Daily Kos

Doctored ad has legs

by kos

Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:12:57 PM PDT

Congrats to Mithras the Prophet for his diary on Bush's fake "Whatever it takes" ad.

The Kerry campaign has issued a press release directing press to the diary.

In response to the stunning revelation that the Bush-Cheney campaign's much touted closing ad has been exposed as doctored, the Kerry campaign is demanding that this fake ad be taken off the airwaves immediately. 

Senior Adviser Joe Lockhart issued the following statement: 

"Now we know why this ad is named `Whatever it Takes.'  This administration has always had a problem telling the truth from Iraq to jobs to health care.  The Bush campaign's advertising has been consistently dishonest in what they say.  But today, it's been exposed for being dishonest about what we see.

"If they won't tell the truth in an ad, they won't tell the truth about anything else.  This doctored commercial is fundamentally dishonest and insults the intelligence of the American people.  The Bush campaign has no choice but to take this ad down immediately and issue an apology for its latest attempt to mislead the American people.

"Unless George Bush has changed its position on human cloning, it's got to pull this fundamentally dishonest ad immediately."

The story is CNN, AP has it, etc.
  • ::

Tags: George W. Bush, fake, photo (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 287 comments

  •  damn those internets! (4.00 / 5)

    by desmoulins on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:12:16 PM PDT

    •  Let's remember (4.00 / 4)

      That it is not the fact that the ad was Photoshopped that's important. It's the fact that this is a metaphor for everything that is wrong with the Bush administration.

      They lie.

      They cheat.

      They don't tell the truth.

      They are out of touch with reality.

      This is the equivalent of Kerry accidentally running an ad which includes contradictory statements. The Bush team would jump all over it as another example of "flip-flopping".  Well guess what -- we get to jump all over this as another example of Bush's dishonesty.

      Old Man McCain.com - the best McCain attack blog on the web!

      by existenz on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:33:53 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  This is ridiculous and petty (1.85 / 14)

        If the charge against Bush is that he lies and cheats, the chosen "metaphor" should be one where it matters.  This is just a simple ad photo.  No misrepresentation is being made--those soldiers really were there and there really were that many of them.  They just removed part of it for dramatic effect and did a bad job of editing.

        This is just like the Mary Cheney comment.  Perhaps not presented the best way but we all know what was meant.  Take the moral high ground and forget this "story".

        by DU on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:51:58 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Were you awake (3.80 / 5)

          during the 2000 election. For some reason this is the kind of thing the media loves to latch onto.

          Is it fair? Probably not. But when the color of a candidates suit, brown, becomes a major issue of "who a candidate is" then you have to play the cards dealt.

          by Mike S on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:07:05 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Yep (4.00 / 2)

            Imagine if Gore or Kerry doctored a picture of soldiers.  The media would be merciless.  They'd portray this as a symbol of the phoniness and desperation of the Gore/Kerry campaign.  And some people would be affected by it, especially if it fit into an existing "storyline" (which this does, if we spin it right).

            Would we prefer to win votes in a different manner?  Sure.  But since the media loves meaningless stories that seem to highlight a negative character trait, why not try to get them to hurt the other side for a change?

            by dtj on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 09:56:17 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  Moral high ground? (4.00 / 4)

          Sorry pal. I'm in this thing to win.

          I'll take whatever ground needs to be taken.

          If they want to make this a story, and it keeps the Bushies off message and on the defensive yet another news cycle, then far be it for me to complain.

          by kos on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:11:23 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  Not a troll (none / 0)

          comment, although I obviously disagree with it. There's nothing wrong with wanting fair play and honest debate but we have to play the game on even ground.

          by Mike S on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:22:36 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  Disagree (none / 1)

          This is simply a one-day short story - a few sentences and a picture.  The missing explosives is a week-long, emerging narrative - talking heads, footage, discussion.  Giulani blaming the troops for W's mistake is an intermittent, competing-opinion dialogue spilling out over several days, a few he-saids one day, a few she-saids the next.  

          The media maw requires each type of story to fill their voracious need for up-to-the-minute blather.  There's room for substance, barking and nit-picking in every news cycle.  This nit is ripe for picking.  

          "I cherished my hate like a badge of moral superiority." - Mark Rudd

          by Bob Love on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:28:34 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Imagine if Kerry did this . . . (4.00 / 2)

            The news would be on it like flies on shit.  Bush would "Gore" him over it.  
            Make it a story - make it a big story.

            Will you help me raise $1000 for Jay Nixon who is running for Governor of Missouri.

            by aimeeinkc on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:53:58 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  There are certain moments that stick (none / 1)

            I don't agree.   There are some small things that serve to represent the whole campaign, and for one reason or another we remember them years later.   Like the stupid Republican claim that Al Gore represented himself as the inventor of the Internet (which of course he never did).   This Photoshopping could be the same thing for us.  This should be expolited for all it's worth for the next 24hrs.   Let's see if it catches on.  

            The point is, there is a substantial number of voters out there still looking for a reason not to vote for Bush.  This shows what real phonies he and his crowd are in a way that anyone can understand.

            by quake on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:31:24 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  Agreeable non-disagreement (none / 0)

              I was disagreeing with the notion that we should ignore this story in favor of more potent ones.  I was trying to suggest that stories of various significance fit various media niches, and that "lesser" stories like this one can serve a purpose along with more substantive ones.  

              Whatever legs this doctored photo may have, I wish it a long and prosperous run.  

              I also liked the post below that put it in the context of prepared photo ops like Saddam's statue being torn down, not to mention Bush's fake turkey platter and the staged flyboy "Mission Accomplished" event.  And I'd add Bush's single visit to a military hospital: photographers were "banned", but a Bush photographer just happened to slip in and record Bush's momentary compassion for "history".  

              Scumbags all.

              "I cherished my hate like a badge of moral superiority." - Mark Rudd

              by Bob Love on Fri Oct 29, 2004 at 02:19:22 AM PDT

              [ Parent ]

        •  But he said his name is George W. Bush . . . (none / 1)

          . . . and he approved this message.

          Of course, that doesn't mean he'll take responsibility for its mistakes.  He's never met a mistake he couldn't disown.

          Yes, agreed, it's not of great consequence, in and of itself; however, seeing b/c surrogates forced to defend or explain the obvious "deception" in the image is a good thing.  

          It prevents or at least limits the bush league's opportunity to spin the message in its favor, it renders the emotional rhetoric of the ad silent, and in broader terms it keeps the GOP on its heels instead of reloading.

          Perhaps the best quality of this trivial mistake is that it stands as a visual instantiation of the simple and more complete forms of deception that the bush league has executed over the last 4 years.  It's worthwhile if only for its metaphoric value.  
          Organized religion (and more recently Nazism) has taught the world never to underestimate the power of a visual representation of something, particularly when one's dealing with an abstract or complex issue, and in this respect there haven't been many such obvious images to exploit while there have been 100's or 1000's of deceptions that have been executed by the bush league.  

             

          by camper88 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:41:16 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  I strongly disagree (none / 0)

          The ad is misleading, even if everything you say is true. What's the purpose of doctoring the pictures if not to mislead? Exposing it just helps to expose the numerous times which BC04 has misled the public and the ad itself is direct evidence of it.

          Besides, this is the type of stuff that people fall for. I do agree with you that there are worse things to expose by BC04, but, unfortunately, they're probably not as powerful as this issue, which had evidence that couldn't be any stronger. If everyone kept up with politics as closely as we do, then this wouldn't be a big deal. But this is good evidence to convince those who don't keep up as closely as we do that BC04 misleads us.

          Democrats -- Progress for the Working Class

          by rogun on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:45:20 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  If it's misleading (none / 0)

            Explain exactly what substantially false belief a person would come away with upon seeing the image.

            by DU on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 06:32:45 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  That the troops are behind Bush. (none / 0)

              It makes it seem like our bravest patriots support this despot. Like, see, the Army is on MY side. It sends the message supporting me is supporting our troops.

              Which is, of course, a lie.

              by nomes on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 07:02:59 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

            •  Cakewalk To Oblivion (none / 0)

              It's the assumption that facts are malleable, truth fungible, history spinnable and reality re-writeable.

              These people pontificate about "secular humanists" lacking the conviction of their moral bedrock, then act as if self-righteous pomposity somehow immunizes them from skeptical scrutiny.  

              They lie when it's useful, they lie when it's convenient, they lie out of habit.  They've been lying so long they can't distinguish reality from make-believe.  

              They're on a cakewalk to oblivion.

              "I cherished my hate like a badge of moral superiority." - Mark Rudd

              by Bob Love on Fri Oct 29, 2004 at 02:41:27 AM PDT

              [ Parent ]

        •  So, following your analogy (none / 0)

          It was just fine and dandy when the universities of Wisconsin and Idaho Photoshopped some of their admission materials to give the impression they had more minority students on campus than they actually do? Or when Edmund Morris created composite characters to enliven his biography of Ronald Reagan?

          Michael
          Musing's musings

          by musing85 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:20:13 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  No, that would not be fine (none / 0)

            If those schools did that and it was misleading, then it was wrong.  But what is misleading about the image from this ad?  Those soldiers really were there.  

            If there were only 3 soldiers at the rally and they photoshopped them around to look like 300, that would be wrong.  But no misrepresentation is taking place here.  The podium was removed to make it look better, not to hide anything.

            by DU on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 06:31:46 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  We have no idea... (none / 0)

              ...how many soldiers were really there.

              by nomes on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 07:04:12 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

            •  That seems about right (none / 0)

              If there were only 3 soldiers at the rally and they photoshopped them around to look like 300

              Sure looks like that was what they were trying to do. Besides, if you don't like the footage you have, you get new footage. You don't go messing with it. It's not like they don't have millions of hours of tape they can use, shot from a bajillion different angles. But no. They chose to doctor this shot because they didn't think anybody would notice.

              Well, welcome to the Brave New World, boys and girls. People will notice. And people do care.

              Michael
              Musing's musings

              by musing85 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 07:04:17 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

        •  Moral High Ground (none / 0)

          You will be 100% correct on November 3rd.  Democrats have taken the high road.  Collectively, they have not been 1/10th as shady as the Republicans.

          "If the opposite of a pro is con then look beyond this. The opposite of Congress must be Progress." - Cage

          by Guancous on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:41:42 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  I agree with you. (none / 0)

          However, it invokes the memory I have of the photoshopped images of the crowd around the statue of Saddam being toppled. The altered photos made it look like a much larger crowd was there. I don't think that photoshopping 'scandal' ever made it beyond the 'internets' but to me it was a metaphor for the fake reasons given for the invasion of Iraq.

          Therefore, I would not completely dismiss this present inconsequential photoshopping because it is more in the trail of lies put out by the Bush administration.

          This above all: to thine own self be true...-WS

          by Agathena on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 07:38:03 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Overheard at Bush HQ (none / 1)

      D'oh!

      -8.00, -4.87

      by Bruce The Moose on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:42:30 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Those internets... (none / 1)

      CNN.com is so incompetent that they didn't even get the entire web address in: The issue was first mentioned on the liberal Web log www.

      Wow - cnn.com gets worse by the second. They haven't had the explosives on their main page for two days now. Apparently the most important news is that a new Hannibal Lecter novel is coming out. Forget the fact that it's less than a week until a Presidential election, forget the fact the Guilliani is blaming the explosives on the troops, forget that 100,000 Iraqi's are estimated to have died at our hands. No no! The most important thing is that a man tried to kill his wife in the tub and that a kid DID kill his parents and Hannibal Lecter gets a new book sometime a year from now. Complete and total crap.

      by MCinTX on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:58:41 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  looks like they're taking it on the chin! (4.00 / 2)

    yr frn,
    jrs

    Get your free download of prizewinning novels Acts of the Apostles and Cheap Compl

    by jsundman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:12:45 PM PDT

  •  Wow! (none / 1)

    Great work Mithras!

    by dacarlton on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:13:31 PM PDT

  •  Whatever it Fakes (4.00 / 8)

    Should be the new title, huh?

    by sarcaustic on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:13:54 PM PDT

  •  markos (none / 0)

    On Judy Woodruff's show, they did a story - Jeanne Meserve did it.

    Everybody dies alone.

    by Armando on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:14:07 PM PDT

  •  YES!!!! (4.00 / 2)

    Damn it, we WILL be heard.

    Thanks so much, Mithras, for researching this.

    I really feel pumped today about the crossover muscle power the bloggy left is showing in this campaign.

    by SusanG on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:14:48 PM PDT

  •  Mehlman on Inside Politics (4.00 / 3)

    Still, IMHO Mehlman killed on Judy Woodruff's show around 4:15 or so.

    To Judy's credit, she did manage to ask him, rightly, whether the other Bush ads were free from this kind of "editing."  But Mehlman played it off as a way to get Bush out of the shot (interesting strategy...) and nothing more.

    Every time she tried to question him, he just started spewing spin and talking points like it's his job or something.

    What really pissed me off is when he said that they'd win the electoral and the popular, and that we'd know it early on election night.  These people aren't conceding, folks.  Someone summon General Clark in case we need him.

    -6.88, -6.72. The truth will set you free. But first it will piss you off.

    by Lucky Ducky on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:15:30 PM PDT

    •  Speaking of which (none / 0)

      he'll be in Minnesota tomorrow stumping for Kerry with vets.

      by BleedingHeartLiberal on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:22:49 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Also... (none / 0)

      You can't win elections on shit like this.  Aren't we supposed to be the ones talking about actual issues?

      -6.88, -6.72. The truth will set you free. But first it will piss you off.

      by Lucky Ducky on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:23:13 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Yeah, well ... (none / 0)

        I mean, kudos to mithras, and it is sort of symbolic of Bush et al, but ... I dunno. Will most people see the symbolism of it, or will they see it as silly nit-picking? I mean, if the Bushies were bringing this out against the Kerry campaign, I'd probably think, "Geez, don't you people have anything better than that to hit us with?"

        "All progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw

        by Bearpaw on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:37:25 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  i see it (none / 1)

          just like the fuck-you video as one more drip-drop. let's face it, this is NOT a positive. it's neutral-to-negative, and if either this ad or the video happened to us, we'd be bumming out. so while this fake ad might not push a voter one way or the other, it could be the final nail in the coffin for someone who need a tiny nudge over the edge.

          by JaneKnowles on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:43:47 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

        •  Walk and chew gum.... (4.00 / 2)

          I think the "community" not just here but on the ground, running the races, and on the blogosphere have more than adequately proven we can multi-task.

          What this does do is continue to illustrate "the wheels are coming off", a theme which we want plastered on BushCo all weekend.  It'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

          Atrios posted a few days ago that the key to winning elections seems to be just stay off defense and on offense.

          Not all plays need to be streaks and post patterns -- occasionally you mix it up with a WR screen or 2-3-4 yard off tackle push.

          The bottom line(s) are:

          1. We - or Mithras - put them on defense AGAIN.

          2. Silly stories like this allow pundits to spew silly process stories.

          3. Every minute of air time -- and just time in general - they have to explain silly stuff like this is less time to stay on message.  

          We're ~100 hours from GO time.... Time is precious - steal it in drips and drabs from bastards however you can.

          Sorry, folks... but there is NO DOWNSIDE to making your opponent admit mistakes and spend time spinning the hows/whys/etc.

          I guess everyone's got their own blog now.

          by zonk on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:28:03 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

      •  Sure, but this gives us an edge (4.00 / 4)

        in the all important ridicule factor. They keep doing stuff that makes them into parodies of themselves, like the Big Bad Wolves ad. When the population starts laughing at them, it becomes that much easier to pull the lever for somebody else.

        by rppa on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:46:23 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  disagree somewhat (4.00 / 3)

        this keeps BC off-balance & off-message.

        if it occupied too much of our time then, yes, i think it'd be counter-productive.

        but it was a quick hit, it got their ad off air & caused them some embarrassment.

        that's good.  off-balance & off-message.  & slows them down for the last week.

        now on to the next thing.

        Texas Kaos Take Back Texas

        Bush, What Price Did You Pay?

        by krazypuppy on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:46:42 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  exactly (4.00 / 3)

          BC04 are being driven off their game.  They are not controlling the message and haven't since the Mary Cheney stuff, which got the shrub off the hook for a miserable third debate performance.  Kerry is hammering, really hammering Bush now.  He really is a closer.  The NYT article this afternoon on Kerry's campaign finally does a great job of reporting the campaign.  We are coming on strong.

          Bush can't be everywhere at once, and the tide is going out on this administration.  Another good three days and we may see a sufficient surge to scrape out MO, which would more than cancel out a thin loss in IA.  I'm hopeful.

          Knut

          by Knut Wicksell on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:00:17 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  Had to laugh (none / 0)

      He kept referring to it as an editing error.

      Editing error my ass.  OOOPPPS, I accidentally  removed the president by cloning these three groups of people over and over.

      by nephthys on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:25:03 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Well of course he said that... (none / 0)

      Of course he said they'd win the electoral college and the popular vote.  You expect them to concede the Thursday before the election?  

      by Minnesotan on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:32:59 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Yeah Mithras! (none / 0)

    This thing is ALL OVER the internets now. I've seen it on a few different non-political messageboards (ie Fark.com) now.

    Awesome. This isn't the first time a Kos diary or comment has gotten to the Kerry people!

    by DynomiteUVA on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:16:15 PM PDT

  •  dunno if anyone else has posted about this, but... (4.00 / 5)

    Yahoo! is carrying an AP story about this that explicitly credits dKos with breaking this.

    It is not reasonable that those who gamble with men's lives should not pay with their own. - H.G. Wells

    by wickerman26 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:16:22 PM PDT

  •  Good Job (none / 0)

    Now the question is how many wolves were there?

    If the majority believe a lie, does that make it the truth?

    by Low Spark on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:16:26 PM PDT

  •  F*ck (none / 1)

    We have a local affiliate who has video of the explosives at Al-Qaqaa which refutes all of the damn spin from the media and from the WH on the missing explosives issue.  And what do they choose to focus on?  This crap.  Man, sometimes I think we truly deserve the situation we are in.

    '[Obama] has treated us like adults throughout this primary, and it is time to act like adults.' - John Cole

    by RichM on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:16:32 PM PDT

    •  right-o (none / 0)

      please dont' make this into an issue

      by 28whitman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:20:02 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I see... (none / 0)

        We are on the same wave-length :)  I also wanted to say that I don't want to take anything away from Mathras, the poster who discovered this.  Good job!

        '[Obama] has treated us like adults throughout this primary, and it is time to act like adults.' - John Cole

        by RichM on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:24:09 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  In boxing, it's known as the ol' one-two (none / 0)

        A left to the gut to get your man bent over (the phony photos), followed by a massive uppercut to the chin (the irrefutable proof that the explosives were on scene after the invasion).  All in the four days before the election.......

        Towel thrown in, bell ringing, smelling salts applied, victor's hand raised to the cheers of the crowd.

        "Same shit, Different Nixon." - Driftglass

        by roxtar on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 04:37:32 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Yep (4.00 / 2)

      My first thought to this Kerry Release was, "He's giving the children the toys they need to stay happy."

      -Hope never cost Corporate America a dime -Somebody blow Bush so we can impeach him already.

      by DWCG on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:23:37 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I know this isn't the most important story... (4.00 / 2)

      of the year.  But it is pretty blatant and is symbolic of the general dishonesty of the Bush campaign and the republican party in general.  I'm not sure that people really understand the implications of the Al-Qaqaa story, but they can understand having a candidate fake a picture of soldiers in a crowd to make it look bigger.    Al-Qaqaa isn't going away.

      To hell with independents... I'll stick with the party that brought us social security, civil rights, and environmental protection.

      by dianem on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:27:27 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  you're misunderstanding (none / 0)

        the crowd wasn't photoshopped to look bigger, it was photoshopped to get rid of a bush-shaped hole in the original photo. okay, maybe the crowd is bigger by 6 or 8 "soldiers" but its not as if they took 1 picture and copy-and-pasted it to recreate the entire US army. it was cosmetic. I know bush is dishonest as shit, but this is a common procedure.

        and is this really the best we can do? of all of the dishonesty in this campaign, this is so minor.

        if i turn on the tv tonight and hear pundit back-and-forth about this shit i'm going to lose my mind.

        by 28whitman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:33:46 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  It's the spin, stupid. (3.50 / 2)

          This is stuff people relate to.  We know it is small beans, but these are beans that get us past the goal-post.  We don't live in a perfect world.  A lot of our concitoyens are in denial about Iraq.  This sort of stuff is easier for them to digest, and doesn't make them feel guilty about betraying the troops abroad.

          Knut

          by Knut Wicksell on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:03:32 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  It's about not confusing politics with advertising (none / 0)

            You don't doctor political pics, period! That's what's wrong with it. There has to be a clear distinction between what advertising does and what politicians do. Otherwise the door is wide open for some much worse stuff. So it may look like a little thing, but it's the priciple behind it.

            "If religion is the opiate of the masses, then fundamentalism is the amphetamine." Miz Vittitow

            by MillieNeon on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 04:06:42 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  I wouldn't take it so hard (4.00 / 2)

          I totally agree with what you're saying about this being at best a sideshow topic, but since BC04 campaign people have been forced to respond to this, I don't think it's such a bad thing.

          It contributes to the happy status quo of keeping them off-balance, off-message, and focused on damage control.    And the Kerry campaign hasn't really had to lift a finger.

          The SBVT and indeed BC04 could probably have come up with better criticisms of Kerry than those that really knocked the wind out of the campaign (flip-flop, Cambodia, etc.), but they went with what stuck.  Just as the pundits don't "get" that this is really a nothing of an issue (and I agree that it is a nothing), the layperson probably won't understand the difference between doctoring photos for innocent aesthetic repair and doctoring them to propagate a lie.

          I guess what I'm saying is that insofar as this helps to keep BushCo on the defensive about their trustworthiness, I think any coverage of this non-issue is at worst a wash, at best a small plus for Kerry.

          (Just trying to console a fellow pundit-hater!)

          by crushinator on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:11:36 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Definitely hurts Bush (none / 1)

            I can't agree with those who are worried about this story getting a lot of play.

            At the end of the day, here is what people will remember:

            Bush's ads are fake

            That helps Kerry on the all-important "character issue."

            And it helps Kerry because RoveCo.'s endgame plan has been thrown off-kilter. If even for one evening, that makes a huge difference in a (likely) close election.

            (Although I think Kerry will clean up even with all the Thug intimidation and ballot dirty tricks.)

            "Animals are my friends. And I don't eat my friends." -- George Bernard Shaw

            by Hudson on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:35:38 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  it hurts them in another way (none / 1)

              They now have an ad they paid a chunk of change for that they CANNOT USE. Either they get another ad made in super rush time (not likely) or they use something they already have (and that people will tune out because they've already heard it a million times) or they run NOTHING.

              Getting them to pull an ad is a big deal. Don't dismiss it.

              by mmacdDE on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:01:42 PM PDT

              [ Parent ]

        •  You're being rational (4.00 / 2)

          That's a problem that liberals and moderates have.  We insist on discussing important issues and brushing off minor ones.  If we want to win, though, we have to start thinking like the media and spin, spin, spin.  This is not an important story, but it is a spinnable story.  It's simple to explain, and they can spend hours discussing the ethical implications of doctoring campaign photos without having to actually learn anything about the subject.  They don't have to know the difference between different types of explosives, or how to prounoune Al QaQaa, or be able to interpret aerial photos, or understand the role of the IAEA.  It's easy, so they'll cover it.  Kind of sickening that we have to play on such a juvenile field to win, but that's the rules - I didn't make them.  The most important thing in the world to me right now is that Bush not be allowed to have 4 more years to damage my country, and if we have to descend into the muddy world of "gotcha" politics, I'm willing to get dirty.  But let's remember how to be rational.  I'd hate to see KOS turn into a mirror of the freeper site.  

          To hell with independents... I'll stick with the party that brought us social security, civil rights, and environmental protection.

          by dianem on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 04:05:26 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Too true (none / 1)

            I have to go with this take on the issue.  Given what the conditions are, we have to exploit them to win.  After all, this isn't a sex scandal or a charge of sexual harassment or something personal against Bush. Remember Monica Lewinsky and that whole circus.  The photo-shopped ad is silly, but it is real, and if it entertains the media, let them be stupid about it.

            "Reality has a well-known liberal bias." Stephen Colbert

            by Time Waits for no Woman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 06:28:59 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  Well, at least the petty, unimportant stuff... (none / 0)

      ...hurts Bush this time.

      In the grand scheme of things, this is nothing.  It is a useful metaphor for reinsforcing the "they make everything up" and "they don't live in reality" themes, however.

      by Geotpf on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:09:12 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  750,000 lbs of bullshit (none / 1)

        the bottom line is that doctoring photos means fake ads -- to anyone.  in that ad in particular they were showing close-up shots of real people, then they cut to a doctored photo of "overwhelming military support" -- it screams FAKE!

        while the missing weapons story is breaking hard and 1000x more serious, this story may have more of a real near-term impact because it's a open and shut case.  widespread, simple to understand.  guilt already admited.  judgements easily made.

        btw, have you seen what Bush is telling his rallies about the missing weapons story?  it's amazing stuff...  i hope the post-invasion IAEA locks and satellite photos are enough of a case, but honestly it's still a matter of trust when you present evidence to the masses -- they'll need to weight the source of the evidence, etc.  hell, i don't even know what an IAEA cable lock really means, but i trust it was the real deal...

        Buy Renewable Energy Now! Choose Your Power or Green Tags

        by drh on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:37:37 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  pee on us! we love you George!!! (none / 0)

    went to BC04 (NOT!) site to watch. felt dirty.
    played bullcrap commercial. froze my computer.
    typical.

    Better the occasional fault of a gov't that lives in a spirit of charity than one that remains frozen in the ice of its own indifference. FDR

    by scoutt on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:16:47 PM PDT

    •  The man who pretends to lead the world (4.00 / 2)

      prevents the world from seing his website.

      Kinda telling, isn't it?

      Barack Obama will be President, John Edwards will send George W Bush to The Hague

      by vanguardia on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:20:07 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I've been unable to reach that damned site (none / 0)

        It's really a slap to the face to foreigners. Like all of Bush's presidency and campaign, it denotes his scorn for the outside world. I'm left to wonder if it accepts surfers from Massachussets?

        What does it say to the world when you cannot read about Bush's campaign because you're not allowed to due to computer profiling?

        (The world's probably glad)

        Their privileged existence of wealthy debauchery had not prepared them for the next few moments. Carnacki

        by sersan on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:33:43 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  They are scared of DOS attacks (none / 0)

          The man who wants to protect the world can't even protect his own website without shutting the world out.

          But you know there are wolves out there who want to do America harm...

          Is it Tuesday yet?

          Barack Obama will be President, John Edwards will send George W Bush to The Hague

          by vanguardia on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:06:36 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Beware of the big bad wolves (none / 0)

            the bad furriners want to take down the Prez's site. Of course the only solution is to deny access to the site to furriners, and allow them easy access to explosives everywhere. Hey, you've got to have balance!

            The wolves probably were doctored too. Who's afraid of the big bad DOS?

            No, it isn't Tuesday. This will doubtlessly be the longest weekend ever. I know I won't be safe until Tuesday.

            Their privileged existence of wealthy debauchery had not prepared them for the next few moments. Carnacki

            by sersan on Fri Oct 29, 2004 at 08:31:17 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

  •  The soldiers dying in Iraq (4.00 / 7)

    are not photoshopped, unfortunately.

    Barack Obama will be President, John Edwards will send George W Bush to The Hague

    by vanguardia on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:16:56 PM PDT

  •  Blitzer about to report on doctored photo (none / 0)

    at 2:18pm PDT

    by Lap Dog Media Watch on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:17:09 PM PDT

  •  AP version on Yahoo Elections page (none / 1)

    Bush Campaign to Recut Doctored Ad.

    INDIANOLA, Iowa - President Bush's campaign acknowledged Thursday that it had doctored a photograph used in a television commercial and said the ad will be re-edited and reshipped to TV stations.

    The photo of Bush addressing a group of soldiers was edited to take out a podium, aides said, and a group of soldiers in the crowd was electronically copied and used to fill where the podium had been.

    Snip . . . McKinnon quote . . . Lockhart quote . . . McKinnon again . . . Schmidt . . .

    The ad, released Wednesday, is an emotional appeal in which Bush defends his decision to go to war and empathizes with fallen soldiers and their families.

    The ad is running on national cable networks and in local media markets in at least one state, Ohio.

    The issue was first mentioned on the liberal Web log www.dailykos.com.

    Rate it upppppppp!

    by musing graze on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:17:39 PM PDT

  •  Like. Shooting. Fish. (none / 0)

    In. A. Barrel.

    It's almost too easy now....

    Wars not make one great. - Yoda

    by Volvo Liberal on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:18:06 PM PDT

  •  sorry but i don't think this is a big deal (3.57 / 7)

    someone posted a nearly indentical picture earlier in which bush is standing at a podium in front of this very backdrop. so to get this picture from that one, they cut bush out. Obviously, they couldn't leave a bush shaped hole there (i don't know why they didn't use another pic), so they had to fill it in somehow. they just copied a few guys here and there. no big deal.

    please don't make this into a giant news story. this is another mary cheney type thing: just as the lesbian comment overshadowed bush's blatant OBL lie in the debates, so too could this photo overshadow, say, the missing explosives, the FBI halliburton investigation, missing absentee ballots, etc., etc.

    by 28whitman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:18:41 PM PDT

    •  A '4' for thee! (3.00 / 2)

      See my comment above.  It's nice to see this kind of thing make it big time, but not really.  We should be talking about how Dubya lost tons of explosives due to his own arrogance and all he can come up with are excuses (The Russians ate my home work.  The were already taken before we got their.  My opponnet should jump to conclusions).  Why aren't they listening to that?

      '[Obama] has treated us like adults throughout this primary, and it is time to act like adults.' - John Cole

      by RichM on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:22:32 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I disagree (3.83 / 6)

        We need to fill up the media with anti-Bush stories. That way they won't have time for any anti-Kerry stories that come along. The missing explosives thing is a meaty story that won't go away, and apparently ABC has some footage that will prove that Kerry was right.

        But this story is effective too, because it distracts from the message Bush wants to get out and shows that he is once again making shit up. If you can't believe his ads, how can you believe anything he says? We've been trying to get CNN to point out the lies in Bush's ads for months now. It takes something blatant and obvious like this to get them to finally put the Bush guys on the defensive.

        Kerry will hammer away on Bush's incompetence about Iraq. Bush has to explain why his ads are fraudulent. That's a double whammy for our side.

        Old Man McCain.com - the best McCain attack blog on the web!

        by existenz on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:27:22 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  yeah i posted that other pic and yes.. (3.00 / 2)

      it isn't a huge story.
      come on, there is an election to win, there seems so little mileage in harassing them about a mere photoshop..
      if they were INVENTING extra crowd, i could understand the fuss..
      people are dying overseas and this isn't worth the attention.

      by CynicalBrit on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:23:02 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  This Pic Is Part of a Pattern (none / 1)

        They are inventing a crowd using Photoshop. Certainly this not a big deal compared to 380,000 tons of missing explosives, but it is a glaring example of their chronic, shameless lying.  That's what's important about it.

        by bramish on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:32:59 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  could you please repost that pic? (none / 0)

        i think people really need to see it to understand that this is not worth catapulting into the newscycle

        by 28whitman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:35:21 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  ok, but i disagree (none / 0)

          see my earlier comment on why...

          the original, original picture is from the July 19, 2002 White House transcript President Salutes Troops of the 10th Mountain Division.

          Source: White House photo by Tina Hager.

          Buy Renewable Energy Now! Choose Your Power or Green Tags

          by drh on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:51:12 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Why even edit it? (none / 0)

            Does that even make sense? They truly are stupid.

            Wonder how many of these guys are now dead.....

            To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. -Douglas Adams

            by jigsaw68 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 08:19:46 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  Even this photo has been altered! (none / 0)

            The white shirts are artificially brightened up, and Bush's face is lightened to distinguish it from the soldiers.  (A better artist would have raised the contrast to compensate for the wash-out that accompanies added brightness).  It's as if Bush and the flag-bearing boy were bathed in sunlight while the rest of the world is overcast and gloomy.  

            Which is, I guess, the way they see things.  I'm surprised they didn't add a halo.

            "I cherished my hate like a badge of moral superiority." - Mark Rudd

            by Bob Love on Fri Oct 29, 2004 at 02:53:11 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  asdf (none / 1)

      Normally I wouldn't think tihs is a big deal either, but it can't hurt to have one more negative news story on Bush in the cycle. It might knock off a story about some Republican shill lying about Kerry.

      Fear not the path of truth for the lack of people walking on it.

      by slee on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:23:44 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  disagree (none / 1)

      this is more negative press for BC04. It's not a big deal in substance, but great for symbolism and keeps 'em on the defensive.

      And how cool that it broke on dKos! Congrats to Mithras!!

      All extremists are irrational and should be exposed

      by SeanF on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:25:01 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  asdf (3.50 / 2)

        And what about the argument that it's good to have a couple of different flavors of negative stories about Bush going at the same time? I'm thinking a lot of people have tuned out the explosives -- too complicated, we don't know what's going on -- but they might get the doctored ad.

        Not at all saying we shouldn't be hitting the explosives story hard...

        by lanellici on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:32:02 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  You're missing the point (3.93 / 15)

      By focusing on this "irrelvancy,"  and it is  a pretty silly aside given what is at stake, we gut a key piece of their media strategy at a crucial moment.

      This is the Bush campaign's final presentation to the voters.  They have carefully calibrating this ad, and are spending millions to push it. By changing the topic from whatever the ad  says to the fact it is doctored we completely defeat whatever the ad was supposed to do.  

      It' ain't prety,  or uplifing, but it's  how  the game is  played.

      courage

      by tylerh on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:29:20 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  yes, you've got it exactly. n/t (none / 0)

        by lanellici on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:36:37 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Not only that ... (3.50 / 4)

        It keeps them on defense in these final crucial days. Instead of spewing his own talking points, Mehlman has to go on CNN multiple times and spend time trying to defend this.

        Yeah, it's pretty trivial in the overall picture. But it keeps the Thugs back on their heels and talking about what WE want, rather than what they want.

        The fact that they blew a wad of money on a shitty ad and now have to fix it ... well that makes it even better.

        by Pompatus on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:46:39 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  yah, just like Rathergate (none / 1)

        Remember how the Freepers pushed Rathergate and got everyone to focus on the process rather than the substance.

        Same here.

        Plus, if Bush is responding, he's not attacking. This is a win. Not a huge win, but a win. And its ours!!!

        by Loudocracy on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:00:38 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  This clearly helps Kerry... (none / 1)

          ... because Bush has only two real campaign themes:

          • I will keep you safe.

          • I am a straight shooter.

          Now the media is attaching words like "fake," "doctored" and "phony" to Bush's campaign.

          Now everything Bush does then gets shifted (reframed) through the lens of distortion. If you think George Lakoff is right about anything, this story is a big help to Kerry, especially among undecideds.

          Meanwhile, the missing explosives story undermines theme #1.

          Unless a huge third revelation emerges -- videotape of Bush buggering goats -- the blogosphere should focus relentlessly on these two stories for the duration.

          The themes are:

          1. Bush puts you in danger. See -- he lost the explosives. Now terrorists will make more bombs.

          2. Bush is phony. See -- he even fakes his ads. With soldiers, no less.

          "Animals are my friends. And I don't eat my friends." -- George Bernard Shaw

          by Hudson on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:47:43 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

      •  Crowd size (none / 0)

        That their choice of "editing" increased the apparent crowd size allows the pundits to pontificate on the use of small crowds of loyalists and Bush's exploitation of media-craft to make it look like he has adoring masses adoring him. He had to resort to this trick because simply panning the camera over in either direction would have revealed how few people were there. If we get a segment on each talk show in which the loyalty oath audiences get mentioned it will be great.

        by ineedalife on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:02:36 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Those clones (none / 1)

      are all over the place, not just where Bush was brushed out. The original picture was probably photoshopped itself, including the kid holding the flag.

      "There's no housing bubble..." - Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, 10/27/2005

      by chuco35 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:30:15 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  yes, yes! (none / 0)

        Soldiers tend to all look alike, but not THAT much alike. They don't all wear their berets EXACTLY the same, they aren't all the same HEIGHT, and this was a crowd, not a parade. They should look animated, not like statues.

        Look at groups of soldiers at other shows, or other rallys. They don't look like that. They're not THAT regular, that identical.

        I suspect there's more than a few cloned soldiers.

        by mmacdDE on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:22:50 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  I understand this sentiment but (none / 0)

      Think of this as a small note in a big book of BC04 fakin' it or stagin' it.  It's part of a larger narrative of how dishonest they are being, and this situation help rebuts their attack ads on Kerry.  Notice how Lockhart talks about how dishonest BC04's advertising has been.  

      There's political spin and opinion, and then there's lying.  KE04 does the former; BC04 does the latter.  BC04 aides have even admitted to reporters that much of their campaign is based in testing the "limits of the truth."  They've gone farther than KE04 have dared to.  

      by Newsie8200 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:41:56 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  The Photshop Presidency (none / 0)

        If they'd have thought of it they could have shown us pictures of:

        1.  Capturing OBL "dead or alive";
        2.  The WMD that we went to war over;
        3.  The Iraquis throwing flowers at our feet;
        4.  Dan Rather forging the documents;
        5.  and on and on and on

        It's not a big issue, but anything that makes the bad guys look bad is okay with me.

        by JustCurious on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:52:39 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Photoshop presidency (none / 0)


          ...I like that A LOT.  

          Doesn't it seem to fit into Michael Moore, what he said about Herr Georg?  

          A fictitious president; a fictitious war....

          "It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us." -- Walter Benjamin

          by quaderni on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 03:51:10 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

    •  I disagree but for different reasons (3.50 / 2)

      There are the straightforward political strategy advantages that others are pushing. I am not sure how to evaluate the gain there.

      But one thing is clear. In the age of digital media, one medium that we used to take for granted as representing the world the way it is exactly -- the photograph -- need not be so realistic. We are (most of us) in the habit of taking a photograph is being a substitute for a first personal witnessing of a place or event. A film-based photograph can be altered as well, through airbrushing or differential exposure of paper, but it doesn't change the content of the photo and it requires tremendous expertise to do it seamlessly. Digital photography allows individuals to alter images almost effortlessly, and so it is much easier for us to be duped into taking a wholly manufactured image as a reflection of the way things actually were. That is, digital photography is much more susceptible to manipulation of the facts. The fact that BC04 did this in a political ad is highly problematic -- it is a whole new level of propaganda in this country.

      Compare this: What would you think if a war photographer altered an image to take out a column, say, and replaced it with some duplicate images of injured civilians? Or for that matter, servicemen's coffins? It would not be trivial, even though it is a matter of fact that more individuals than those depicted were injured or did die.

      by LisainVan on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:51:07 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  yeah, but my question is... (none / 1)

      why did they want to remove bush from the picture in the first place???

      by jvc on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 05:52:40 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  This is great!!! (none / 1)

    Awesome Mithras. Three cheers to you and the internetS

    CyberNews4You

    by canuk1 on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:20:31 PM PDT

  •  "Cloning" (none / 1)

    There was a subthread in Mithras' diary with quips about cloning. (I think Atrios had some remarks on the subject too...). You don't suppose Lockhart frequents our little corner of the Internets do you?

    I mean after all we fund the evil doers and all...

    by KevStar on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:21:24 PM PDT

  •  Incompetency extravaganza (none / 0)

    if you are going to lie and cheat at least use your best liars and cheaters. How insulting!

    "My answer is: Bring 'em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation." - George W. Bush, July 2, 2003

    by Eggman on Thu Oct 28, 2004 at 02:22:53 PM PDT

  •  But, really, who is surprised: (