If a Democrat asks a question at a debate for Republican presidential candidates, far-right activists reflexively (and incoherently) define this as a “planted” question.
But, of course, given the meaning of the word, that doesn’t make a lot of sense. To really appreciate what a “plant” looks like, you’ll have to turn to the Bush administration.
For example, once the Bush gang’s initial rationale for the war in Iraq was exposed as a fraud, then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice launched a public-relations campaign to shield herself from the fiasco (Rice frequently went on national television to tout the notion that we can’t wait to be sure Iraq is a threat, because we “don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud”).
According to the WaPo’s Glenn Kessler, Rice’s strategy included ordering an aide to “plant a question” about her possible presidential ambitions.
She had a very deliberative public relations strategy when she became Secretary of State to help erase the images of how ineffective she had been as National Security Adviser. And I describe how one of her aides even planted a question with a friendly journalist to ask whether she would be interested in running for president — to give her the aura of someone who might have presidential aspirations, make her seem more powerful than she was.
And that all helped negate American memories over her very direct role in the invasion of Iraq.
See? That’s a planted question.
Speaking of shameless Bush administration propaganda, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that those responsible for a recent fake FEMA press conference have been “punished” for their mistake by receiving a promotion.
On Oct. 23, the day of FEMA’s now infamous phony news conference, the agency’s former external affairs chief, Pat Philbin, announced plans to promote a number of people in the shop as part of an effort to build a “new FEMA.”
Cindy Taylor, deputy director of public affairs, was to become head of a new Private Sector Office, Philbin said in his e-mail to staff members. And Mike Widomski would move up to replace Taylor as deputy director of public affairs.
Loop Fans might recall that both of them, posing as reporters, asked questions of acting Deputy Administrator Harvey Johnson. After our item, and an investigation of what Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called “one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I’ve seen since I’ve been in government,” we’re happy to announce that Taylor and Widomski appear to have been disciplined, FEMA-style.
They’ve received the promotions they were in line to get.
So, according to the External Affairs Weekly report for this week, Taylor is director of the Private Sector Division, and Widomski is deputy director of public affairs.
As unpredictable as the Bush gang can be, the one thing we can count on is that those who are caught making a mistake will, without a doubt, get promoted. The bigger the screw-up, the bigger the promotion.