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OBAMA BUSTED: Plans for Landstuhl Photo-Op Revealed
Thursday, July 31, 2008 | Kristinn

Posted on 07/31/2008 7:13:36 PM PDT by kristinn

Barack Obama's claims that he was not going to use a planned visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center as a photo-op were blown out of the water tonight by a spokesman for Landstuhl who told Stars and Stripes that plans had been made for Obama's campaign press contingent to film the candidate as he entered and left the hospital.

U.S. European Command spokesman Lt. Col. John Dorrian said that local and traveling press would have been brought to the entrance of Landstuhl to film Obama entering and leaving the hospital.

The article also noted that it would have been permissible for Obama to have a held a press conference as a U.S. senator on official business under Pentagon rules.

The Obama campaign has furiously denied the cancelled visit to Landstuhl was ever planned as a photo-op. They issued several statements with varying explanations that basically included the message that the Pentagon viewed the visit as a campaign stop.

Additionally, the Obama campaign told reporters there were no plans to take the press with Obama to Landstuhl. The Washington Post ran a front page article this week attacking the McCain campaign's ad criticizing Obama over the cancellation that included comments from Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs:

Gibbs said yesterday that the campaign had planned to inform the traveling media members sometime on the morning of the flight to Ramstein that Obama was intending to visit the hospital but had made no plans to take reporters, including even the small, protective press pool that now accompanies him most places.

Reporters, he said, probably would have been able to get off the plane but not leave an air base facility close by. "We had made absolutely no arrangements to transport the press to the hospital," he said.

...Gibbs was asked yesterday (Tuesday) about the continuing allegations from McCain that the real reason was a desire to bring a media entourage to the hospital.

"That's completely untrue, and I think, honestly, they know it's untrue," Gibbs said.

Obama spoke about the cancelled Landstuhl visit at a press conference in London the day after (from MSNBC):

"We had scheduled to go. We had no problem at all in leaving press -- we always leave press and staff out, that's why we left it off the schedule," he said, explaining that the campaign had planned to treat the trip the same way they treated a recent visit to Walter Reed, which the senator made without press.

Obama added, "I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisers, a former military officer. And we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person and it would therefore be perceived as political, because he had endorsed my candidacy but he wasn't on the Senate staff," Obama said, referring to Gen. Scott Gration, who had worked to organize the trip.

"That triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political, and the last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not or get caught in the crossfire between campaigns. So rather than go forward and potentially get caught up in what might have been seen as a political controversy of some sort, what we decided was that we would not make a visit and instead I would call some of the troops who were there. So that's essentially the extent of the story."

Obama and the mainstream press have tried to put this story behind them but it keeps coming back because Obama and his campaign failed to do the right thing--by the troops and by the truth. Obama's snub of the wounded warriors at Landstuhl has been compounded by his inexplicable lying about it.

This episode may well prove to be a defining moment in Obama's campaign as voters judge his commitment to the troops and the truth.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Germany; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: 2008; barackobama; electionpresident; elections; landstuhl; nobama08; obama; obamasbigadventure; obamatruthfile; obamavisit; photoop; snub; troopvisit; wia
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1 posted on 07/31/2008 7:13:36 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn

bump


2 posted on 07/31/2008 7:16:10 PM PDT by HereInTheHeartland ("We have to drain the swamp" George Bush, September 2001)
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To: kristinn

Has there ever been a bigger phony?


3 posted on 07/31/2008 7:16:17 PM PDT by Rosemont ($4+ for gas. Can we drill now?)
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To: kristinn

He claims he went to Walter Reed and nobody new. Can he prove it? The reason nobody knew is because he probably wasn’t there.


4 posted on 07/31/2008 7:17:52 PM PDT by mortal19440
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To: HereInTheHeartland

bttt


5 posted on 07/31/2008 7:18:23 PM PDT by ConservativeMan55
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To: kristinn

Did ya see the cover of “People”!??!

Total Arrrrgh!


6 posted on 07/31/2008 7:19:16 PM PDT by Delta 21 ( MKC USCG - ret)
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To: kristinn

Obamamazing!

Thanks Kristinn!


7 posted on 07/31/2008 7:19:16 PM PDT by Randy Larsen (Got a free burrito, paid for it later!)
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To: kristinn

Yeah, we really need clowns like this dealing with folks like the madhi’s magic midget in Iran or Kim Mentally Ill in North Korea.


8 posted on 07/31/2008 7:19:37 PM PDT by aruanan
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To: Rosemont
Part of me wonders if Obama is just a weak person who bumps along the breeze like a milkweed seed.

A very bad temperament for the leader of the free world. He would get us all killed.

9 posted on 07/31/2008 7:20:14 PM PDT by HereInTheHeartland ("We have to drain the swamp" George Bush, September 2001)
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To: kristinn

Ruh Roh! Barama got caught in yet another lie?


10 posted on 07/31/2008 7:21:48 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: kristinn
This episode may well prove to be a defining moment in Obama's campaign as voters judge his commitment to the troops and the truth.

The voters' response is expected to be...

"Huh?"

11 posted on 07/31/2008 7:21:50 PM PDT by Old Sarge (CTHULHU '08 - I won't settle for a lesser evil any longer!)
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To: mortal19440
We know about the "low-key" Walter Reed visit because it was leaked to the top political reporter at The Politico the night before the visit.

What a surprise.

12 posted on 07/31/2008 7:24:07 PM PDT by kristinn
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To: kristinn

No camera, NoBama.

I’m not sure he even exists. He’s a mythological creature that only appears when cameras are present.


13 posted on 07/31/2008 7:24:21 PM PDT by YCTHouston
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To: kristinn

To the Left, the troops are nothing more than photo-op props for “fly-over country” voters anyway.


14 posted on 07/31/2008 7:24:30 PM PDT by DTogo (I haven't left the GOP, the GOP left me.)
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To: kristinn

The left has always despised the military. The AMERICAN military that is.


15 posted on 07/31/2008 7:27:11 PM PDT by ETL (Plenty of REAL smoking-gun evidence on the demonRats at: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: Rosemont
Has there ever been a bigger phony?

That is a tough call. I have always said Jesse Jackson is in a phony=baloney class all by himself. But a case could be made for Baraq, simply because it is starting to surprise some people how phony he is. Jesse's act surprises no one any more.

16 posted on 07/31/2008 7:28:43 PM PDT by Migraine (Diversity is great (until it happens to YOU)...)
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To: 3D-JOY; 60Gunner; AGreatPer; AlwaysFree; Angelwood; Apple Blossom; beandog; BillF; bmwcyle; ...

My short list ping


17 posted on 07/31/2008 7:28:49 PM PDT by BufordP (Had Mexicans flown planes into the World Trade Center, Jorge Bush would have surrendered.)
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To: kristinn

And I think the lamestream press is getting exasperated with Obamanation too.


18 posted on 07/31/2008 7:31:54 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: kristinn

It is starting to look like MS. Clinton may end up the RAT candidate after all.


19 posted on 07/31/2008 7:32:30 PM PDT by indylindy (I had almost forgotten that McCain is the nominee. Too bad I was reminded.)
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To: HereInTheHeartland
Obama is just a weak person who bumps along the breeze like a milkweed seed

When I think of Obama, I'm reminded of Forrest Gump's feather.

20 posted on 07/31/2008 7:35:55 PM PDT by reg45
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To: kristinn

Barry Soetoro lie? I’m shocked.


21 posted on 07/31/2008 7:41:46 PM PDT by taraytarah
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To: Rosemont

Not even the silky pony is as phony as the hussein obama.


22 posted on 07/31/2008 7:43:59 PM PDT by Liberty 275 (Do. Not. Want. Barack. Obama.)
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To: reg45
When I think of Obama, I'm reminded of Forrest Gump's feather

Elections are like a box of chocolates. you never know what you're going to get. Some are dark chocolate with a soft jelly center that sticks to your teeth long after it's gone, others are white chocolate that're kinda nutty.

23 posted on 07/31/2008 7:47:23 PM PDT by digger48
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To: Rosemont
Has there ever been a bigger phony?

Bill Clinton?

24 posted on 07/31/2008 7:54:06 PM PDT by Dagny&Hank
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To: BufordP

Thanks BufordP.

Can I get any angrier with Obama and not begin to support McCain?

What a mess this year!


25 posted on 07/31/2008 7:56:41 PM PDT by 3D-JOY
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To: kristinn

It should be a defining moment; and ‘perhaps’ it will be. But hard to have one; when MSM does a daily gloss-on and gloss-over of every Obama mistake and misdeed. Keep reading the ‘honeymoon’ may be over. Am just waiting to see it.


26 posted on 07/31/2008 8:04:50 PM PDT by cricket (Damn Political Correctness; before it irretrievably, damns us all. . .)
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To: kristinn
Excellent post.

Here is a Ramirez illustration:

From Investor's Business Daily

27 posted on 07/31/2008 8:10:06 PM PDT by FocusNexus ("Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." -- Vince Lombardi)
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To: Rosemont

And I thought Bubba was a big phony.


28 posted on 07/31/2008 8:14:17 PM PDT by FrdmLvr
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To: kristinn

Bump.Thanks kristinn.


29 posted on 07/31/2008 8:18:03 PM PDT by fatima
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To: kristinn

There is no way you can spin this to your truth Obama. You are caught again in one of your many lies.

I cannot stand your posturing and your manipulation. Take a flippin’ hike.


30 posted on 07/31/2008 8:19:05 PM PDT by laurenmarlowe
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To: kristinn

You do such good work.


31 posted on 07/31/2008 8:42:48 PM PDT by libbylu
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To: mortal19440

Military always records everything.
Navy has log books!

Military security at Walter Reed would know.
They usually keep logs too of what going on and they even have security cameras.


32 posted on 07/31/2008 9:09:14 PM PDT by Milligan
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To: kristinn

See, he lied. And he thought us little people would say, “Aw shucks,” let him go in. And bring his cameras with him.

Didn’t happen to President Phoniness, the Presumptive One


33 posted on 07/31/2008 9:15:23 PM PDT by quintr
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To: mortal19440

We’re supposed to take his word for it.

Like his word is worth anything. Well, maybe a finnig.


34 posted on 07/31/2008 9:16:18 PM PDT by quintr
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To: Salvation

We can only hope.


35 posted on 07/31/2008 9:17:20 PM PDT by quintr
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To: kristinn

Let’s see; there’s the incident with

1. Rev. Wright
2. Rev. Fleger
3. Bill Ayers (the terrorist)
4. Larry Sinclair (?)
5. Obama not visiting the wounded troops in Germany and now,
6. Ludacris and his sick, demeaning, vicious and outrageous “Political” Rap released yesterday. And let’s not forget
7. Obamessiah’s “Citizens of the World” speech in Germany.

If McCain can’t take this guy out on November 4, he doesn’t deserve to be President. It’s almost like the Obama camp is trying to lose this Election; and I wish them well in that endeavor.


36 posted on 07/31/2008 9:27:25 PM PDT by no dems (99% of the Politicians give all the others a bad name.)
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To: no dems

Inflate your tires and save on gas..?????


37 posted on 07/31/2008 9:33:49 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: no dems; Jeff Head

And your list did not include Michelle’s inspiring speeches


38 posted on 07/31/2008 9:36:55 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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To: kristinn
Obama's snub of the wounded warriors at Landstuhl has been compounded by his inexplicable lying about it.

I have to disagree that the lying is inexplicable. Obama knows that he snubbed the troops because he couldn't get his photo-op. He wants to avoid admitting it.

That's a clear, simple explanation which is totally in keeping with his character (or perhaps I should say -- lack thereof).

39 posted on 07/31/2008 9:36:58 PM PDT by Bob
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To: Dagny&Hank
Now wait a minute....I told you that Oblahma was a fairy tale....I told you all but you wouldn't listen and accused me of racism. But you knew I was right all along..


40 posted on 07/31/2008 9:46:09 PM PDT by tflabo (Al)
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To: Rosemont

who is the bigger phony: Clinton or Obama?

BOTH have such a willing media, I just dont know who is a bigger phony


41 posted on 07/31/2008 9:58:20 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Innocent until proven guilty; The Pendleton 8: We are not going down without a fight)
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To: kristinn

no media on this

or the Wailing Wall incident

or different dollar bills...a Quayle moment

or Edwards baby mommy

and so it goes....

Uncle Joe would be envious as to how readily a free press can be whored out


42 posted on 07/31/2008 10:00:33 PM PDT by wardaddy ("Cause my grey hair just can't cover up my redneck.")
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To: wardaddy

Exactly - no R. could get away with any of those, yet for Obambi it’s just skating along as usual, nothing to worry about, the MSM protects his flanks and his back.


43 posted on 07/31/2008 10:14:46 PM PDT by Enchante (Obambi goes to GERMANY to apologize for unwarranted (sic) aggression!)
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To: FrdmLvr
Every Rat Politician is a phony.

They run Conservative and vote with Pelosi and Reid.

They lie without a conscience because they know that their idiot base and the drive by media will never publicize it.

Phony tears at funerals (Clinton), blaming everyone else for their missteps (Both Clintons) and using race to create a bogeyman to hide their inadequacies (Obama).

44 posted on 07/31/2008 10:22:17 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (If it looks like a lib, smells like a lib and whines like a lib, it must be an Obama voter)
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To: kristinn

ping


45 posted on 08/01/2008 12:42:55 AM PDT by AnimalLover ( ((Are there special rules and regulations for the big guys?)))
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To: ourusa; theKid51

ping


46 posted on 08/01/2008 2:17:09 AM PDT by bmwcyle (If God wanted us to be Socialist, Karl Marx would have been born in America.)
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To: tflabo
Now wait a minute....I told you that Oblahma was a fairy tale....I told you all but you wouldn't listen and accused me of racism. But you knew I was right all along. This is the most quiet it has been in our nation about the Clintons for nearly 20 years. I doubt that have chosen to go away very quietly. They are laying low, until something big erupts.

When whatever it is happens, the campaign will quickly become unsuspended.

The must have known that the Clinton fatigue factor would work against them.

If it is August, then Denver is right around the corner.

47 posted on 08/01/2008 4:48:29 AM PDT by Dustoff45 (A non-posting Freeper produces far fewer spelling errors)
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To: BufordP

I saw this on Tuesday. What a little snake!!

[Mrs T]


48 posted on 08/01/2008 4:58:21 AM PDT by trooprally (Never Give Up - Never Give In - Remember Our Troops)
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To: Salvation

That’s no joke Salvation; that’s for real. Sean Hannity was all over it yesterday on his radio broadcast and last night on his TV show, H&C. They actually played the video.
John McCain jumped on it as well.


49 posted on 08/01/2008 5:56:52 AM PDT by no dems (99% of the Politicians give all the others a bad name.)
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To: wardaddy

You’re right. No media on this besides Stars and Stripes.


50 posted on 08/01/2008 9:00:45 AM PDT by kristinn
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