If you ever wanted an example of a horse$#@* spin story created by the White House to take up space in the media and apply it to the greatest spin artist (I'm being kind with this choice of description) that money can buy, this is it. I'll be examining the story in bold.


Bush Spokesman Gets a Goodbye Hosing

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. - White House press secretary Ari Fleischer thought he was only posing for pictures when he was brought to the nose of Air Force One after President Bush returned from a trip to Africa on Saturday.

What he didn't know was that his staff had enlisted a base fire engine to help mark the end of Fleischer's 2 1/2-year tenure as Bush's chief spokesman.

He quickly realized what was up when the mist from the engine's hose blew his way.

Fleischer, who by this time had exchanged his navy blue business suit for a pair of sweat pants, T-shirt and running shoes, sprinted away.

Now does anyone believe this is the real version of the story? Ari's "Slider Sense" started to tingle when "mist" blew his way and so he knew to get rid of his expensive clothes and change into sweats and tennis shoes. He was told this was happening and planned for it. This is puff story spin created to put a "the guy is just a regular clown kind of pal" take on Ari's last trip in office. How this White House gang loves to blow smoke up their own arses.

With firefighters in pursuit, Fleischer eluded them again.

But he then indulged his staff, administration and military officials, and reporters gathered on the tarmac by walking into the spray and getting drenched.

So, now after a little chase he gets watered down (but without his expensive clothes so really, this turns out to be a staged photo/story op). Now, I'm not knocking Ari from keeping his clothes from getting wet but geez, to claim he figured it out and then snuck away like nobody let him in on the gag is how these guys play loose and fast with the facts.

"This is what happens to me at the end of a typical briefing," Fleischer joked, referring to his daily encounters with the White House press corps. "That's a pool spray."

And there is your punch line to send Ari out with a tired Bob Hope's late 80s style non-laugh (and Hope was brilliant in his prime before his later decline). No spontanious outburst of wit from actually being caught unaware in a loving if rowdy gesture by his loyal crew but a thinly calculated exit scenario to spin Ari as a likeable guy up for a joke. This administration has become so transparent you can read them with your eyes closed.

Pool spray is White House jargon for when a small group of reporters is given brief access to meetings between the president and his Cabinet or foreign officials.

Get it? Pool. Spray. Pool SPRAY. It is to laugh. Har de har har.

Fleischer is leaving the White House staff on Monday after 21 years in government and politics, to try his hand at the speaker's circuit, find a job in the private sector and spend more time with his new wife.

All the rats are leaving the sinking ship as the $#@*water has risen so high even Ari can't bail it fast enough.






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