http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=...storyID=2769322


Adios!

Hmmm. he must have grown tired and weary of the b.s. in D.C. Won't at all miss him. Au Revoir!!!

I wonder if he'll end up at FAUX News or Halliburton.... Bill Bennett says his money's on Halliburton.

Does the Yankee Information Minister have a job waiting at Bechtel?

arivederci!

I know you guys will gasp at this, but I will be sorry to see him go, I think he's HOT! I don't know why but there's something about him I want to dominate...hehe eek!

Well, good, then you can have him! I doubt you'll get a chance though. Iraq's going to need a new info minister sooner or later, though.

Imagine that, some 15 years ago, you could have given him a "shampoo" while you were at it!

A young Fleischer, giddy at the thought of a DenverFan domination session...

[ May 19, 2003, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: bluebird48234 ]

now this is one scary thought first thing in the AM.

dont let the door hit ya on the way out !

He is one of the most dislikable members of the whole team. I can't stand to watch his press briefings, which are hardly news at all. More slogan-ology and sidestepping than anything.

Let's guess. With the Bush Admin. in a subrosa crisis mode, has Ari been politely fired, or is he leaving on his own. Such a mystery. Yet with catastrophy in Iraq, and stalemate between the Israeli's and the Palistinians over 'road rage map', might Ari see greener grass outside the White House lawn? No fan am I of him, way too much of an artisan. But articulating is a strength and talent. :cool:

Denver Fan's fantasy might not be too far fetched:

Fleischer clashed at times with the White House press corps and had an uneasy relationship with some senior Bush aides, but he said the departure was his idea. He notified Bush of his decision Friday. The president ended the conversation ``by kissing me on the head,'' the spokesman said.

Fleischer story from NY Times

You righties who have been brainwashed into thinking the NY Times is a mouthpiece for American socialists might wanna check out the lead blurb on its homepage, while it lasts:

"Ari Fleischer, the public and generally good-natured face of the Bush administration, will resign in July to enter private business."

Good-natured?? eek! eek!

The guy is a total bore -- hopefully they will replace him with someone who has integrity and a pulse.

are we all talking about the same ari? i've never, ever, once (and that extends all the way back to his college days at middlebury) known ari to articulate anything. he a dissembles, period!

Gee, I never had anything personal against the guy. All those press spokespersons are paid to say what they're paid to say. That makes the job pretty much like every other job on the planet.

I'm sure he'll make tons more money now. In all honesty, I wish him well. But he is not hot, and I do not want to kiss him on any head, either above or below the waist.

[ May 19, 2003, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: twin58 ]

I've seen enough of these things and their resulting PR spin to know that when someone goes this quickly with no replacement already in place it usually means that something went wrong and not everyone is leaving happy.

Maybe the carrier landing controversy was the last straw causing this parting of the ways. the last straw for whom? it's hard to say.
Fleischer could have complained that he wasn't given all the details and is being made to look like an incompetent liar.
But the White House could have said he wasn't doing a good enough job of spinning.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out and to see if even that is the real answer.

That rules out Strom Thurmond.

Vapid comment of the day: Can't the GOPers find someone who lies well but is a little more attractive? I mean, Ari, Marlin Fitzwater....

Let's start with Mike McCurry as the base standard and improve on it.

Maybe Rick Santorum should step aside and be Chimp's spokesperson, according to the pResident hes "great" and "inclusive."

Ari will now be the second one to go in this spot. Remember Karen Hughes?? I wonder if they both maybe left because of policy conflicts or something internal..maybe they are tired of the Karl Rove show.

it's not easy being in front of the whitehouse press (and the world) and (too many times) tell bald faced lies. But that's what you have to do when you're the PR head of the White House. That happened with Clinton and it's happening with W.Bush. and it takes a lot out of you.
it also makes you question your own humanity as the BS gets deeper and deeper and the lies become more evident. The carrier landing (even if it was supported by many civilians and military) didn't help Fleischer look trustworthy in the information he dispenses.

Actually, here is a question. Let's say we assume that all presidents lie to the public to some extent. I cannot think of one who hasn't; some, like Carter, withhold the truth. Others like Reagan claim to have forgotten everything. Others, like Clinton, lied first to their staff and then the nation. Yet others like Nixon conspire with their staffs in lies to cover up criminal acts. Carter wasn't put through any kind of legislative trial or impeachment process, but Reagan had to testify at the Iran-Contra hearings, as did HW, who then pardoned naerly all involved with the IC affair. Clinton--well, we saw the farce he went through, while Nixon stepped down BEFORE he could be impeached, and was promptly pardoned by his sub, Ford.

Now, if we assume that Paul Wolfowitz's comments in VANITY FAIR are true, and if by true they point to the fact that the adminstration--meaning the White House and the Cabinet officers--all knew that the WMD claims were bogus, what should the penalties be? Because we really are talking about lies that were not just asserted to cover up personal failures, nor a secret program whose discovery might have compromised the Executive Branch, but lies put forward to the American people, our elected Congress, and the world.

I have called Ari Fleischer a liar, which he was, but I think that what's coming out now is far more serious. He is one person in a larger chain of command of lying that is having serious and severe international repercussions. The War in Afghanistan was justified by the 9/11 attacks, but neither of the chief justifications for the War in Iraq has panned out. And now one of that war's chief architects is admitting it's all a lie. So what are the American people to do?

The more I think of it, the more I can see why Ari is getting out now. The crap may not only hit the fan but just explode.

[ May 29, 2003, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

One can only hope, can't they?