Folks, $19K of damage on furnishings in a building the size of the White House is bupkis, especially when it appears that a fair bit of the damage was ordinary wear and tear over 8 years.
I get the impression that people hear “White House” and analogize to, well, a house. No. It’s basically an office building. First of all, even the original White House was pretty big. But the much-expanded current White House, whose wings are only barely visible either from the South Lawn (where TV cameras tend to hang out) or Pennsylvania Avenue (where tourists can see it), is enormous: 132 rooms, huge staff, etc.
That site doesn’t say a single thing about the vandalism charge, and is written in such a breathless, “how DARE they question him!” tone it’s almost laughable.
That said, looking at the GAO report, the issue isn’t the cost of the damage, it’s the vulgarity and hatred shown by the vandals who acted like junior high-schoolers rather than professionals in the most important office in the country.
It may only take $5 worth of paint to cover up a racial/sexual/etc insult spraypainted on the side of your house, but the impact can be huge.
Me too Rev. Oxy, I don’t think it was the money that might have offended folks as much as the perceived lack of respect and just trying to make sure something illegal hadn’t occurred. Whether the cost be large or small, theft and vandalism in the White House by staff would understandably raise the ire of most anyone, regardless of affiliation.
Remember that this was synchronous to the furor created by the questionable pardons, amid allegations of a stolen election, and shortly after the impeachment. The quest for fuel for the fire lowered the boiling point of pretty much any issue.
C’mon. Don’t be childish. Even the White House Press Office admitted the “vandalism” stories were all made up within a couple months. It was, is and will always be a political hack job by weirdo extremists. (Even the right wingers are moving to distance themselves form these folk.)
What you are seeing now are people how rephrase “wear and tear” into “damage” into “deliberate damage” into “vandalism”. That’s a lot of “spin” if you ask me.
Geez, my own little house has probably had $2000 worth of wear and tear in the last 8 years and I’d me arrested if I tried to report it as “vandalism” to the police.
Just because Big Lies are repeated over and over doesn’t make them true.
This is the heart of the issue. I thought that removing the W’s was funny and fairly harmless, but some of the other stuff (like the vandalism and the photoshopped pictures of Dubya) was just spiteful and disrespectful. No one likes a sore loser.
[QUOTE=Otto]
I didn’t say that Bush whined. I said that someone in his White House did, and Ari Fleischer fueled it.
from the article:
[John Stewart] Damn you Ari Fleischer for fueling these false reports by… downplaying… them you… (looks at camera above him) KAHNNNNNNNNNNN!!! [/John Stewart]
But seriously it seems like he wanted to move on and did not want to give specifics about the damage. The press just wouldn’t let it go and thats why he came across as coy.
Had Fleischer said in response to the questioning “Look, there is no story here and I’m not taking any more questions on it” then I would agree with you. But he didn’t do anything to kill the story and, yes, feuled it by raising the issue of “cut wires” where it hadn’t been an issue before.
General Questions is a forum for statements of fact.
Please produce evidence that previous Bush staffers committed acts of vandalism before Clinton took office. Or withdraw the statement.
Both claims made here are false.
The General Accounting Office report stated specifically that Clinton staffers had committed deliberate acts of vandalism before leaving the White House. The White House press office has never admitted that the vandalism stories were all made up. Just the opposite - the GAO established that they were definitely true.
The “weirdo extremists” are the ones attempting to pretend that it didn’t happen. It did happen. It was proven to have happened. Anyone who denies that it happened is mistaken or lying, or a member of the tin foil hat brigade.
I repeat, the answer to the question of the title is an unequivocal Yes. Bush and Fleischer attempted to downplay it. People such as Al Franken who deny that it happened are lying.
Perhpas you could reread my question and answer it. The question is, what damage, if any, was done during previous transitions. Admittedly, I just skimmed your link but since it is titled 2001, I didn’t think it required a detailed reading.
As others have said, the dollar amount really wasn’t the point - I’d expect them to repaint and recarpet and so on between administrations anyway - samething they do for any “rental” property.
On the other hand, the White House isn’t just another office building. Smearing graffitti around it is no different from vandalizing the Tower of London, or the Sistine Chapel.