[Bizarro World]

Caught with Their Script Down

In case you missed this strange scene, yesterday Bush held one of the most painful, stilted teleconferences in televisual history. Nixon sweating was elegant by comparison. It was yet another scripted event designed to boost Bush's poll numbers (the ones he doesn't pay attention to), which almost no one bothered to watch. Ah, but then the fun begins. Later that day, a reporter asked Scott McClellan why the administration felt like coaching the troops was such a hot idea. McClellan, apparently prepared for this, roused himself into a transparently fake pique:

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, I don't know what you're suggesting.

Q Well, they discussed the questions ahead of time. They were told exactly what the President would ask, and they were coached, in terms of who would answer what question, and how they would pass the microphone.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry, are you suggesting that what our troops were saying was not sincere, or what they said was not their own thoughts?

(Video of Scotty in a lather here.)

But of course it was fake and worse--they had the PR flack coaching the troops on videotape.

Allison Barber: The President will open up with some remarks. He's going to kind of shape this discussion today by highlighting the importance of what you're doing, by letting you know how much the American people appreciate your hard work, and how important this vote on Saturday is to the process in Iraq. And so you'll hear him shape those comments today.

NBC, of all sources, ran a pretty good roundup, including the coach, here. It's hard to believe this is the same administration that so carefully and flawlessly orchestrated events in the first couple years after 9/11, isn't it?