TO: Maureen Dowd ( George Bush lied about cheesesteak)

[grasswire]

Dowd once again revives the story about John Kerry liking swiss cheese on his Philly cheesesteaks. Read this, Dowd, from August 2004:


http://www.cjrdaily.org/politics/president_bush_nailed_by_chees.php

President Bush Nailed by Cheese Cops
Liz Cox Barrett
It all started yesterday, when CNN, Fox and The New York Times were content to transcribe and transmit President Bush's comment about preferring his Philadelphia cheesesteaks "Whiz with," thereby handing the Bush camp what it was after -- a revisitation in the national press of a year-old John Kerry "faux pas" (ordering his Philly cheesesteak with Swiss).


In contrast to the bigfoots of the national press, Kathleen E. Carey of The Daily Times went beyond mere stenography and did a little leg work on the issue, as well she should. For, while it's certainly not in the top 100 critical campaign issues this election year, it's safe to say that the proper construction of a Philadelphia cheesesteak matters more to Daily Times readers than it does to a national audience.


And the intrepid Carey came up with her own expose. She reported that Bush actually "prefers his steak absent of the usual Cheez Whiz and provolone, accompanied only by cheese of the American variety," information that she obtained from her own Deep Throat, one Caeser Barnabei, the owner of the well-known cheesesteak shop, Jim's Place. Barnabei, who has fed the Bush camp on previous swings through Pennsylvania and provided "70 to 80 hoagies" for the Bush campaign yesterday, confided to Carey that "the Jim's Special is altered to whet the 'W' appetite."


In Philadelphia, the classic cheesesteak recipe is hot beef strips and fried onions dripping with grease, slathered with Cheez Whiz straight from the squeeze bottle, all atop white bread. Solemnly, Carey reported her devastating conclusion: "The commander-in-chief fooled thousands Tuesday to believe he eats like the epicureans here."


Now there's a reporter who isn't afraid to go beyond the usual he said/she said reporting and stake out a position.


She'll never last.

[pretzel4gore]

1. howdy dowdy don't give a damn about truth

slap her in the face with it and she just flaunt her reddened cheeks.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. I can't tell if anyone involved in this story is being serious

Those who originally reported about Kerry, those who repeated the White House claim about Cheez Whiz, Carey who corrected it, Dowd who dragged it up after 3 years, or the DUers who have bothered posting about it? Or is this all some in-joke about how petty people can be?

And 'Whiz' does mean 'piss' in the USA as well as the UK, doesn't it?

[grasswire]

3. it is serious only in that...

...it's an illustration of the lazy and mindless reporting of the New York Times as they have inserted themselves into the political process with half truths and lies.

[karynnj]

6. The story is about the media helping the Republicans

distort the image of Democrats. Between the "I feel Pretty" video, the coverage given to the haircuts, Coulter's outrageous comment, and Dowd's use of the word metrosexual, there is an attempt to create an image of Edwards that counters the one he is creating.

Notice that the greater campaign expenditure for Hillary's hair went largely unnoticed - it's ok for a woman. In fact the issue could have been where the line was in terms of what the campaigns should pay for.

In 2004, even when Kerry did NOTHING that conformed to a metrosexual image - and did things that were the opposite, like playing a charity ice hocky game or flying an airplane - both of which are things he has always done, it wasn't emphasized. But they fabricated:
- The lie that Kerry used Botox by showing pictures taken during the time he was treated for cancer and had lost 20 pounds to 2004 pictures where he was healthy and had gained back the weight.
- A $1000 hair appointment - that was really a $75 hair cut.
- The pre First debate Photoshop nonsense that he was "orange", though all the people who saw him in WI thought he looked normal and he looked normal at the debates. Lynne Cheney was one of the people involved in this.
- The report by Fox's Cameron with quotes Kerry would NEVER have given about the fact that he would win because he got manicures. This was on Fox and repeated on other channels before he admitted it was "satire" (aka made up out of thin air)

The point is this is an attack that attempts to give Edwards an image that is not true. The question is how to fight back. (though silly - I think prominently putting the hs football picture in collages of pictures of him would be good. )

[karynnj]

4. The only think consistent with Maureen Dowd was her interest in trivialities

Senator Kerry won overwhelmingly in Philadelphia - in spite of not eating the highly processed faux cheese - cheese whiz.

This is a Maureen Dowd specialty. Although Senator Kerry did not criticize Cheese Whiz, anyone reading his and Teresa's book would know that there was a bigger downside to eating Cheese Whiz - that would have been genuine political pandering.

She was also the person who fabricated the supposed Kerry NASCAR comment that was then repeated as fact - even in HER newspaper.

The Edwards people need to read the chapter in ABC's John Harris's book on winning elections where he effusively praises Matt Drudge as our "Edward R Murrow" and sees as brilliant (rather than wrong), the way Drudge turned a routine $75 Kerry haircut into a $1000 highlighting/styling/cut with madeup quotes on how fussy Kerry was that it look perfect. They are clearly doing the same to Edwards - even though like Kerry, it is what is under the hair that is more interesting and important.

Here's a link from the WP speaking of the book - at the bottom is a link to a chater of the book.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2006/10/2008_halperin_and_harris_descr.html

I think the authors are disgusting in their admiration of lies, but it is important to see what was done - and scary that the MSM whether ABC then or Dowd now is scary - as is the NYT's repeating Reid's "the war is lost quote" without mentioning that it was the "then" of an if/then clause.

[Captain Hilts]

5. I think Cheeze Whiz is 'Cheese Food Product'. Don't forget the 'product' on the end. nt

[karynnj]

8. True - Thanks for the correct

I love cheese and that yellow/orange gunk is NOT cheese.

[slampoet]

7. How is Cheeze Whiz (invented 1952) a TRADITIONAL ingredient?

The Cheesesteak was invented in 1930 so it looks like Kerry is just wikkid old school.


Here is the Wikkipedia on it


"History

Philadelphian Pat Olivieri claims to have invented the cheesesteak by serving chopped-up steak on hoagie rolls. Another source lists him as a co-creator with his brother Harry Olivieri. <2> They began selling the concoctions at their hot dog stand near south Philadelphia's Italian Market. They became so popular he opened up his own cheesesteak restaurant in 1930.<3> This restaurant still operates today as Pat's King of Steaks (v.i.).

Pat's website calls the preparation a "steak sandwich" (not a "cheesesteak") and says that "as the years passed, both employees and customers alike demanded change ... cheese was added."<1> Joe Vento of Geno's(v.i.), which is located directly across the street from Pat's, claims that he was the first to add cheese.<2>

In 1952 they added Cheese Whiz to their sandwich ingredients. The walls of their restaurant are lined with photographs of celebrities who ate there, including President Bill Clinton, Jimmy Durante, Joey Bishop, Rodney Dangerfield, Connie Stevens, Henry Winkler, John McCain, the Bee Gees and Lou Rawls."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_cheesesteak





There are a lot of people who don't take food like the locals and that is OKAY.


Did Bush take his burger with sweet pickles the entire time he was in PA?

Did he get the sandwiches with coleslaw and fies piled on top of it when he stopped in Pittsburgh?

Did he actually eat the Spaghetti Chili on the Ohio border?

Does he take vinegar or tartar on his fish and what does he do with the lemon?

Did he try the milk in PA? It's maybe the best. Does Bush think so? and what do the people of Vermont and Wisconsin have to say about that? If Bush doesn't drink Milk is he a real American? If the Secret Service let him drink milk are they doing their jobs? Is Cheney allowed to drink milk? Is Milk the problem with Cheney?

If Bush actually drank would it be Rolling Rock or Yuengling?

How does the president pronounce Yuengling? It's America's oldest beer why can't he pronounce it?

Has Bush ever salted the food without tasting it first and if so how can we be sure that he can protect our children if he can't even look after his own heart?


....all these questions become legitimate the moment you think what someone takes on their sandwich or eats in general makes any difference.