Palin Meets with Karzai, Press Shut Out
September 23rd, 2008 12:54 PM Eastern
by Shushannah Walshe
NEW YORK??Sarah Palin just wrapped her meeting with Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. The Palin camp relented and allowed the pool TV producer and cameraman in; even after the camp told print poolers they would not be allowed to enter.
The Palin campaign spokesperson Tracey Schmitt provided this statement as to why originally no editorial presence would be allowed in the meetings, but no explanation, ??The decision was made for this to be a photo spray with still cameras and video cameras only.?
According to the pool producer, Palin was seated in a large chair to the left of Karzai with a table in between the two. Behind the Alaska Governor were McCain-Palin foreign policy advisers Steve Biegun and Randy Scheunemann.
Karzai and Palin were talking about his young son when the pool entered the room. The only part of the conversation the journalists allowed in the room for 29 seconds could hear is below:
??What is his name?,? Palin asked.
??Mirwais,? Karzai responded. ??Mirwais, which means, ??The Light of the House.???
??Oh nice,? Palin responded.
??He is the only one we have,? remarked Karzai.
Karzai and Palin met for thirty minutes after the cameras left. The campaign says the full pool, which includes a print reporter, wire reporters, one television camera, and still cameras will be allowed in the next meeting with Colombian president Alvaro Uribe ?? which is set to begin shortly.
Palin Meets with Karzai, Press Shut Out « FOX Embeds « FOXNews.com
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Now, the story from pool TV "producer and cameraman"
McCain camp tries to keep reporters out of Palin meetings
September 23, 2008
Posted: 02:45 PM ET
From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby
(CNN) ?? McCain-Palin campaign officials shifted course Tuesday after being informed by television news organizations that they would not broadcast footage of Sarah Palin??s meeting with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai Tuesday in New York ?? the Republican VP nominee??s first with a foreign leader ?? if a reporter was not allowed in to observe the pair.
CNN, which was the pool network for the event, informed the campaign of its decision. The network was then told a CNN producer would be allowed in the room to act as a media representative, just minutes before the photo op was scheduled to take place. However, print reporters and wire services were not allowed to observe the meeting, as they have been able to do at similar McCain events in the past.
The press only caught a brief glimpse of the vice presidential nominee. Palin was seated in a large chair a few feet from Karzai, with a table in between them. Seated slightly behind Palin were campaign foreign policy advisers Steve Biegun and Randy Scheunemann, who are accompanying the governor in her motorcade today.
As the pool entered, the Afghan president appeared to be telling Palin about his young son, who was born in January 2007.
Palin, her legs crossed and at one point patting her heart, was leaning in eagerly and smiling. Karzai, wearing his traditional clothes but without his trademark karakul hat, was also grinning while discussing the child. His remarks were mostly unintelligible as the noise from the clicking cameras drowned them out.
??What is his name?,? Palin asked.
??Mirwais,? Karzai responded. ??Mirwais, which means, ??The Light of the House.???
??Oh nice,? Palin responded.
??He is the only one we have,? remarked Karzai.
After 29 seconds observing the meeting, CNN and other photographers covering the meeting were escorted out of the room.
Later, McCain-Palin press representatives chalked up the restrictions to a ??mix-up, a miscommunication among staff.? The full pool ?? a print and wires reporter, along with a television producer ?? was then allowed in to observe Palin??s meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for 15-20 seconds.
CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - McCain camp tries to keep reporters out of Palin meetings « - Blogs from CNN.com
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Now seriously, if McCain camp wants to make her foreign policy credentials any better, do u think this was a smart move? I find it absolutely a very bad choice even if I was a hardcore McCain fan which I'm not.
talking backlashes
