Nobody's talking about the missing W's here?

[Sparky Kronkite]

When the Bush administration finally took over their offices from the Clintonites - over in the White House - they found that all the W's were missing from all the keyboards at all the PC stations.

Gone.

They found some - in the toilets - in weird hiding places - but most of them - just gone.

I thought that was pretty cool.

Immature but cool. Nobody could ever accuse me of being mature - that's for sure.

 

[Expertise]

I have a new and grudging respect for the Clinton administration.

Fucking brilliant.LOL

 

[Ambrosious]

I would, but CB and I hashed and rehashed this through IM this morning. We agreed to disagree.

 

[R Nitelight]

Did the President notice, or was he secretly relieved to find there was one less letter he had to remember?

 

[Guest]

The toilet

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Sparky Kronkite]

The really cool thing would have been a virus....

A "W virus" in which "every key" when struck - would produce a W and a W only.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Can someone tell me ONE newspaper or major Internet news outlet that is reporting this?

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

I found the original Washington Post column. But a friend (Russian, very paranoid) swears he heard confirmation about the story from George W's own lips on a local LA newscast. But I can't find ANYONE anywhere who's reporting either the original story (except to say "The Washington Post says yadda-yadda...") or that George W. made a comment on the whole issue. My Russian friend is screaming "Cover up!". Sheesh.

So -- where else can I find anything on this stoy (that isn't just a reprint of what the Washington Post columnist is reporting?)

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[Grrrn38]

MSNBC.com, CNN.com, Philadelphia Inquirer & so probably other Knight Ridder papers.

I thought it was funny too-- until this morning, when it was reported that Gore's office was trashed, a wall in the OEB was grafitted (sp), file cabinets were superglued... and of course, several keyboards need to be replaced not only were the "w"s removed but the keyboards were destroyed.

 

[willywanker]

I agree, I thought the "W" was funny, but the other vandalism, and thats all you can call it, took the fun out of it. But didn't really surprise me with the other crap they pulled the last 8 years.

 

[WriterDom]

Bush Aides Compiling List of Damaged Items Found at White House


Washington, Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush's aides are compiling a list of White House property that was found to be damaged after Clinton administration staffers left, a Bush spokesman said.

The report will be informal and likely won't lead to further action, the spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said in response to reporters' questions. He declined to comment on specific items.

``The president understands that transitions can be times of difficulty and strong emotion,'' he said.

The New York Post reported today that the damage included cut cables, phone lines and electric cords. Damage, included piled up trash, was worst in the offices that had been occupied by Vice President Gore's staff, the newspaper said.

Departing White House staff members have often pulled pranks on new administrations as part of a ``playful'' culture of White House handovers, said Paul Light, an expert on presidential transitions at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

``Past administrations have done all sorts of stuff,'' he said. ``They piled desks on each other and filled offices with wadded up newspaper. They're childhood pranks.''

Asked by reporters whether anyone from the Clinton administration had called to apologize, Fleischer said a call was made to the office of the vice president. He said the conversation was private and he didn't recall who made the call.

Fleischer, asked Tuesday about a Washington Post report that computer keyboards had missing ``W'' keys, said his reaction ``would have been `wow,' but the `W' was removed, so now it's just O.'

 

[Wizard]

I think the "W" thing is great....Skitten tells me she heard it on the local new last night at 6:00 cause everthing must be from Gorge "W" Bush............I love it.....

 

[jcgirl]

Hot Damn! You go Billy boy! Wooohooo

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

"The New York Post is reporting"? LOL You have to be kidding me? If it isn't about the Mets and doesn't have tits The NY Post can't even SPELL a story right.

Here's the thing...I've only found one other actual news source (ABCNews.com) that has a (albeit buried) report that isn't based on someone else's conjecture. And even this story came from the Associated Press! The story simply says that a small building next to the white house has a few "Ws" missing. I'm willing to believe that George's office was vandallized, I just haven't seen anyone reliable actually print that. Even The Washington Post, whose own columnist broke the story, isn't saying anything on Page 1. Or 2. Or 3...

I need an URL about the vandallism. Without that I'm just going with this being another stupid rumor perpetuated by radio talk show hosts.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[Grrrn38]

CB, I don't think anyone's implying that Gore actually perpetrated any vandalism, or even any pranks, himself.

The Bush camp, like incoming administrations before it, is treating the whole thing lightly. I think it's been reported because (1) the "w" thing was pretty creative and funnier than the traditional stacking of the desks; and (2) the vandalism seems to have gotten out of hand.

 

[Feisty1]

Removing the W's is pretty brilliant...not only is it a funny prank, but the significance of removing the one letter that was the only difference (to some people anyway) between the Bush father and son duo is surely not lost upon the new administration. Maybe GW really is a "mini me?"

If it's just a cruel rumor, well, please don't ever tell me it isn't true. Ignorance is bliss for a reason.

 

[Cheyenne]

White House Vandalism Investigated

The Associated Press
Thursday, January 25, 2001; 6:08 PM

WASHINGTON –– The Bush administration is asking staffers to report any suspected vandalism found when they took over the White House complex, though a spokesman said he doubts anything will be done with the findings.

"What we are doing is cataloging that which took place," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said. He refused to say what acts of vandalism had been reported, the extent of any damage or even why the review was being conducted.

"I don't think anything will ever come of it," he said. "Part of changing the tone in Washington is to allow some things that others may have made a focus of, to let pass."

Karen Tramontano, the counselor to President Clinton's chief of staff, John Podesta, said she was in the West Wing and adjacent office buildings late the night before Clinton left office, and saw no vandalism.

"We left everything in good condition," she said. "We all left our offices intact."

Some incoming Bush staffers have grumbled that they found glass desktops broken, keyboards doused with fluids and stripped of "W" keys and tags identifying phones' numbers switched.


© 2001 The Associated Press

 

[Guest]

There's enough money in the budget for new keyboards. At least the locks are changed now. No more million dollar payoffs for pardons or pardons for child molesters. No more of that arrogant bastard wagging his finger in the face of the American people with his lies.

 

[Andra_Jenny]

The last I heard was that the Bush administration was not going to press the matter. The difference between graciously loosing and ...

It follows a pattern. The Clintons take everything they like (after all didn't she use taxpayer's money for a facelift as soon as they moved in? I guess that made the stuff hers.) when they leave. The staffers disrespect the building, the history, because,

That crowd beleives there was nothing important there before they got there, and there will be nothing important after they leave. I hope the Democrats are successful in wresting power from the Clinton's (and Jackson's and Sharpton's) and trying to restore dignity to their party.

 

[miles]

The pro-Clinton folks sure are quiet...

Would love to hear them defend the latest Clinton shenanigans - the sleazy pardons, trashing the White House, the last minute "gifts" Billary claimed.

What a disgrace.

 

[Guest]

For those of you that have anything to say about Clinton's pardons, you are full of shit. George Bush Sr. pardoned people who could have put himself and Ronald Reagan in jail, and he did it just before they were to go on trial. These people committed crimes against the country and covered up for two presidents who were more corrupt than Nixon ever dreamed of. Please, tell us again who the scum and corrupt anti-American trash who need to be removed from our system are? The two Republican presidents before Clinton committed crimes that he never even dreamed of. Wake up and smell the truth, people:



December 24, 1992.

"BUSH PARDONS 6 IN IRAN AFFAIR, AVERTING A WEINBERGER TRIAL; PROSECUTOR ASSAILS 'COVER-UP'"

Six years after the arms-for-hostages scandal began to cast a shadow that would darken two Administrations, President Bush today granted full pardons to six former officials in Ronald Reagan's Administration ...
Mr. Weinberger was scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 5 on charges that he lied to Congress...

... a case that was expected to focus on Mr. Weinberger's private notes that contain references to Mr. Bush's endorsement of the secret shipments to Iran.

... the independent prosecutor, Lawrence E. Walsh, plans to review a 1986 campaign diary kept by Mr. Bush. Mr. Walsh has characterized the President's failure to turn over the diary until now as misconduct.

Mr. Walsh bitterly condemned the President's action, charging that "the Iran-contra cover-up, which has continued for more than six years, has now been completed.

 

[Guest]

The last I heard was that the Bush administration was not going to press the matter. The difference between graciously loosing and ...

...and stealing an election that you lost? If you're interested in the facts about who won the election, and it wasn't Bush, you might read the most recent edition of the Washington Post or any number of the Florida papers. Gore got more votes. Bush had a conservative court stop the counting. There is nothing in constitution that allows the supreme court to appoint the president. Bush is not a legit president and most Americans do not except his as such. Read the news, Bush's approval rating is hovering in the high 30's to low 40's. Clinton's approval rating never got that low, not even during impeachment. Those are the facts. Bush lost. How, again, is stealing a graceful way to lose, exactly?

As far as the pranks go, perhaps you are unaware of the fact that George Bush's staff did nearly EXACTLY the same thing on their way out and the Clinton administration did not go public with it. Clinton has more tact and credibility in his finger than the entire Bush clan has in their entire lineage. Cliton is a man, not a monkey like Bush, so he took it like a man when Bush's daddy fucked with him. Little baby Bushie cries to the media, "Oh, look what the mean democrats did to me, I'm telling!" What a disgrace the Republican party has become in the year 2001. What a buch of crying, snivelling, little babies.

 

[miles]

New Zeelund

So if I'm full of shit, and Bush actually did what you said in that nine year old article, then what Clinton did was okay.

Very logical.

PS - Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?