Veteran CNN sound engineer describes a Bush WH press conference

[sabra]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5B2760F8-BD13-4F68-9052-1DABA288CA3B.htm

<snip>

Orchestrated events

Experienced media professionals say the trips tend to take on a predictable pattern.

Brian Haefli, a sound engineer for the CNN network who has been travelling with presidents since the first Bush administration in 1989, said: "It's very repetitive."

"All you see are hotel ballrooms and buffet food. And the picture is always the same - smiling, hand-shaking, and two questions from each side during the press conference."

A small number of reporters and photographers are assigned to "pools", which are allowed to take pictures of Bush at official events, such as shaking hands with Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, and smiling, or shaking hands with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and smiling.

The other reporters sit around in a hotel ballroom watching widescreen TVs, gossiping and waiting for the pool people to come back and give their report - which is usually along the lines of: "The president smiled and shook hands."

[MadMaddie]

1. And this is the US representation around the world.....Sad..

Oh yea...Should we start a where's Condi contest!

[sabra]

2. I hear she's hitting the shoe stores in Tel Aviv...

[madeline_con]

3. She's not bullying the powers that be in Israel? n/t

[lpbk2713]

4. That would take a strain on me.

Having to endure the same old lies and bullshit from

the same old liar and bullshitter time after time.

[fenriswolf]

5. i think the strain from

restraining yourself from shouting explicitives at W every day would be worse