BREAKING: Fire at Eisenhower Exec. Office (next to WH)

[doxieone]

Source: MSNBC/CNN

No link. (EDIT: Linked to CNN)

MSNBC gal: "There are several remodeling projects going on since 9/11.... It is possible, making a guess, it could be related to some of that work."

EDIT: Andrea Mitchell on now... She really has no info as to how it started, just giving history of the building. "That particular floor is a pretty important floor where the Vice President is."

EDIT: Another guy on MSNBC, "Fire is near the ceremonial VP office.... this is the main working area for the President's staff.... electrical fire"

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/19/eob.fire/index.html

[madinmaryland]

1. Bush's pants are on fire?

:shrug:

[Richardo]

9. .

:rofl: + :thumbsup: + :patriot:

[Virginia Dare]

12. Will anybody even spit on him to put them out?...n/t

[Cassandra]

18. Serious waste of spit.

Cheney's spit would probably start a fire.

[redrevolt]

105. Lamer than FDR's legs

wow, you can tell the comedy writers are on strike.

[maddezmom]

2. interesting...where is Dick Cheney

The building continues to house various agencies that compose the President's Executive Office, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Council.

[tekisui]

6. OVP isn't an agency.

:-)

so says darth.

[maddezmom]

15. CNN reporting the office on fire is next door to Cheney's ceremonial office

[maddezmom]

28. CNN is saying 3rd floor, WTOP is saying 2nd floor?

WTOP's Capitol Hill Correspondent Dave McConnell, who is on the scene, says smoke can be seen billowing from a second story window. The second story is where the Vice President's office is located.

Television images showed firefighters breaking windows in offices where flames are clearly visible inside.

[EFerrari]

83. I tried to search the news early today but couldn't find him any wherer.

What a terrible run of bad luck he's having lately.

[Windy]

3. WH email storage perhaps? Video storage? n/t

[katty]

79. whoops-too bad...emails/documents went up in smoke!

[matt819]

80. Initial NYT report alluded to this perception

This is the last line in the breaking news report in the NYT:

Original post 10:01 a.m.

(Coming the same week that questions of official destruction of damning evidence are in the news, you can bet the conspiracy theories are going to fly over this incident.)

[katty]

86. well, conspiracy or no--it's a convenient 'out' if they have to use it

sorry, they were destroyed...move along now.

[struggle4progress]

98. Bingo!

[Iggo]

4. And now let me make a guess.

Those records you want, Congress? Yeeeeaaahhh.....we think they might've been destroyed in that fire there.

[gratuitous]

20. Yeah, what all is going up in that smoke?

My guess is a shredding machine overheated. They just had a live clip - lots of smoke and some scorching visible, shouldn't be too hard to control. But boy, you wouldn't believe what was destroyed: White House visitor logs, torture tapes, e-mails, and anything else that someone might want to look at to expose administration perfidy.

[Cass]

44. I hate that was my first thought on hearing this news also, but I put nothing

past these people anymore. Wouldn't shock me in the slightest to hear that all kinds of important papers and items went up in flames.

[katty]

87. ha! and why bother to shred when you can BURN?!

[tekisui]

5. Remodeling since 9/11??

What the hell is she talking about? Remodeling causes fires?

Is she just trying to plant fear-seeds? Say 9/11, quick, there's a fire in the Capitol!

[Billy Burnett]

27. Yes. That's why we can't remodel the US decaying infrastructure. Too risky.

:eyes:

[woodsprite]

67. Actually, it caused a fire in a building I was working in a few years ago.

Actually, I guess it was a uninformed worker who sliced thru some electrical line insulation. Started a fire hours after the workers left and the first sign was tons of smoke in our hallways. So yeah, it's possible. Is it probably in the VPs office - Not really high up on MY guesses of what caused it or why it happened.

[uppityperson]

88. Yes. Everything changed with 9/11.

My question is why even mention 9/11?

[doxieone]

7. Evacuating the building now. n/t

[Virginia Dare]

8. Lots of sirens in the city right now, thanks for the heads up...n/t

[doxieone]

View on TV --- LOTS of smoke! n/t

[nradisic]

10. Too many documents to shred....

Cheney ordered them to burn it! This guys are beyond criminal...they should be lined up and shot!

[texastoast]

96. If we did that, we would be just like them

Ewwwww.

Mo' better is to send them to Gitmo because they are war criminals.

[SlingBlade]

107. Yer Famous now too :)

The website Democratic Underground lit up with comments and questions from readers: "Too many documents to shred," nradisic posted at 9:48 a.m. "What records are being 'cleaned up?' " asked Botany, two minutes later. "What all is going up in smoke?" asked gratuitous, at 9:53 a.m.

Read More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-...

[Whoa_Nelly]

11. Will it implode?

Just kidding...am sure it's not going to go down like any of the WTC buildings....right?

The Eisenhower Building
One of the most beautiful buildings in the nation's capital, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building was built in 1888 and was known as the Old Executive Office Building. Today the building holds many of the offices that support the White House including that of the vice president. Historic meetings have taken place here including talks between Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Japanese emissaries after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2818471-old_executive_office_building_district_of_columbia-i

[Red Zelda]

13. book burning?

[Botany]

14. What records are being "cleaned up?"

[SlingBlade]

106. Hey Yer Famous Now :)

The website Democratic Underground lit up with comments and questions from readers: "Too many documents to shred," nradisic posted at 9:48 a.m. "What records are being 'cleaned up?' " asked Botany, two minutes later. "What all is going up in smoke?" asked gratuitous, at 9:53 a.m.

Read More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-...

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Big deal

[fascisthunter]

94. rrright (nt)

[tekisui]

17. Can pacemakers spontaneously combust?

[Whoa_Nelly]

23. Only those powered by Hell itself

:evilgrin:

[Changenow]

19. Strange coincidence

the Federal Building in Little Rock burned last night.

[GardeningGal]

66. Things that make you go hmmmmm. n/t

[TechBear_Seattle]

21. Who wants to bet that the WH visitor logs were stored in that office?

Along with the remaining tapes of "aggressive interrogations" and records of Cheney's energy task force?

[TransitJohn]

45. Instant DUzy!

Nice!

[aquart]

56. I'd like to see the Vegas odds on that.

You're brilliant. I expect to hear that announcement today or tomorrow.

[orleans]

89. that is EXACTLY what i said when i heard it!

and then there's cheney--with a stick and some fucking marshmallows....

[Stuckinthebush]

22. CNN: Fire due to all the brimstone in Dick Cheney's office

The local fire department has taken control of the situation and has evacuated all workers, demons, and succubi.

[texastoast]

97. Succubi too?

Rick Perry was there?

Kevin Brady? John Cornyn? Kay Bailey Hutchison?

[TechBear_Seattle]

24. Here is a chilling thought: Reichstag

What are the chances that the fire will be blamed on a "terrorist" who "somehow" broke through security? What could the Junta do with such a claim?

:scared:

[underpants]

26. I was thinking more about all the documents that they will claim were lost

and the email servers and the other videotapes etc. etc. etc.

[bigworld]

30. You might ask the same questions about 9/11

[fed-up]

25. here's a pic of the building

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/dc32.htm



The Old Executive Office Building, a National Historic Landmark, was built between 1871 and 1888. Designed by Alfred B. Mullet in the Second Empire Style, the building housed the Departments of State, War, and Navy. Much of the interior was designed by Richard Von Ezdorf using fireproof cast-iron structural and decorative elements. The building became seen as inefficient and was nearly demolished in 1957. Since 1981, major renovations have been carried out including the development of a comprehensive preservation program and the formulation of a master plan for the building's continued adaptive use. The building continues to house various agencies that comprise the Executive Office of the President, such as the Office of the Vice President, the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council.

[alarimer]

92. That's a neat building, even if it is contaminated by Cheney

I hope they can fix it.

[doxieone]

29. Dickie did not need to be evacuated.

Cheney was in Oval Office when fire happened. VP did not need to be evacuated.

[The Backlash Cometh]

60. Does GBII make a good alibi these days?

[CJCRANE]

69. Unca Dick helping Junior read "My Pet Goat"? nt

[BadgerLaw2010]

31. Faster than shredding.

[qanda]

32. There goes the evidence

[Solar Power]

48. I think so ..no evidence

Right ...no evidence.no investigations, .no need for trials, no need for pardons...neat..

[Whoa_Nelly]

33. Link

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/19/eob.fire/

Fire hits building next door to White House

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Firefighters battled thick smoke and flames inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next door to the White House, on Wednesday.


Smoke can be seen coming from a window at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Wednesday.

Smoke could be seen from the White House driveway.

snip
A spokesman for the D.C.Fire Department said the fire started in an electrical closet or telephone bank area on the third floor.

...a little more at link

[bigworld]

34. MSNBC pic

[Thor_MN]

35. How efficient!! Combining terror attack elements and document destruction....

Got to hand it to them, get a Terra, Terra, Terra in and also an excuse for not being able to produce documents...

[Botany]

36. Gee how did this happen?

[Historic NY]

37. Shredders caught fire?

[doxieone]

38. lol n/t

[Whoa_Nelly]

39. MSNBC banner just stated

Cheney was in Naval Office with President when fire broke out


Okayyyyyy
So MSNBC has made sure we all know that Cheney was was nowhere near the fire, and it ain't his fault.

Thanks, MSNBC
The world needed to know that...

Or, maybe they were just assuring a worried public that VP LittleShits is safe...
I know I was worried...NOT!

[Irishonly]

70. What About One Of Those

REmote fire starter thingys. I don't know if they are real or not but with Darth all things are possibel. Take that MSNBC

[TechBear_Seattle]

85. To be fair, the offices of the VP are in that building

The statement that Cheney was nowhere near the fire is like saying that no one was home when the house burned to the ground. It's not an aversion of blame but a statement that the person most likely to be injured was not.

[Xipe Totec]

40. Gee, I hope nothing important was stored there

It would be terrible if the rest of the torture tapes were accidentally lost because they just happened to be in the building...

:eyes:

[Joanie Baloney]

41. Praise be!

Maybe it means there's a new Pope...I mean, Vice President in town!

;)

[JBoy]

58. Hah! What color was the smoke?

[MiniMe]

42. CNN link

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/19/eob.fire/index.html


I work in DC, I swear every fire truck in the city is on the way there. There are sirens going every which way but loose and they are all headed the same way. You can also smell smoke in the air.

[balantz]

43. Crack party gone bad.

[WhiteTara]

46. shredders are working overtime

and finally erupted into flames from the over use.

[SecularMotion]

47. Is this where the visitor records are stored?

:tinfoilhat:

[dpbrown]

49. Book bonfire got a little out of control?

Or was it an unpredictable flare-up from the burning torture tapes?

[peacetalksforall]

50. self delete - dupe

[peacetalksforall]

51. CYNICS UNITED - report officially - the tapes all burned.

THOSE HELD IN CONTEMPT BY THE WHITE HOUSE - report officially - the tapes and all Cheney records were destroyed - fire put out and paid for by the citizens because Dick is too cheap.

[Xipe Totec]

52. Dick forgot to lock the gates to hell.

and his staff accidentally broke the pentagram.

[smoogatz]

64. Great minds

snark alike. Beat me to it!

[Xipe Totec]

104. Snark! I like it!

:rofl:

[The Backlash Cometh]

53. Either the shredding machine caught on fire from overuse or

they just gave up on the shredder altogether and torched a pile of documents.

[erpowers]

54. Important Documents Distroyed

My first thought when I heard about this fire was, what important documents have been distroyed.

[Didereaux]

55. REMEMBER...last week a FedDistCt judge ordered the sign-in books be made available! n/t

[BulletproofLandshark]

57. The pacemaker ran out of oil

[AngryOldDem]

59. Bush playing with matches? n/t

[baldguy]

61. The Nixon & Reagan WH knew how to burn documents WITHOUT SETTING THE WHOLE PLACE ON FIRE!!

Jeez, they should give Ollie North a call.

[Mrs. Overall]

62. First, the Carlyle Group buys the Magna Carta and now this building catches fire? Pass the tin foil!

[smoogatz]

63. Cheney's robotic heart shorted out again?

No worries. They'll replace the affected modules, do a couple of quick software upgrades, replace the scorched areas of latex "skin," and he'll be good to go.

[lumberjack_jeff]

65. Sulphur is hazardous stuff. n/t

[Jim__]

68. A clear case of domestic terrorism!

We need to update the Patriot Act!

[derby378]

71. Wouldn't it be just SO convenient...

...if the only existing roster of Cheney's secret energy task force burned up in that fire?

[Pacifist Patriot]

72. *sigh* My thoughts exactly.

A cover for the convenient loss of incriminating evidence of some kind or another. How sad is that?

[Marie26]

73. Too much paper shredding?

That's got to be a fire hazard.

[redirish28]

74. Heard this but have not confirm that Secret Service stopped fire department

from investigating.

[Kokonoe]

75. This is classic CIA sneak & peak operation.

:evilgrin: :patriot:

[Stewie]

77. A Bush sneak and peek, on Bush property?

There's no need for the CIA to sneak, or peek.

[Kokonoe]

81. OK, but we can agree there are some need to.

[captain jack]

76. Best news out of the white house in long while.. The roof...the roof

[rodeodance]

78. Topic subject How odd is it that Cables show Bush signing Energy Bill & he's laughing and joking whi

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject How odd is it that Cables show Bush signing Energy Bill & he's laughing and joking while EOB Burns?
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2497265#2497265
2497265, How odd is it that Cables show Bush signing Energy Bill & he's laughing and joking while EOB Burns?
Posted by KoKo01 on Wed Dec-19-07 10:33 AM

How strange is it that MSNBC/CNBC/CNN all cut to Bush's signing of the Energy Bill while smoke is coming out of the EOB and he never mentions the fire but talks about "how handsome" some Senator looks in his suit and chortles some more making jokes? The old Executive Office Building is an Historic Building housing the most important offices in the Executive Branch...VP's Office, Secret Service, National Security Counsel, Offices of Legal Counsel (and probably more we don't even know about) but the P-Resident doesn't even postpone the signing of Energy Bill or make a comment about the fire?

Do I have my tinfoil adjusted too tightly? Would this not at the least seem very inappropriate behavior and at the worst very bizarre? :shrug:

[liberal N proud]

82. Cheney burning the rest of the evidence

[proud2BlibKansan]

84. Burning documents??

[mahatmakanejeeves]

90. Videotapes roasting on an open fire;

Federal court nipping at your nose.
Merry Fitzmas to you.

---------------------

Now that I have that out of my system, here are iPhone pix taken by someone who works across the street. NSFDU - not suitable for dialup.

http://web.mac.com/penguinsix/iWeb/Site/Last%20Roll.html

[alarimer]

91. Were they burning CIA tapes again? n/t

[ElsewheresDaughter]

93. Cheney's offices are the ones that are burning....the bastard did it

[fascisthunter]

95. Coincidence My Ass (nt)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

99. Raise your hand if you think this was a coincidence

Faulty wiring has been a problem in the EO building for years. It's interesting that there hasn't been a fire until this administration, at this particular time.

[sattahipdeep]

108. White House, C.I.A.

On Friday, the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to
Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and to Mike McConnell, the director of
national intelligence, asking them to preserve and produce to the committee
all remaining video and audio recordings of “enhanced interrogations” of
detainees in American custody.

Signed by Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, and
Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, the letter asked for
an extensive search of the White House, C.I.A. and other intelligence
agencies to determine whether any other recordings existed of interrogation techniques
“including but not limited to waterboarding.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/22/washington/22intel.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=world

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3111185&mesg_id=3111185

[dave123williams]

100. I guess 'ceremonial' means the place where they ceremonially burn records.

'Nuff said. 10 to 1 on a dollar says they were deliberately destroying evidence.

[fascisthunter]

101. Why the Hell is this Not on the Front Page?

This story could have great implications on holding Bush accountable.

[Arugula Latte]

102. I blame the British.

They've done it before (1814), they can do it again.

;)

[daleo]

103. It's just Cheney's elevator from Hell.

Someone left the door open.