[speechlesstx]

... now planted questions.

Hillary Clinton stopped at a bio-diesel plant in Newton, Iowa earlier this week to see alternative fuels in the making and drive home the week's campaign theme of her energy plan. After a tour, the candidate took questions from the crowd.

She called on a young woman. "As a young person," said the well-spoken Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff, "I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?"

"Well, you should be worried," Clinton replied. "You know, I find as I travel around Iowa that it's usually young people that ask me about global warming."

There's a good reason for that, too. The question was a plant, totally rigged in advance, like a late-night infomercial. Just before the public forum a Clinton staffer had chosen the young woman, a student at Grinnell College, and asked her to ask that specific question.

Trouble is, the young woman told others and today her account showed up on the Grinnell website, including a mention that the staffer signaled Clinton who to call on.

Tonight, as other campaigns chuckled and hypocritically spread the news far and wide, a Clinton campaign spokesman admitted sheepishly, "On this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Senator Clinton's energy plan at a forum. However, Senator Clinton did not know which questioners she was calling on during the event. This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again.”

But it may not have been the first time.

In a telephone interview Saturday, Geoffrey Mitchell, 32, said he was approached by Clinton campaign worker Chris Hayler to ask a question about how she was standing up to President Bush on the question of funding the Iraq war and a troop withdrawal timeline.

The encounter happened before an event hosted by Iowa State Sen. Gene Frais on a farm outside Fort Madison, Iowa.

Clinton's Iowa campaign confirmed that one of its staff discussed questions with Mitchell before her April 2 event, but denied attempting to plant a pro-Clinton question.

Mo Elliethee, spokesman for Clinton's campaign in Iowa, told FOX News that Hayler and Mitchell "had a previous relationship" and that a discussion about Clinton arose out of a normal conversation between two people who knew each other well.

"They had a previous relationship and were talking before the event and the topic of the senator's position on Iraq came up and Geoffrey said he had some questions," Elliethee said. "Chris suggested Geoffrey ask a question."

Mitchell, however, said that he and Hayler did not know each other personally before the event.

"I had no previous relationship with him," said Mitchell. "I knew his name and by name only as someone who worked for Senator Evan Bayh. But we didn't know each other and I had never met him before this event."

Mitchell said the Clinton campaign wanted to contrast Clinton to Sen. Barack Obama who had recently said the president would probably prevail in the Iraq funding battle with Congress.

Mithell said he refused to ask the question.

"I told Chris I had other issues I wanted to raise with Senator Clinton," Mitchell said.

Asked what those were, Mitchell said, "I wanted to ask her why she voted for the Iraq war and why she didn't consider that a mistake."

Mitchell said Hayler, the Clinton campaign worker, was unhappy with his response and moved on to other audience members.

"I know he tried to have others ask that question," Mitchell said.

The LA Times writers say, "virtually every professional presidential campaign plants questions. It's a routine part of preparation for the advance people staging every event."

Do they? Is any of this real?

[Dark_crow]

Sure it's real…I've seen it happen many many times

[speechlesstx]

Sure it’s real…I’ve seen it happen many many times

LOL, let me rephrase, how much of these "professional" campaigns is real and how much is staged? How is the voter supposed to weed through all the nonsense?

[tomder55]

Lol remember the flap when Jeff Gannon from Talon was asking softball questions during Bush Press conferences ?

[tomder55]

I just assume town hall type media events have plants in them.I see nothing wrong with it. Campaigns are all about the message. Town Halls are like infomericals .

What is amusing is watching her try to claim ignorance . Otherwise I think it worse for her that someone is claiming she stiffed a tip.

[speechlesstx]

I just assume town hall type media events have plants in them.I see nothing wrong with it. Campaigns are all about the message. What is amusing is watching her try to claim ignorance . Otherwise I think it worse for her that someone is claiming she stiffed a tip.

That's just it, the 'sin' is always far worse when it's on the Republican side. If only she were able to script her answer on the drivers license for illegals question :D

Stiffing a tip, now THAT'S a sin against the hard working, low pay American workers she's supposed to be fighting for. Which reminds me, the question from the candidates I'd like answered is do they eat the chili from Wendy's or the 5 star dinner on the bus?

[Choux]

Republican and Democratic candidates are getting footage to use in the battle for the Presidency later next year. Hillary and Rudy are scripting some good ones as well as Mitt and some of the others. In fact, Rudy got caught plagerizing last month and was called on it.

[speechlesstx]

Republican and Democratic candidates are getting footage to use in the battle for the Presidency later next year. Hillary and Rudy are scripting some good ones as well as Mitt and some of the others. In fact, Rudy got caught plagerizing last month and was called on it.

I missed charges of Rudy plagiarizing anyone, you'll have to be more specific. His campaign did however stick it to Biden:

“The good Senator is quite correct that there are many differences between Rudy and him,” said Giuliani’s communications director Katie Levinson in a statement. “For starters, Rudy rarely reads prepared speeches and when he does he isn't prone to ripping off the text from others.”

Levinson also took another shot at Biden’s experience and tendency to be long-winded.

“And, Senator Biden certainly falls in to the bucket of those on the stage tonight who have never had executive experience and have never run anything,” she said. “Wait, I take that back, Senator Biden has never run anything but his mouth.”

[Choux]

Look it up yourself, it was on the blogs. In fact, it was mentioned along with Joe Biden's plagerism from the 80ies.

[speechlesstx]

Look it up yourself, it was on the blogs. In fact, it was mentioned along with Joe Biden's plagerism from the 80ies.

That ain't how it works Choux, you made the assertion, you furnish the evidence. Otherwise it's just a useless rumor.

[N0help4u]

They are basically staged. The people asking the questions are not allowed to ask certain questions, etc... I heard Clinton had a reporter put in jail for asking a question he wasn't suppose to ask. They have been catching Hillary off guard lately and she isn't liking it. I can't wait until she actually answers the questions she has been dodging and taking both sides on.
What really kills me is how they demand a timeline on withdraw from Bush, yet Hillary will give the same reply to the question and it is a perfectly acceptable reply when it comes from HER mouth. I love how she says "WHEN she IS President" like it is a DONE DEAL. 0R when she says, "WHEN I am President AGAIN" or "WHEN I ran the White House"

And like Choux said, The Republicans get CALLED on things.


(S0ME of us know Dems get less than a slap on the wrist!)

[Dark_crow]

That's just it, the 'sin' is always far worse when it's on the Republican side. If only she were able to script her answer on the drivers license for illegals question :D

Stiffing a tip, now THAT'S a sin against the hard working, low pay American workers she's supposed to be fighting for. Which reminds me, the question from the candidates I'd like answered is do they eat the chili from Wendy's or the 5 star dinner on the bus?

Sins are committed against God, not other people. :D

[inthebox]

... well after taser guy, they probably thought a script was best; either that or they just followed FEMA's example :D

[tomder55]

About a month ago Rudy and Romney had a spat about taxes ;who ran a conservative government;and about Rudy opposing the line-item veto . Romney accused Rudy of borrowing from ads Romney had run about putting the Republican house in order. Yeah if you stretch it you could spin it to say that Romney was charging Rudy with plagiarism... but that's a stretch . The whole non-incident received a blurb of attention at the Politico web site .Romney camp suggests Rudy singing their tune - Jonathan Martin's Blog - Politico.com

No doubt the Kossaks et al picked up on it because Biden is vulnerable due to a couple of charges of plagiarism. Biden left the 1988 race after he was caught plagarizing speeches (lifting whole sentences )by Neil Kinnock and Robert Kennedy. But that alone would not have forced him out. It was revealed during follow up investigation by the press that there were allegations that Biden had also plagiarized in law school.

Honestly ;I think both cases are much ado about nothing. (there ;I plagiarized too)

[speechlesstx]

Sins are committed against God, not other people. :D

sin 1
n.
1. A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate.
2. Theology
a. Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God.
b. A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience.
3. Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.

Example: Flavoring coffee is a sin (shameful, deplorable and utterly wrong) :D

[ETWolverine]

There's an old joke about how a dead Liberal goes to heaven and meets G-d at the Pearly gates. When the guy tries to enter heaven, G-d tells him that he has to pass a test first.

"What test?" asks the guy nervously.

"You have to spell the word 'ROSE'", G-d replied.

"Oh, that's easy. R-O-S-E." The man enters heaven.

This goes on two or three more times, with G-d asking potential Liberal heaven-goers to spell the word "ROSE" and each of them entering heaven.

Then a conservative approaches the pearly gates. G-d says "You have to pass a test in order to enter heaven."

"What test?" asks the dead conservative.

"Spell 'chrysanthemum'," replies G-d.

--------------

The point is that it seems to me that libs keep getting softball questions, whereas conservatives are being given real, TOUGH questions. Even if Hillary's questions aren't planted, she (and other lib candidates) is still being treated with kid gloves by the media, whereas conservatives are being given real hardball questions. The treatment in the media is NOT equal. So even if Hillary wasn't planting questions, it's still not a fair environment.

Yes, Hillary is a cheater. But even if she wasn't, would it make a difference?

Elliot

[ETWolverine]

Sins are committed against God, not other people. :D

Judaism see it differently. There are sins that are committed by man against G-d, and there are also sins that are committed by man against his fellow man. In Hebrew they are called "Ben Adam L'Chavero" (between man and his friend) and "Ben Adam Lamakom" (between man and G-d).

Not keeping the Sabbath is a sin against G-d. Punching you neighbor in the face is a sin against you fellow man.

A sin against G-d can only be forgiven by G-d, and thus prayer to G-d for forgiveness is necessary. A sin against your fellow man cannot be forgiven by G-d until you have otained the forgiveness of the person you sinned against. Only after such forgiveness from you fellow man is achieved can you then approach G-d in prayer for His forgiveness.

So there can indeed be sins against man according to Jewish beliefe, not just against G-d.

(BTW, that is, in part, why we reject the idea of "confession" as a method of botaining forgiveness for sins. If I confess a sin of punching my neighbor in the face to a priest or rabbi, have I really done anything to obtain the forgiveness of the individual that I hurt? Forgiveness, in Jewish law requires more than simply confessing the sin to a religious leader. It requires repentance, sorrow and contrition for the act, and humility in asking the one you sinned against for forgiveness, whether that one is G-d or your neighbor.)

Elliot

[speechlesstx]

There's an old joke about how a dead Liberal goes to heaven and meets G-d at the Pearly gates. When the guy tries to enter heaven, G-d tells him that he has to pass a test first.

"What test?" asks the guy nervously.

"You have to spell the word 'ROSE'", G-d replied.

"Oh, that's easy. R-O-S-E." The man enters heaven.

This goes on two or three more times, with G-d asking potential Liberal heaven-goers to spell the word "ROSE" and each of them entering heaven.

Then a conservative approaches the pearly gates. G-d says "You have to pass a test in order to enter heaven."

"What test?" asks the dead conservative.

"Spell 'chrysanthemum'," replies G-d.

I love it, lol. Perhaps an even easier test for libs would be to spell "fascist." :D

The point is that it seems to me that libs keep getting softball questions, whereas conservatives are being given real, TOUGH questions. Even if Hillary's questions aren't planted, she (and other lib candidates) is still being treated with kid gloves by the media, whereas conservatives are being given real hardball questions. The treatment in the media is NOT equal. So even if Hillary wasn't planting questions, it's still not a fair environment.

Yes, Hillary is a cheater. But even if she wasn't, would it make a difference?

After all these years of Bush bashing the media's coverage of Hillary is sickening at times - sickeningly sweet. I've read columns about Hillary that were almost romantic, literally. Today, I read a story in our our paper about The Myth of the Iron Lady, which is obviously meant as an effort at breaking down stereotypes and restoring some of Hillary's "trustworthiness and warmth." Did she ever have "trustworthiness and warmth?" I've always seen her more as "shrill and shifty" - and that was long before she was ever a 'leader.'

[Dark_crow]

sin 1
n.
1. A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate.
2. Theology
a. Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God.
b. A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience.
3. Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.

Example: Flavoring coffee is a sin (shameful, deplorable and utterly wrong) :D

That’s just like a Liberal; to look up the meaning of a religious term in a dictionary…do you feel yourself sliding left. :p

[Dark_crow]

There's an old joke about how a dead Liberal goes to heaven and meets G-d at the Pearly gates. When the guy tries to enter heaven, G-d tells him that he has to pass a test first.

"What test?" asks the guy nervously.

"You have to spell the word 'ROSE'", G-d replied.

"Oh, that's easy. R-O-S-E." The man enters heaven.

This goes on two or three more times, with G-d asking potential Liberal heaven-goers to spell the word "ROSE" and each of them entering heaven.

Then a conservative approaches the pearly gates. G-d says "You have to pass a test in order to enter heaven."

"What test?" asks the dead conservative.

"Spell 'chrysanthemum'," replies G-d.

--------------

The point is that it seems to me that libs keep getting softball questions, whereas conservatives are being given real, TOUGH questions. Even if Hillary's questions aren't planted, she (and other lib candidates) is still being treated with kid gloves by the media, whereas conservatives are being given real hardball questions. The treatment in the media is NOT equal. So even if Hillary wasn't planting questions, it's still not a fair environment.

Yes, Hillary is a cheater. But even if she wasn't, would it make a difference?

Elliot

That’s a sin; using the name of God in a joke…But that’s just like a Liberal; …do you feel yourself sliding left.:p