Is the White House playing games? stonewalling? You tell me (after you read below.) Here is the issue: On April 27, the White House had a very, very, very pricey Air Force One fly over NYC so that they could take pictures of AF1 over Manhattan -- something they could have done at no cost with photoshop. The expense was through the roof at a time when we are in great financial trouble. The White House wants this problem to go away -- it will when the White House comes clean...totally clean. After we pushed and pushed....they finally released ONE photo. Yes, they released only one picture.
We don't believe that they only took ONE picture and have made a "Freedom of Information Act" [FOIA] demand for them to release the pictures. That FOIA request was made May 1. We still don't have the pictures and we don't a statement saying that FOIA does not apply (it does apply.) If they denied the request, we could go to court. Without the denial, the White House stonewalls and we can't go to court. It is a pocket veto by the President. We do not have all the information about this glamour shot that cost you, taxpayers, hundreds of thousands of dollars...and you and I are entitled to it.
You and I both know they shot lots of pics -- hundreds??? No photographer is going to go up in a plane, and take one picture (especially since the pics are digital and no cost for film!)
Why do I think the White House is stonewalling? On May 7 they asked for our email address to send them (that did not happen.) They have said this request will get expedited consideration. (That's a lie since it has not happened.) Well...now they have my imagination running....we know that people in NYC were terrified when that 747 buzzed NYC and went fleeing from buildings ...thinking their lives were at risk. Did the photog take pictures of the people scared to death ? running for their lives ? (that would be sadistic, would it not?) If the White House simply orders the surrender of the pictures as FOIA demands, my imagination can stop running and maybe yours, too.
And don't tell me that the can't do it now. Every day I load pictures on GretaWire, you email pictures to friends etc. It would take sections for the Administration to order the photog to upload the pics to a website (all of them.) In fact, the photog could click upload and go get a cup of coffee while it is uploading.
So why don't we have the pics? What is your theory? And do you care? (And if you care, maybe we should get GretaWire bloggers emailing the White House tellling them to just connect the camera, click upload and put on the White House website so we can see what really happened? What are they hiding? And I don't like that they are running this game on us...do you?)
