady on, John. The political sphere is full of dingbats. Grab a bowl of popcorn and a cold drink and enjoy this era’s version of Keystone Kops funnies.
jmaier
I concur. The constant sniping and partisanship from all sides serves no one. I’d like the wingnuts from both sides to take a time out but that is unlikely to happen — sadly.
At the same time, staging a policy speech that was more about shoring up political support than announcing or clarifying policies in primetime, against a military backdrop was provocation of sorts.
Mark
No,
the best Media Matters post of all time had to be when they went apesh*t over a joke Al Michaels made about Kerry on MNF during the Patriots/Colts game – something about flip-flops. I don’t reammy remember if David Brock wrote a letter to ABC demanding Michaels be taken off the air and summarily executed for such blasthemy, but I would not doubt it knowing these clowns.
shark
it will spun just that way. Just laugh at it…
KC
What’s funny is I never saw this until now, though I do recall hearing on FOX something about guys out before the speech getting the crowd riled up. I don’t think that was saying anything different though than what happens at any other speech event. So, I’m not so sure what John’s worried about here . . .
p.lukasiak
Just shoot me now and get it over with, because I refuse to argue with any Democrats in the future that the lack of applause was proof that ‘even the military hated the Iraq mission and Bush.’ Because you know it is an argument someone will try to make. You just do.
well, considering the fact that when soldiers react positively to a presidential speech for which they are enlisted as props (after doubtless being signalled to be as enthusiastic as possible) the right-wing inevitably claims that it shows the overwhelming support of the rank and file military for Bush’s policies, don’t you think a little turn-about is fair play?
SeesThroughIt
Yeah, I guess turnabout is fair play, but at the same time…what a stupid issue to blow up. Look, all of Bush’s public appearances are more carefully scripted than any production made by William Donohue’s favorite heathen sodomites in Hollywood. That includes whether or not the soldiers applauded at Fort Bragg, Bush’s latest Potemkin Village.
“The troops,” much as both political parties would like to argue otherwise, are no more a monolithic group than “Iraqis,” or “Americans.” Some of ’em are gung-ho about the war, some hate it and want to leave, some are in the middle. While I’m all for making fun of Bush’s raging hard-on for political theater, this whole “soldiers’ applause” thing is an incredibly stupid way of going about it.
Kimmitt
for a speech devoted to policy and strategy.
Well, policy, anyway.
JG
I figured there was no applause because the speech was boring and Bush isn’t the most charismatic public speaker in the world.
I like media matters. They go crazy over little shit sometimes but you wouldn’t believe how often my conservative friends parrot stuff they hear on Hannity or O’Reilly that Media Matters has already called them on. I sit there shaking my head saying, ‘not true’, ‘that’s not what was said’, ‘FOX once again is only giving you the administrations side of the issue’. Its fun yet sad too.
Retief
Of course the lack of applause wasn’t proof that ‘even the military hated the Iraq mission and Bush.’ the fact that we have to resort to stop loss orders and continue to miss our recruiting goals is the proof that ‘even the military hated the Iraq mission and Bush.’.
JoshA
I’m sure the majority of soldiers were Bush voters during the election. I’ll bet the majority would vote for him over a Democrat today. I only wish he cared half as much about them as they do about him.
As for the Al Michaels thing, the annoying thing is that stuff like that goes the other way. You know, he might say “Jon Gruden looks as angry as Howard Dean after he lost Iowa,” or make a Kerry flip-flop joke, but would never say “after that call, Jeff Fisher looks as confused as George Bush trying to explain Social Security” or “that drive ended as abruptly as a James Sensenbrenner chaired hearing”
And to the response “well, the Republican examples aren’t as famous”—why do you think that is? Why is it that the Dean scream is replayed 1,000,000,000 times—like he’s yelling about a missing white girl or something—-but the only place to see the Sensenbrenner flip-out is on Dembloggers? Seriously, the last time I can recall the media showing a bad picture of a Republican over and over again was Dole’s fall off the stage.
Geoduck
For me, the issue’s not so much ‘do the troops love Bush or not’, but how hamhanded the setup was. One sudden burst of applause mid-speech, but otherwise stony silence? Who managed to orchestrate that PR screw-up?
ppgaz
Interesting. An entire post just to construct a lame strawman.
I’ve seen several reports of the prompted-applause thing. I haven’t studied them enough to know whether those reports are accurate. If they are, I think it’s rather sad.
I don’t extrapolate the quiet audience into any particular attitude toward the speaker, one way or the other. But I find it characteristically disgusting of these sickos if they actually resorted to prompting applause. You know what, the motherfucker was not making a High School commencement speech or trying to win a popularity contest. He was talking about serious matters of life and death for a lot of people. I don’t need prompted applause to tell me what the really nifty parts were.
RSA
Look, all of Bush’s public appearances are more carefully scripted than any production made by William Donohue’s favorite heathen sodomites in Hollywood.
I think there are lots of explanations for why the military audience didn’t applaud, most of them pretty innocuous. But NPR reported that the White House had scheduled Bush’s talk to run for 40 minutes, and he wrapped up after 28. That makes it sound as if someone screwed up the planning, maybe by not telling the audience that they could or shoud applaud.
ppgaz
Well then, hoist by their own petard. Why isn’t a speech from the Oval Office good enough? Do they think that the people are stupid, and won’t be sufficiently impressed unless there is an audience of uniforms in front of him? Well, I’d wager that for every sap moved by that, there is somebody like me who just shakes his head. The fact is that the speech is about a serious subject, and I can take it seriously. I don’t need the theatrics. I don’t need the carrier landings, or the Mission Accomplished banners, or the carefully worded blue backdrops, or any of that. I can understand just fine.
These guys have built a political empire on this kind of baloney. Just once, when it is really important for the country, you’d think they could just cut the crap and speak frankly and directly to the people. I’d respect that, even though I don’t really respect them.
Mike Foley
I’ve actually been in the crowd for one of these types of things.
Dick Cheney visited Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Presidents Day 2002, and I was a public affairs Marine stationed there at the time.
I’m sure many of the service members didn’t applaud because they don’t like Bush. Many others may not have applauded because of the solemn feel of the situation and the secret service presence. Still some others may not have applauded because they feared punishment from their superiors.
In summary, it sounds like the base’s public affairs officer dropped the ball and didn’t pass the intended message on to the troop handlers.