Does the sham never stop?
Extra Extra...Gottle o Geer..White House accused of writing Allawi's speech to Congress...Iraq's new leader Allawi shows his glove-puppet qualities.
quote:
Feinstein Asks Bush About White House Role in Allawi Speech
Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush should say whether Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi was coached by the White House or Bush campaign when he gave Congress an optimistic account last week of security in his homeland, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said.
Feinstein, a California Democrat, said in a letter to Bush she felt "profound dismay'' after reading reports, including one in the Washington Post, that Allawi received help with the speech from White House and Republican campaign aides. Allawi assured a joint session of the Senate and House that Iraq would be secure enough to hold elections in January.
"To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks,'' said Feinstein. She voted in favor of authorizing Bush to use force in Iraq when the Senate on Oct. 11, 2002, passed the resolution.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan on Sept. 28 said he wasn't aware of any help presidential assistants gave Allawi. "None that I know of,'' he said in response to reporters in Washington. "No one at the White House.''
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan referred to McClellan's remarks today when asked about Feinstein's letter.
At least 46 people were killed and 137 injured by explosions in Baghdad today, Iraqi and U.S. officials said. Most casualties occurred in three coordinated car bombings, and 35 of the dead were children, the Associated Press reported
Democrats such as Delaware Senator Joseph Biden questioned Allawi's assertions about security in Iraq, noting insurgents continue to kidnap foreigners and attack U.S. soldiers.
In her letter, Feinstein asked Bush about the Washington Post's report that Dan Senor, a former spokesman for the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority who now makes appearances on behalf of the Bush campaign, helped Allawi rehearse his speech in New York.
The articles also said officials from the British Foreign Service and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad coached Allawi on his delivery and aided with the speech's text.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aqcaSQYjA1Xk&refer=us
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Agencies
quote
A leading Democratic senator has expressed profound dismay at the reported US administration role in the writing and delivery of interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech to the US congress last week.
In a letter to President George Bush on Thursday, California Senator Dianne Feinstein said: "I want to express my profound dismay about reports that officials from your administration and your re-election campaign were 'heavily involved' in writing parts of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech.
"You may be surprised by this, Mr President, but I viewed Prime Minister Allawi's speech as an independent view on conditions in Iraq," she wrote.
"His speech gave me hope that reconstruction efforts were proceeding in most of the country and that elections could be held on schedule.
"To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives, jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks," Feinstein wrote.
Her letter was a response to an article appearing in Thursday's Washington Post, which also alleged that Allawi was coached by US officials - including Dan Senor, former spokesman for the US authorities in Iraq - in perfecting his delivery of the speech given before a joint session of congress a week ago.
Similarities
"The unusual public-relations effort by the Pentagon and the US Agency for International Development comes as details have emerged showing the US government and a representative of President Bush's re-election campaign had been heavily involved in drafting the speech given to congress last week by interim Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi," wrote Washington Post journalists Dana Milbank and Mike Allen in the article.
"Combined, they indicate that the federal government is working assiduously to improve Americans' opinions about the Iraq conflict - a key element of Bush's re-election message."
The article said Senor coached Allawi in New York.
Senor declined to comment.
In a Washington Post article on 28 September, Milbank also compared several key aspects of Allawi's speech to previous Bush speeches.
For example, while Allawi said "the world is better off without Saddam Hussein", Bush had said "the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power" in one of his previous speeches.
And while Allawi said "it's a tough struggle with setbacks, but we are succeeding", Bush had said "it's tough at times ... but there is steady progress".
Extra Extra...Gottle o Geer..White House accused of writing Allawi's speech to Congress...Iraq's new leader Allawi shows his glove-puppet qualities.
quote:
Feinstein Asks Bush About White House Role in Allawi Speech
Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush should say whether Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi was coached by the White House or Bush campaign when he gave Congress an optimistic account last week of security in his homeland, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein said.
Feinstein, a California Democrat, said in a letter to Bush she felt "profound dismay'' after reading reports, including one in the Washington Post, that Allawi received help with the speech from White House and Republican campaign aides. Allawi assured a joint session of the Senate and House that Iraq would be secure enough to hold elections in January.
"To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks,'' said Feinstein. She voted in favor of authorizing Bush to use force in Iraq when the Senate on Oct. 11, 2002, passed the resolution.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan on Sept. 28 said he wasn't aware of any help presidential assistants gave Allawi. "None that I know of,'' he said in response to reporters in Washington. "No one at the White House.''
White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan referred to McClellan's remarks today when asked about Feinstein's letter.
At least 46 people were killed and 137 injured by explosions in Baghdad today, Iraqi and U.S. officials said. Most casualties occurred in three coordinated car bombings, and 35 of the dead were children, the Associated Press reported
Democrats such as Delaware Senator Joseph Biden questioned Allawi's assertions about security in Iraq, noting insurgents continue to kidnap foreigners and attack U.S. soldiers.
In her letter, Feinstein asked Bush about the Washington Post's report that Dan Senor, a former spokesman for the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority who now makes appearances on behalf of the Bush campaign, helped Allawi rehearse his speech in New York.
The articles also said officials from the British Foreign Service and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad coached Allawi on his delivery and aided with the speech's text.
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aqcaSQYjA1Xk&refer=us
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Agencies
quote
A leading Democratic senator has expressed profound dismay at the reported US administration role in the writing and delivery of interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech to the US congress last week.
In a letter to President George Bush on Thursday, California Senator Dianne Feinstein said: "I want to express my profound dismay about reports that officials from your administration and your re-election campaign were 'heavily involved' in writing parts of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech.
"You may be surprised by this, Mr President, but I viewed Prime Minister Allawi's speech as an independent view on conditions in Iraq," she wrote.
"His speech gave me hope that reconstruction efforts were proceeding in most of the country and that elections could be held on schedule.
"To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives, jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks," Feinstein wrote.
Her letter was a response to an article appearing in Thursday's Washington Post, which also alleged that Allawi was coached by US officials - including Dan Senor, former spokesman for the US authorities in Iraq - in perfecting his delivery of the speech given before a joint session of congress a week ago.
Similarities
"The unusual public-relations effort by the Pentagon and the US Agency for International Development comes as details have emerged showing the US government and a representative of President Bush's re-election campaign had been heavily involved in drafting the speech given to congress last week by interim Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi," wrote Washington Post journalists Dana Milbank and Mike Allen in the article.
"Combined, they indicate that the federal government is working assiduously to improve Americans' opinions about the Iraq conflict - a key element of Bush's re-election message."
The article said Senor coached Allawi in New York.
Senor declined to comment.
In a Washington Post article on 28 September, Milbank also compared several key aspects of Allawi's speech to previous Bush speeches.
For example, while Allawi said "the world is better off without Saddam Hussein", Bush had said "the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power" in one of his previous speeches.
And while Allawi said "it's a tough struggle with setbacks, but we are succeeding", Bush had said "it's tough at times ... but there is steady progress".