100% bullshit from the White House:

In Froomkin's report on the use by White House staffers of "outside" email accounts to avoid scrutiny, we read: (emp add)

A top Democratic lawmaker says outside email accounts were used in an attempt to avoid scrutiny; the White House says their purpose was to avoid using government resources for political activities, although they were used to discuss the firing of U.S. attorneys.

Why is that a lie? Because the White House website has been used time and time again to host partisan political speeches made by Bush. A sampler:

• President's Remarks in Cincinnati, Ohio (31 Oct 2004): "Thank you all for coming. I am here to ask for your vote, and I am here to ask for your help. We have come to the great city of Cincinnati, Ohio, asking for you to turn your friends and neighbors out to the polls on Tuesday. With your help, we will carry Ohio again and win a great victory on Tuesday."
• Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Rally, Manchester, New Hampshire (29 Oct 2004): "For a safer America, for a stronger America, and for a better America, I ask the people of New Hampshire to vote for me."
• Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Rally, Toledo Ohio (29 Oct 2004): "If you believe that America should lead with strength and purpose and confidence in our ideals, I would be honored to have your support, and I'm asking for your vote."
• President's Remarks in Council Bluffs, Iowa (25 Oct 2004): "We're here -- we are here to not only ask for the vote in this part of the world, we're here to ask for your help. We're here to say that we need your help coming down the stretch: we need you to make the phone calls, find your friends and neighbors and encourage them to go to the polls. With your help, we will carry Iowa and win a great victory on November the 2nd."
• President's Remarks in The Villages, Florida (19 Oct 2004): " I'm traveling your state to ask for the vote. I think you got to get out amongst the people and say, I want your vote. I'm going to give you some reasons to put me back into office. I also want your help. You need to go to your friends and neighbors. Tell them we have a duty in our free society to vote. When you get them headed to the polls, remind them, if they want a safer America, a stronger America, a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office."

Virtually all speeches Bush (and Cheney) gave in October of 2004 were political and for his reelection. A rough count for October shows over 80 campaign speeches by Bush or Cheney hosted on the White House website. Bushies say they want "to avoid government resources for political activities" as a way of justifying outsied email accounts? Bullshit.

UPDATE: For those who might say that the White House is merely reporting on the president's activities, which include political speeches, it should be pointed out that there are many instances when the president went somewhere and said things, but is nowhere mentioned on the website. (These are often Bush's "walking around" tours where he encounters a less-than-enthusiastic public or press reaction.)


posted by Quiddity at 4/11/2007 02:38:00 PM