It was another freezing day in New Hampshire - the usual breakfast downstairs from the hotel, plans were made over house phones, it was decided that my wife would stay back in the hotel and recover, we were all sick with virtually the same cold, the worst I'd had in 20 years.
We took the van from Nashua to Manchester to cover all the primaries and the parties - we had two cameras and a lot of digital tapes with us. We wanted to, of course, figure out how to "get backstage" where the real parties are - so we hit the streets of Manchester to see who we could find that KNEW somebody.
While filming outside of the Merrimack Restaurant earlier in the day we were approached by none other than Mimi Kennedy (of the show "Dharma and Greg") who thought she knew us but wasn't sure why. I explained that I'd been on TV a lot (not recognizing her myself - stupid) - and she said, "So am I!" (a very bubbly, sophisticated, intelligent lady) - then the wheels turned and clicked - "We were all at the WAR IS OVER event in San Fransisco.." we both said at once, and then we hugged furiously slapping our gloves and mittens everywhere like old pals. Not that we are old pals but she's just so NICE you can't help but feel so close.
She got on camera and told us all about her support of Kucinich and where the party was going to be, then headed into the restaurant to meet with Dennis.
We wandered into the restaurant - a frequent staging area for CNN who would shove tables away from the front window and hold court there. It was a bustling scene full of media - we stopped in the back and I got interviewed by KIRO radio for a lark.
Most of the day was spent going from Headquarters to Media Circus Tents to restaurants - everyone in the street had a Camera or sound equipment - at one point I laughed out loud at someone filming a filming of an interview.
We headed back to the Merrimack as there were many lights and signs bouncing everywhere - pandemonium - each group shouting out their favorite politicians name, very lively. We filmed a group of people who dressed in yellow Church robes and stood on the corner, accompanied by a organ and Reverend Billy - they were singing a soulfull tune (and wonderfully so) called STOP SHOPPING with their leader, a very talented guy.
As we crossed the street to enter the doorway of the Merrimack restaurant we noticed the BIG CNN Bus taking up all the parking spaces out front, parked at an angle - we had been there before making film shorts for fun, with me making remarks in front of the CNN Bus "This just in - CNN has found that Bush is able to find his ass with Both hands and a Flashlight..."
They has apparently been doing their show CROSSFIRE in the front window bay of the restaurant and were finishing up - I watched as Carville came out of the door and made a hard right, which put him headed for the side and back of the building, away from the crowd out front and the CNN Bus.
Soon after that, with the crowd swirling other CNN anchors started coming out - namely Robert Novak and Paul Begala and making the short trek to the Bus --
BUT - all of a sudden, a rather solid man was thrown up against me and I caught him and stopped him from falling on the ice and snow on the sidewalk - I looked past his shoulder and saw what looked like a garden troll gone insane. There were two VERY intense film lights on poles at both ends of the restaurant about 12 feet in the air and the image of Robert Novak scowling with his fist pulled back and *censored*ed was frightening - it felt like the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was shot - all the color washed out of the picture - the raw hatred in Novak's face - he was obviously not done with the man I had caught, that he had shoved a good 5 feet on ice (which could have broken this man's head open or a hip or a leg) and Novak was coming to give him more, ready to punch him. He'd gone crazy and the crowd was completely aghast - dead silence.
I'm pretty sure it was Paul Begala that grabbed Novak and forced him onto the CNN Bus while everyone was stunned. I looked into the face of the man I had caught and realised that I knew him. I was Brad Carr - A fan of ours - he'd come to every show we'd put on while here in the area.
I asked him, "What the hell is this all about?" and he admitted to me that he'd been inside during the show, and at breaks or whatever had called Novak a "traitor" - and that once Novak had moved past him to go to the bus Brad had said it again, more than once.
This was why Novak lost it and attacked him. One word. One word that I agree with. Novak published Plame's name and occupation in his column and despite any first amendment objections there are laws to protect the people of this land - for the same reason that you can't yell "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theatre - you also aren't allowed to "out" a CIA agent.
One reason alone is that some of their contacts (that can take years to build a relationship with) can literally be KILLED for having associated with the CIA - and Plame's specialty as I understand it was in Weapons of Mass Destruction - isn't that something that the Bush administration would be interested in finding?
Nope. Apparently it's more important to the Bush people to destroy anyone in their path, and their families - since Bush was caught lying they decided to throw our National Security out the window for some petty payback. One that involves Lives potentially being ended - certainly careers. Glad the "grownups" are in charge.
We took the van from Nashua to Manchester to cover all the primaries and the parties - we had two cameras and a lot of digital tapes with us. We wanted to, of course, figure out how to "get backstage" where the real parties are - so we hit the streets of Manchester to see who we could find that KNEW somebody.
While filming outside of the Merrimack Restaurant earlier in the day we were approached by none other than Mimi Kennedy (of the show "Dharma and Greg") who thought she knew us but wasn't sure why. I explained that I'd been on TV a lot (not recognizing her myself - stupid) - and she said, "So am I!" (a very bubbly, sophisticated, intelligent lady) - then the wheels turned and clicked - "We were all at the WAR IS OVER event in San Fransisco.." we both said at once, and then we hugged furiously slapping our gloves and mittens everywhere like old pals. Not that we are old pals but she's just so NICE you can't help but feel so close.
She got on camera and told us all about her support of Kucinich and where the party was going to be, then headed into the restaurant to meet with Dennis.
Most of the day was spent going from Headquarters to Media Circus Tents to restaurants - everyone in the street had a Camera or sound equipment - at one point I laughed out loud at someone filming a filming of an interview.
We headed back to the Merrimack as there were many lights and signs bouncing everywhere - pandemonium - each group shouting out their favorite politicians name, very lively. We filmed a group of people who dressed in yellow Church robes and stood on the corner, accompanied by a organ and Reverend Billy - they were singing a soulfull tune (and wonderfully so) called STOP SHOPPING with their leader, a very talented guy.
As we crossed the street to enter the doorway of the Merrimack restaurant we noticed the BIG CNN Bus taking up all the parking spaces out front, parked at an angle - we had been there before making film shorts for fun, with me making remarks in front of the CNN Bus "This just in - CNN has found that Bush is able to find his ass with Both hands and a Flashlight..."
They has apparently been doing their show CROSSFIRE in the front window bay of the restaurant and were finishing up - I watched as Carville came out of the door and made a hard right, which put him headed for the side and back of the building, away from the crowd out front and the CNN Bus.
Soon after that, with the crowd swirling other CNN anchors started coming out - namely Robert Novak and Paul Begala and making the short trek to the Bus --
BUT - all of a sudden, a rather solid man was thrown up against me and I caught him and stopped him from falling on the ice and snow on the sidewalk - I looked past his shoulder and saw what looked like a garden troll gone insane. There were two VERY intense film lights on poles at both ends of the restaurant about 12 feet in the air and the image of Robert Novak scowling with his fist pulled back and *censored*ed was frightening - it felt like the day that Lee Harvey Oswald was shot - all the color washed out of the picture - the raw hatred in Novak's face - he was obviously not done with the man I had caught, that he had shoved a good 5 feet on ice (which could have broken this man's head open or a hip or a leg) and Novak was coming to give him more, ready to punch him. He'd gone crazy and the crowd was completely aghast - dead silence.
I'm pretty sure it was Paul Begala that grabbed Novak and forced him onto the CNN Bus while everyone was stunned. I looked into the face of the man I had caught and realised that I knew him. I was Brad Carr - A fan of ours - he'd come to every show we'd put on while here in the area.
I asked him, "What the hell is this all about?" and he admitted to me that he'd been inside during the show, and at breaks or whatever had called Novak a "traitor" - and that once Novak had moved past him to go to the bus Brad had said it again, more than once.
This was why Novak lost it and attacked him. One word. One word that I agree with. Novak published Plame's name and occupation in his column and despite any first amendment objections there are laws to protect the people of this land - for the same reason that you can't yell "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theatre - you also aren't allowed to "out" a CIA agent.
One reason alone is that some of their contacts (that can take years to build a relationship with) can literally be KILLED for having associated with the CIA - and Plame's specialty as I understand it was in Weapons of Mass Destruction - isn't that something that the Bush administration would be interested in finding?
Nope. Apparently it's more important to the Bush people to destroy anyone in their path, and their families - since Bush was caught lying they decided to throw our National Security out the window for some petty payback. One that involves Lives potentially being ended - certainly careers. Glad the "grownups" are in charge.
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