If I recall correctly, you told me that you were personally assaulted by a couple of guys “wearing AFL- CIO shirts” here in the comments at MN Publius a couple of months ago. Is that true?

Why not tell that story here, instead of this:
“Moreover, when a small group of people gathered across the street a couple of hours before the Kerry rally to protest, three guys wearing AFL CIO shirts came over and elbowed a couple of the protestors in the ribs - including a 65 year old guy.”

Are you the 65 year old guy?

Just asking.

“Chairman Waxman writes to federal agencies requesting documents about their involvement in White House “asset deployment” meetings held to discuss the use of federal resources to promote the reelection of President Bush and Republicans in Congress.

Agencies receiving this request: Departments of Justice, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Labor, State, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Small Business Administration, General Services Administration, United States Agency for International Development, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.”

Story here. “How Rove Directed Federal Assets for GOP Gains” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/18/AR2007081801182_pf.html

The voters’ tolerance of obfuscation and spinning … that’s a different matter entirely.

Link here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101662_pf.html

To counter any demonstrators who do get in, advance teams are told to create “rally squads” of volunteers with large hand-held signs, placards or banners with “favorable messages.” Squads should be placed in strategic locations and “at least one squad should be ‘roaming’ throughout the perimeter of the event to look for potential problems,” the manual says.

“These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators,” it says. “The rally squad’s task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protestors (USA!, USA!, USA!). As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event site.”

Advance teams are advised not to worry if protesters are not visible to the president or cameras: “If it is determined that the media will not see or hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event, they can be ignored. On the other hand, if the group is carrying signs, trying to shout down the President, or has the potential to cause some greater disruption to the event, action needs to be taken immediately to minimize the demonstrator’s effect.”

The manual adds in bold type: “Remember — avoid physical contact with demonstrators! Most often, the demonstrators want a physical confrontation. Do not fall into their trap!” And it suggests that advance staff should “decide if the solution would cause more negative publicity than if the demonstrators were simply left alone.”

Maybe that it isn’t all that public then?

From the invitation only Social Security ‘Town Halls’ on this President doesn’t like the public to get in the way of his message. Sean