Why the hell would the state dept spokewoman lie so stupidly?

[cali]

After the emergence of photographs showing Secretary of State John Kerry on his 76-foot yacht “Isabel” on Nantucket Sound on Thursday, the State Department issued an embarrassing correction Friday morning, back-tracking and acknowledging that the Secretary was in fact on the yacht on Wednesday, the day the Egyptian military staged a coup against democratically-elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy.

Originally, State Department officials were quick to deny a Wednesday tweet from CBS News’ Mosheh Oinounou that: “A @CBSThisMorning producer just spotted Secretary of State Kerry on yacht in the Nantucket Boat Basin. No response when she shouted ‘Morsi.’”

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki issued a statement Wednesday saying “any report or tweet that he was on a boat is completely inaccurate.”

“Since his plane touched down in Washington at 4 am, Secretary Kerry was working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis in Egypt,” Psaki said. “He participated in the White House meeting with the President by secure phone and was and is in non-stop contact with foreign leaders, and his senior team in Washington and Cairo.”


<snip>

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/05/state-department-admits-kerry-was-on-yacht-day-of-egypt-coup/comment-page-7/

[morningfog]

1. If she would lie about something so trivial, she surely can't be trusted on anything of import.

[cali]

3. it's just mind bogglingly stupid

and she even went into detailed lies with a false chronicle of his day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Not her, this is coming from the top

Spoke critters literally have all they say approved by those above them.

Why I give spoke critters, even those under little boots, more of a pass

[cali]

28. no they don't. I'm not sure where you got that information but it's not true.

[siligut]

52. What makes you say this?

You are saying that spokes-people say what they want to say?

[KoKo]

22. agree ...!

[backwoodsbob]

2. wtf?

it's like watching the Keystone cops now

[flamingdem]

4. Sounds like you are swiftboating Kerry

[Fuddnik]

16. Sounds like Kerry slowboated himself.

[cali]

17. I am not. that's ridiculous. I think highly of Kerry and have lots of posts

to prove it. including posts from today.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3173736

sounds like YOU own me an apology for that accusation, dear.

[flamingdem]

19. You're bring attention to a "scandal" that the right will be jumping on

to undermine him and bring attention to his wealth and upper crust new englandyness

[cali]

23. ignore completely my comment demonstrating I like Kerry

and pretend that my posting a piece about the ineptitude of the state dept spokeswoman here.

and for the record, I have no problem with Kerry taking vacation time anymore than I have a problem with President Obama doing so. They both work hard and deserve some small amount of time to unwind from the day in and day out pressure.

Your accusations here stink. They're wholly inaccurate and contemptible. I expect nothing more from you.

[Skittles]

31. that's one is going over the edge

it's kind of fascinating to watch

[bvar22]

43. Self-destructing in a manic frenzy of desperation.

I know I should avert my eyes,
but I must confess to a voyeuristic fascination.

[Skittles]

44. they think they are supporting and protecting Obama

but in a weird way they are doing the exact opposite

[flamingdem]

49. Are you still fascinated?

RW will use this

[ZRT2209]

54. begging the question, why did Kerry put himself in the position where it could be used this way?

it's a fair question

he's a smart man

certainly he should try to avoid handing the right an easy one to use against him

this all could have been avoided easily

[Skittles]

57. ooh ooh

FUCK the rw - they'll use ANYTHING

[ZombieHorde]

33. Since the truth looks bad, have you tried attacking the messenger?

That tactic may work out for you.

[flamingdem]

50. You want to attack Kerry, be honest you do nt

[ZombieHorde]

74. I'm flattered that you think this is all about me.

Not enough people ask me what I want, and that's too bad.

Unfortunately, I am not sure what you mean by "attack." Do you mean saying the situation looks bad? If so, then yes, I wanted to say that. If you mean I want play a game of Dungeons & Dragons with him, and send monsters after his character, then yes, I want to do that too. If you mean punch in the face, then no, I have no desire to do that.

[Mojorabbit]

81. Are you after his brains? nt

[ZombieHorde]

83. OK. You got me there. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

45. Seriously? Really?

Holy cow.

[flamingdem]

48. bandwagon, boat what's the difference, DU gets on! nt

[cali]

55. so, so lame. limp as an old stalk of celery. n/t

[darkangel218]

5. Maybe she wasnt aware of his whereabouts?

[backwoodsbob]

7. then why lie about it?

[Downwinder]

14. "We create our own reality."

[darkangel218]

15. Maybe they assumed thats what he was doing?

I don't know. I don't see why the spokewomen would make something like that up

[KittyWampus]

60. Ever hear of miscommunication or speaking out of turn? But no, for some it's OMG THEY LIED!!!!

[Ichingcarpenter]

37. After all its a big boat

and a big ocean






I couldn't resist.

[galileoreloaded]

6. the dumbfuckery is spreading.

[Enrique]

8. because they didn't know there were photos n/t

[woo me with science]

41. This is the correct answer. nt

[suffragette]

46. Seems like the best explanation to me.

[ZRT2209]

58. but certainly they should have assumed there would be photos in this cell phone world

[muriel_volestrangler]

66. Doesn't say much for their imagination, or life experience, in 2013 if they thought that

Anyone should assume there will now be photos of something in public. There are thought to have been more photos taken in the past year than in the entire history of the world before that.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. He was practicing CocktailBoat diplomacy.

[leftstreet]

11. OMG is Snowden on that boat?

[Mojorabbit]

82. !

[dkf]

12. Ironic but twitter is our own spy device.

[Cal Carpenter]

75. There's a big difference between gov't officials lying to the public

and being outed vs. a citizen going about their daily business and having the data about it recorded.

Transparency in government.

Right to privacy for citizens.

[PoliticAverse]

13. "doveryai, no proveryai" n/t

[Skidmore]

18. I don't get the outrage on this.

We have this issue of too much technology and cannot grasp the idea that a person can communicate from anywhere in the world now?

[cali]

25. there's no outrage that Kerry was on his boat.

The issue is the utter stupidity of the state department spokeswoman for her ridiculous and detailed lying. Not that hard to grasp.

[KittyWampus]

61. maybe it was miscommunication or just speaking out of turn. But your mindset automatically turns it

into OMG THEY LIED HOW STUPID.

seriously, they wouldn't LIE about something this stupid. So maybe it isn't the nefarious incident your overactive imagination makes it.

[KoKo]

20. Sounds like Kerry was "set up." She should have said:

"After returning from a twelve day trip through the ME on Wednesday, Senator Kerry returned to his Summer home on Nantucket where he has kept in constant contact with the President and the State Department. "

Instead she makes that statement (like he's in DC) and photos immediately surface of him on Nantucket. Sounds like Kerry was set up by this spokeswoman.

Anyone knows that you can communicate from anywhere and he didn't need to be in DC sitting in an office. After a twelve day trip through ME he is due for some downtime to rest and unwind. Now if someone can find info that he really wasn't in the ME at the time stated and that he didn't return on Wednesday at 4:00 a.m. then that might open him to criticism.

[HooptieWagon]

56. I agree. It was a ridiculous lie.

Kerry on his boat for a few hours is no big deal. But a spokesperson reflexively lying about it is troubling.

[KoKo]

86. A Mole in the State Department...not unusual give the switch from Clinton to Kerry...

There's always loyalty problems when the switch occurs. I don't know her background and should have "Googled"...but it's possible she was left during a Holiday "holding the bag" while the Big PooBah's were off enjoying the 4th's Holday.

Still the training should be there with contact for Spokesperson not to look "like a fool."

I can see a lot of things that went wrong there. Maybe it's the Transition from Hillary to Clinton or just fatigue.

[Catherina]

21. Wow. For too many reasons, just wow n/t

[Rex]

24. They don't give a rats ass.

It should be pretty obvious by now that the feds don't give a rats ass about what others think, including the States.

[razorman]

26. It's government. Their first instinct is always to lie. I would like to know whether

the news organizations always maintain a watch on Kerry's yacht, with a "journalist" on standby.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

27. Habit

[Life Long Dem]

29. I guess you can't be on a yacht and on a phone at the same time

I didn't hear them say where he was working. Could have been on the yacht.

[cali]

30. .....

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki issued a statement Wednesday saying “any report or tweet that he was on a boat is completely inaccurate.”

[Life Long Dem]

35. Maybe Jen Psaki assumed he wasn't on a boat

“He participated in the White House meeting with the President by secure phone and was and is in non-stop contact with foreign leaders, and his senior team in Washington and Cairo.”

Because of a secure connection.

She should know about telecommuting though

[cali]

38. isn't it her job to ensure what she's saying is accurate? how hard is it to find out?

[Life Long Dem]

40. You would think so

Seems it isn't a big deal to her about making a mistake until the photo.

[ProSense]

32. The next Benghazi-gate?

Uninformedspokeperson-gate?

I mean, her emphatic statement indicates that she likely was unaware that she was wrong.

[flamingdem]

51. +1

[Zorra]

34. Sometimes it seems like our government is run by a neocon/neolib cult of disciples of Leo Strauss.

It's like a vast Machiavellian spiderweb made of smoke and bullshit.

Whatever the fuck it is, it bears little resemblance to democratic.

[KittyWampus]

62. Damn, talk about jumping the hyperbolic shark. You should get an award.

[suffragette]

39. This is a very offensive post

Why post this here?

[Enrique]

42. an apology to the reporter might be in order

mistakes happen, and people apologize. Here is a good, sincere one from the White House that made them look like decent people. Like whether John Kerry was on a boat, the issue under dispute didn't really matter in the scheme of things, but still:

http://www.mediaite.com/online/white-house-apologizes-to-krauthammer-for-incorrect-claim-that-churchill-bust-was-not-removed/

Charles,

I take your criticism seriously and you are correct that you are owed an apology. There was clearly an internal confusion about the two busts and there was no intention to deceive. I clearly overshot the runway in my post. The point I was trying to make – under the belief that the Bust in the residence was the one previously in the Oval Office– was that this oft repeated talking point about the bust being a symbol of President Obama’s failure to appreciate the special relationship is false. The bust that was returned was returned as a matter of course with all the other artwork that had been loaned to President Bush for display in his Oval Office and not something that President Obama or his Administration chose to do. I still think this is an important point and one I wish I had communicated better.

A better understanding of the facts on my part and a couple of deep breaths at the outset would have prevented this situation. Having said all that, barring a miracle comeback from the Phillies I would like to see the Nats win a world series even if it comes after my apology

Thanks,

Dan Pfeiffer

[MannyGoldstein]

47. But he did nibble an hors d'oeuvres of Egyptian lamb in aspic that evening

on the deck, under the stars, paired with an almost-effervescent Syrah. A refreshing breeze blew lightly, the guests all smart and smartly dressed, the help attentive.

And it was good to be alive.

[greytdemocrat]

53. It's called arrogance. Pure and simple. nt

[KittyWampus]

59. Why the hell would a DU'er give a shit if there was a miscommunication or someone spoke without

knowing better?

It's not like Kerry hasn't been working his ass off and just got home and needed some rest.

[cali]

67. ....

clearly lots of DUers care about the State Department spokeswoman being so stupid. She created the story where none need exist, not me.

but your outrage is duly noted.

[great white snark]

77. Problem is you're asking DUers not Democrats.

They love "scandals" as much as the right does.

[SMC22307]

85. Because I'm sick of incompetence. And it's not unreasonable to expect...

a SPOKESPERSON to know how to make a fucking statement without providing fodder to the rightwing, particularly after all the Swift Boat smearing of Kerry.

I don't give a shit where he was during the coup, but Christ, is it too much to ask that a SPOKESPERSON have his or her shit together? Put someone in the position who can handle the job.

[Duckwraps]

63. Part of it

I beleive, is that they hold the people in great disdain and think we are nothing more than the unwashed and uneducated masses. The "let them eat cake" syndrome.

[flamingdem]

69. Blind resentment much?

n/t

[woo me with science]

79. Not blind at all.

Incomes Flat in Recovery, but Not for the 1%
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014400736

Top 1% get 121% of income gains since 2009 (100% of new income + 21% from your old income)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022384139

U.S. corporate profits stronger than ever, workers' wages fallen to lowest-ever share of GDP (CNN)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021922334

U.S. Income Inequality Now Worse Than Many Latin American Countries
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022268073

Ranks of working poor increasing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022200197

Inequality Rages as Dwindling Wages Lock Millions in Poverty
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022198286

The Middle Class In America Is Being Wiped Out – Here Are 60 Facts That Prove It
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022144851

Child poverty rates increase unabated
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022268450

40 Percent of Americans Now Make Less than 1968 Minimum Wage
http://www.democraticunderground.com/111631016

Corporate Profits Have Grown By 171 Percent Under ‘Anti-Business’ Obama
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014372334

US poverty on track to reach 46-year high; suburbs, underemployed workers, children hit hard
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002998131

Poverty, hunger among retirees increasing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002748342

The Economy is "Recovering" By Creating More Low-Wage Jobs... Increasingly Filled By Graduates
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022602162

"Recovery" in US is lifting profits, but not adding jobs
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014414149

Obama to use pension funds of ordinary Americans to pay for bank mortgage settlements
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002205218

What Recovery? Across America, People in Distressed Cities and Small Towns Face Economic Catastrophe
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022545596

Real wages decline; literally no one notices
http://www.democraticunderground.com/11172387

Wall Street Soars with Wealth as Wages Stagnate, Jobs Remain in a Slump
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12526154

Wages for bottom 90% declined 1.2% during 2009-2011 recovery, top 1% income grew 8.2%
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022271466

Three Minimum Wage Jobs Needed To Afford Two-Bedroom Apartment
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022578738

Wages have fallen to a record low as a share of America’s gross domestic product.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022183930

The Real Numbers: Half of America in Poverty -- and It's Creeping toward 75%
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002290698

[flamingdem]

80. You sent me a library!

Thanks

[woo me with science]

78. +1

that's certainly been the attitude for quite some time.

[dkf]

64. Isn't Psaki the one filling us in on the Bolivian plane situation?

[Cali_Democrat]

65. Concern noted. n/t

[cali]

68. petulance noted.

[Cali_Democrat]

70. Don't worry

I'm sure the Republicans in congress will have a full investigation into this matter.

Hopefully it will address some of your concerns.

[cali]

71. lol. petulant and histrionic. cute.

[markiv]

72. he was keeping the world safe for the Grey Poupon set nt

[markiv]

73. why intercept a head of state in the air?

why log every call every person makes?

why bug your allies?

A: 'because you can'

the answer to all these questions in the last few weeks seems to be 'FU, we'll do what we feel like - that should be good enough for you'

[woo me with science]

76. Indeed. nt

[mick063]

84. That clinches it

We are now officially a third world country.