Posted on 12/09/2004 9:22:17 AM PST by Nascardude
Edited on 12/09/2004 10:05:10 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
RUMSFELD SET UP; REPORTER PLANTED QUESTIONS WITH SOLIDER
Thu Dec 09 2004 11:49:38 ET
Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts is embedded with the 278th Regimental Combat Team, now in Kuwait preparing to enter Iraq, and is filing articles for his newspaper. Pitts claims in a purported email that he coached soldiers to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld questions!
From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, Chattanooga Times Free Press military reporter
Sent: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM
To: Staffers
Subject: RE: Way to go
I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.
So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld why after two years here soldiers are still having to dig through trash bins to find rusted scrap metal and cracked ballistic windows for their Humvees, the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question. Then Rumsfeld answered something about it being "not a lack of desire or money but a logistics/physics problem." He said he recently saw about 8 of the special up-armored Humvees guarding Washington, DC, and he promised that they would no longer be used for that and that he would send them over here. Then he asked a three star general standing behind him, the commander of all ground forces here, to also answer the question. The general said it was a problem he is working on.
The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks -- swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with. Out of the 1,000 or so troops at the event there were only a handful of guys from my unit b/c the rest were too busy prepping for our trip north. The national media asked if they were the guys with the armor problem and then stuck cameras in their faces. The NY Times reporter asked me to email him the stories I had already done on it, but I said he could search for them himself on the Internet and he better not steal any of my lines. I have been trying to get this story out for weeks- as soon as I foud out I would be on an unarmored truck- and my paper published two stories on it. But it felt good to hand it off to the national press. I believe lives are at stake with so many soldiers going across the border riding with scrap metal as protection. It may be to late for the unit I am with, but hopefully not for those who come after.
The press officer in charge of my regiment, the 278th, came up to me afterwords and asked if my story would be positive. I replied that I would write the truth. Then I pointed at the horde of national media pointing cameras and mics at the 278th guys and said he had bigger problems on his hands than the Chattanooga Times Free Press. This is what this job is all about - people need to know. The solider who asked the question said he felt good b/c he took his complaints to the top. When he got back to his unit most of the guys patted him on the back but a few of the officers were upset b/c they thought it would make them look bad. From what I understand this is all over the news back home.
Thanks,
Lee
EDWARD LEE PITTS FILED STORY ABOUT THE TROOPS BEFORE THE POW-WOW WITH RUMSFELD
Developing...
Regardless...
THE REPORTER WAS IN THE WRONG FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A SOLDIER....IN THE WAY HE DID.
And you can tell that the media is aware that one of their own did something that he should not have...
Because they are already out trying to cover the reports a--.
Keith "I'm a punk a-- liberal and RATher deciple" Olbermann is already out defending Pitts to the death.
He reported that Pitts can't be reached...and that's why he can't comment on his actions.
WELL.....Pitts had no problem reaching people by internet yesterday!
Yes...the issue is serious....but the reporter should not rig the questions through a soldier.
And Pitts says it was the concern of the soldiers and he just worded it.....
But other reports are now showing that Pitts wrote the question with out the help of the soldier.
This was supposed to be a town hall for the soldiers...the reporter should have not interferred with the actual voice of the soldiers.
The reporter knows that the soldier may catch heat form friends when folks find out the question was a set up....but the reporter does not care about that soldiers well being....he just cars about bashing people.
The reporter should rot in hell.
I agree. The soldiers knew what they were doing. The reporter facilitated, and they pulled it off. I think it was a fair question.
I think you and I agree sort of regularly.
Okers.
Thanks!
Gen. David Grange was on CNN a little earlier and stated that getting the humvees uparmored is an age old problem. That this has been discussed, bantered about at least since Somalia.
Even if it's true, I find it disingenuous that Bush and Rumsfeld take the hit for any supply or logistics problems, but there's no mention of Klinton spending 8 years slashing military budgets, running members off, and diverting as much military money as possible toward non-military things (like having submarines out studying arctic ice floes and whale migrations).
mark
Thank you for your post. You might need to get ready to repeat yourself over and over for the next few days. Like it or not, this weekend's "kitchen table issue" has been set by the media. It'll be beaten to death and beyond over the next few days.
Bingo, thanks free trading GOP, your trade policies are going to be the death of many young soldier and our nation.
WRONG.
It was during the CLINTON ADMINISTRATION that the industrial base went down.
Thanks for showing yourself to be a troll.
I took the time to read the posts and up the chain a bit - it states that the ones that are not 'uparmored' are used only on the base and NEVER sent off base.
The troops use the 'uparmored' ones off the base.
Destro, check out the innacurate statement after the quote at post 888 when you get the chance.
And let's not forget the GOP that strip mined the nation of it's manurfactureing base and shipped that to China, we only have one plant left to produce armor. Thanks free traders, our soldier are dying for cheap chicom crap.
"Digging through trash bins for ballistic glass and armor, that sounds like total embellishment to me."
It's more than that...it's total BS!
I spent a year in Iraq when the I.E.D.'s were just becoming a problem and with every homegrown modification we came up with...NOT ONE of them involved digging through trashbins. When ballistic glass was damaged...it was replaced IMMEDIATELY. Up armored Hummers were rolled out to the units ASAP and the incoming Brigade that replaced us...signed for our up-armored Hummers when we left.
What we are dealing with is laszy and deceitful reporting on the part of Mr. Pitts and a willing stooge with an agenda in the form of the Soldier who asked the question.
No, that was the Clintons.
"And let's not forget the GOP that strip mined the nation of it's manurfactureing base and shipped that to China, we only have one plant left to produce armor. Thanks free traders, our soldier are dying for cheap chicom crap."
Look we're here to discuss the topic at the top of this thread. We don't have time for you to come in here and interrupt and disrupt the discussion with your own anti-Bush/war/American agenda.
IMHO you need to either need to find something constructive to add to the discussion or find a thread that actually gives a darn about your tripe.
It certainly wasn't thunderous applause as the media claimed.
"Bingo, thanks free trading GOP, your trade policies are going to be the death of many young soldier and our nation."
Mr. Zot...Paging Mr. Zot...your assistance is needed on aisle 5
Mr. Viking Kitty...paging Mr. Viking Kitty....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.