Comments (20)

Anonymous wrote on October 29, 2007 3:02 PM:

Still suspicious of this. This is akin to the Bushies firing a "crony" who really wasn't a crony.

John "Pat" Philbin appears to have been a military man who netted a politlcal job and been terribly naieve about it.

The Bushies firing him for incompetence does two things:
1/Makes them seem that they're serious about tackling cronyism (they're not, they're just firing an appointee they don't like)
2/Gets the news off of something else

And I'm wondering if John "Pat" Philbin is somehow related to Pat Philbin, the guy who Cheney blackballed from getting an appointment as the Deputy Solicitor General after the midnight incident at Ashcroft's bedside?

Odd coincedence of Philbins either way.

BlueInTexas wrote on October 29, 2007 3:21 PM:

The Young Turks say that Philbin was let go, BUT.... "he got moved to the Office of the National Director of Intelligence".

http://www.theyoungturks.com/story/2007/10/29/94912/490

BlueInTexas wrote on October 29, 2007 3:29 PM:

Dammit! Didn't read this article correctly. Please ignore above post, and any other posts I make on this coffee-deprived day.

Bushie wrote on October 29, 2007 3:33 PM:

...(N)ot... scheduled to be director of public affairs.... So they'll change Philbin's job title; he'll still get a raise and promotion. Wana bet?

BronxInTN wrote on October 29, 2007 3:39 PM:

Since getting caught staging a faking press conference has to be about the dumbest thing a public relations person could ever do, then a gig with the Director of National Intelligence would border on the absurd. Unless of course, National Intelligence has hit an all time low.

anonymous wrote on October 29, 2007 3:57 PM:

I believe I read that he was resigning... big difference. He probalbly had his 20 or 30 years in and will be receiving a nice check each month from "We the People"

freepatriot wrote on October 29, 2007 4:00 PM:

so isn't the act of creating a FAKE press conference covered under the US Criminal Code ???

sounds to me as if mr philbin tried to perpetrate a FRAUD against the People Of The United States by staging a phoney press conference

it also sounds as if a few other federal employees are also connected to this crime

so that would create an opening for the parts of the US Criminal Code that apply to CRIMINAL CONSPIRICY

so why isn't this FRAUD being investigated as a federal felony ???

Kevin wrote on October 29, 2007 4:01 PM:

Cute headline.

Doc Rock wrote on October 29, 2007 5:02 PM:

Watch for an offer with the American Enterprise Institute.

Buckley wrote on October 29, 2007 6:02 PM:

Let's see, Philbin knowingly passed on false information to the citizens of the United States with the intent to deceive and distract them from what was really happening.

That boy is Medal of Freedom material!

Crasky wrote on October 29, 2007 7:01 PM:

There's something really disturbing about all of this, because (1) the presser's fakery was discovered immediately (it couldn't be hidden, and only a hardcore moron would think otherwise) and (2) the Bush-level denunciations came superquick. Too quick.

This is dirty.

Can anyone think of what nay really be going on? This level of filth 'n' corruption simply boggles me.

Icy Truth wrote on October 29, 2007 7:37 PM:

Bushie wrote: "So they'll change Philbin's job title; he'll still get a raise and promotion. Wana bet?"

-- Which will prove that, to his credit or his detriment, Bush is more loyal to his people than they are to him. Crasky is right; Philbin would have to be a world-class idiot to think he could pull this off and not have his lie exposed.

freepatriot wrote a great piece of sarcasm about how this is, at best, a one day story; silly, but ultimately inconsequential.

bholl wrote on October 29, 2007 8:08 PM:

Two years ago this whole thing would have been below the radar. Press would not have covered it.

Are things getting better? Is the press growing some 'nads?

I like the "maybe he will hold a press conference with himself"...hilarious.

I'll bet he needs to spend more time with his family.

tiowally wrote on October 29, 2007 8:57 PM:

bholl asked: "Is the press growing some 'nads?"

I visited some friends for a few days recently. They "run" the TV constantly, on a schedule. I saw the news they see, everyday, at the same time, everyday.

I can guarantee you, judging by their daily diet, the press has grown nothing but irrelevant. Case in point: Where did you get this news? CBS' Pixie Katy? What's critical is where Irv and Eireen Smith is getting their "news".

With notable exceptions like Democracy Now (available only online or satellite TV?), BBC America (satellite?), Countdown with Keith Olbermann (cable/satellite?) and Bill Moyers' Journal (PBS), there are no known 'nads nurturing nowhere.

Sorry to disappoint.

Abraco.

Joe Max wrote on October 29, 2007 9:51 PM:

tiowally: Democracy Now is broadcast on-air by the PBS affiliate in San Francisco/Marin, KCRB. The major San Francisco PBS station, KQED, carries BBC Worldwide every evening. Also, the Oakland public access station, KTOP, broadcasts English-language DW News (Germany) and the compendium of Middle East newscasts called "Mosaic" on-air at night.

I realize the Bay Area is a microcosm, but I just wanted to answer your question marks. At least here, one doesn't need cable or satellite to get world news alternatives.

hedley wrote on October 29, 2007 11:12 PM:

Philbin was taking direction from above. So long as he keeps his head down and his mouth shut, he'll do fine.

Kevin J-M wrote on October 30, 2007 3:04 AM:

Please read the posting carefully to see what's actually going on. Philbin was planning on a transfer to a job with a higher pay scale at a different government agency. (If I'm not mistaken, this is still a civil service position.) His transfer was rejected by the new agency. According to everything I know about positions such as these, this means that he automatically returns to his former pay grade, whether or not he can return to his former job. I believe all that will happen to him is a one-way ticket back to FEMA, where he can stay and receive a steady paycheck--even if he never shows his face at FEMA again--until he retires. Ahhh...government service...

Johnbo wrote on October 30, 2007 6:13 AM:

The Philbin story is just another chapter in the manipulation of information by the Bush Administration. Nothing in modern history - and probably in our entire history - comes close to the level of deciet these people have achieved. It's a great book waiting to be written - if it isn't already out there somewhere.

Philbin fits right in with gay-military-website-entepreneur and White House "press corps" member Jeff Gannon, paid-to-promote-policies and so-called "journalist" Armstrong Williams, administration-prepared VNRs (also referred to as fake TV news) designed to be indistinguishable from independently-produced news reports that are distrubuted to unsuspecting TV stations and used to promote administration policies, Ahmad Chalabi and great INC scam, etc. etc, etc, etc. etc.

You've got to admire the audacity of these people and wonder about the overwhelming sound of silence with which the Main Stream Media has treated this story.

jon wash wrote on October 30, 2007 9:18 AM:

I have not followed the details of this story but it seems to me that instead of this being some example of manipulation it was probably just one of those things that in hindsight one questions why they got out of bed that morning. Putting aside that this was stupid has there been some analyst or commnent on the actual questions posed and the answers given. Was it just a bunch of softballs, was the information inaccurate,were there any real reporters there?

v. popvli wrote on October 30, 2007 3:53 PM:

jon wash wrote on October 30, 2007 9:18 AM
"Was it just a bunch of softballs, was the information inaccurate,were there any real reporters there?"
yes, no, no.
the press conference was announced 15 minutes before it began. no reporters could make it to location with 15 minutes notice. reporters were on the phone in conference call with FEMA employees at the time of the presser, and were trying to get questions through in that way. they failed to get anything hardball through, as you might guess.

david folkenflik on npr spoofed them something awful last friday. "at this point, i'd usually interview a media expert to ask them about the ramifications of stacking your own press conference. instead, i'll follow FEMA's lead and interview myself, since, as an NPR reporter, i'm an expert on public media..."
david: "oh, mr. folkenflik, mr. folkenflik? why did FEMA let its own employees ask questions at their press conference?"
david: "well, by letting their own employees ask all of the questions, they were able to hit all of their positive talking points expeditiously and in order, and to avoid any hardball questions that, say, a real journalist might ask..."