Remember George Bush's Mission Accomplished speech from May 2003 on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln? The one in which he announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq. I wrote about it in Hippo Eats Dwarf as an example of Political Theater, or a "Potemkin Photo Op": a stage-managed event, created solely for media consumption, that offers a misleading picture of reality.
Now it has also become an example of historical revisionism. If you check out the video of the event on the White House's website, you'll notice something strange. The Mission Accomplished banner has vanished from it. Apparently the White House has now embraced the historical policy of the Soviet government, as seen in The Commissar Vanishes. If something or someone becomes politically awkward, simply vanish it. (via BrainShrub.com)
UPDATE: Well, it looks like we got hoaxed. The black strip along the bottom of the screen appears to be a 'scrolling news' banner, as used by TV news sources, and if you compare the angle of the videos, the 'hoax' one is shot from a different angle - one too low to show the mission accomplished banner. This is not a case of historical revisionism.
- Flora
hmmm at first glance it seems convincing but notice as the video frame is moved away that the backgrounds are totally different in the two images which suggests different camera locations and angles. I posit that maybe they just chose to put up a video shot from a different angle as apposed to doctoring a video. Examing the video presented and many pictures of the event it doesn't seem that even without the black bar at the bottom in this shot the banner would be visible. Granted it still doesn't explain the black bar.
Posted by cmanlong on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 10:22 AM
The black bar could be for distribution to news sources that use news scrolls and/or insert commentary at the bottom of their videos.
Posted by Kevin on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Is it possible that it was shot in high def, and therefore has a different aspect ratio? The standard media viewers seem to like the old TV aspect, but if it were originally widescreen then the black border could be simply compensation.
Posted by Max on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 02:22 PM
This is one of those times where the hoax is a hoax. If you look at photos taken at the same time as the video you'll see that the "Mission Accomplished" banner was hung too far above the area that would have been would be seen if the camera had been tilted up the same distance as the black bar. Although the webmaster didn't do a good job explaining why the video is mistaken, you can take a look the pictures at http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/07/did-the-white-house-doctor-the-video-of-bushs-mission-accomplished-speech/
Posted by JustNoticedThis on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:47 PM
I think this deserves correction on the main page.
Posted by King Mob on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 09:51 PM
All the videos have a black bar at the bottom. No matter what your politics are, this definitely isn't a blatant attempt at historical revisionism. Worthy of a status update or at least further review.
Just my two cents; 'tis your site though.
Posted by Chris Carlisle on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 11:39 AM
yeah, if you look real close, his head goes back and to the left, but if you look really real close, you can see Micheal's hair on fire, and it's also easy to see the zipper on Roger's costume. So, it just goes to prove to me. Clear it up any?
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 07:22 PM
years ago, they had a kid's tv show called "Winky Dink", where the object of the show was to draw on a plastic screen held over the tv set, and create an object (in the outlined template) that Winky Dink, the hero, could use to get out of danger, etc. I was only nine, so I used to draw in phalluses and the like when Winky merely needed rockets. Personally, I'd like to see someone hack the http://www.whitehouse.gov archives and change all the old Bush military photo-op footage they use for propaganda. I would replace all the tanks and missles with large male sexual organs. Our president would be left standing there in front of a bunch of camo trouser trout, shaking hands with a glans, posing with some hoses. And then there's Cheney, Dick Cheney (no substitution needed)
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 07:37 PM
I actually indulged in some video-reality revision myself today, a couple or three times. As GWB was whining in his press conference and throwing Rumsfeld under the bus, I actually got up and made moose antlers on his head with my hands, gave him pretzel glasses, a pencil mustache, and literally shoved my fat butt up to the tv screen so his smirking, jeering kisser could smooch my Liberal American Ass. Wait till Darth Cheney gives his speech. That's why Elvis had lotsa tv's
Posted by Hairy Houdini on Wed Nov 08, 2006 at 07:45 PM
The Washington Post is in on the conspiracy as well, since the version of the video they have also is missing the banner..... [rolls eyes]
Posted by coit on Thu Nov 09, 2006 at 06:35 AM
Ironic that Alex got hoaxed by a hoax. Well, more of a flat out lie than a hoax.
It should be obvious to anyone not blinded by their own political bias that the video and photo are taken from different angles.
Posted by Jake on Fri Nov 10, 2006 at 12:15 AM
The same kind of thing is being done with tobacco. So far, they've airbrushed - or rather, photoshopped - cigs from the mouths of Robert Johnson, and Jackson Pollack. I've also heard it's being done to movies. Soon, Rick's Cafe Americain in Casablanca will be "smoke-free".
Posted by sudont on Fri Nov 10, 2006 at 10:41 AM
I have noticed this strange thing, also. My Chariot of Fire had been moved yesterday, but I don't remember driving her. Perhaps these Karl Rove people have come in the night and pimped her out with the microphones and cameras, and are watching me now. That would mean... they saw my lambada of love last night. I am too glad that I had waxed Raoul's Rapier with Uncle Wiggly's Auto Polish, so the cameras got the shine. And, I'm glad the car was shiny, too. Ha ha ha that is a joke. I am sorry, but I spilled my maypo. That is another joke, but you can't know it because you don't have my shoes, right? I'm just kidding. Don't get mad at Raoul, okay? Rrrraoul
Posted by Raoul on Fri Nov 10, 2006 at 07:52 PM
No worries, Raoul... your car is just part of the annual winter migration. That's how all those "car farms" happen, you know.
Posted by Winona on Fri Nov 10, 2006 at 09:46 PM
Do you think Alex reads these messages, that he'll change this to debunked or that anyone has emailed him?
Posted by HoaxWatcher on Sat Nov 11, 2006 at 06:31 PM
Alex is part of the conspiracy!
Posted by Orwell on Sat Nov 11, 2006 at 06:56 PM
Alex's political bias is showing....
Posted by coit on Sun Nov 12, 2006 at 07:40 AM
Yes, but--this is the video that's on the White House web site...
Posted by Boo Boo on Tue Nov 28, 2006 at 09:31 PM
this site is a dissapointment. it perpetuates hoaxes rather than debunking them. i'm not at all surprised either. this website is generally incomplete in its proposed mission, but when it comes to political matters, it is happy tyo ignore frauds from the left, liberal, progressive sides of things while stretching with eager credulousness, as demonstrated above, to portray the right as perpetrating frauds. there is no entry debunking jesse macbeth, or jimmy massey, or the phoney draft scare drummed up by charlie rangel, or the dartmouth student who claimed to have beed stalked by men in black for requesting mao's little red book from the library, or the nonsense about "depleted uranium" causing childhood luchemia... the list of malliciously formulated, widely propagated lies, hoaxes and attack myths devised by pprogressives against their "enemies" which this site has concienciously ignored is nearly infinate. shame on you.
Posted by truthteller on Wed Jun 27, 2007 at 12:58 PM
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Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkRHki5P6fc
All the videos have a black bar at the bottom. No matter what your politics are, this definitely isn't a blatant attempt at historical revisionism. Worthy of a status update or at least further review.
Just my two cents; 'tis your site though.
It should be obvious to anyone not blinded by their own political bias that the video and photo are taken from different angles.