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Press Meet Cold Reception in China
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ShareAugust 07, 2008 5:25 PM
ABC's Stephanie Smith reports: Forty journalists covering President Bush's trip to Asia received a most unwelcome reception as their chartered Northwest plane arrived at the Beiing airport at 2:11am local time early Friday morning.
As the plane taxied to its gate, just hours before the start of the 2008 Summer Olymipcs, the journalists scurried to collect their belongings, an announcement was made by the White House administrators that there would be a delay in exiting the plane.
Delays are a common occurrence on overseas White House press flights, but this one was particularly unusual due to the length of the delay: just shy of three hours. The chartered press plane was arriving in Beijing about five hours after the President Bush's own plane.
The journalists and 13 Northwest flightcrewmembers watched as about ten Chinese and U.S. Officials could be seen through the 747's windows in heavy conversation inside the terminal.
Thirty minutes into the standoff a Northwest flight crewmember announced that the bar would be open. Later, snacks were brought out and passed around. Not a good sign, the journalists knew.
Weary and frustrated, journalists watched and waited, as one hour passed, then two with no resolution in sight.
"We're getting screwed," comlpained CBS veteran White House reporter Mark Knoller, two hours into the detention as he munched on a wedge of grapefruit.
Perhaps the delay has something to do with the president's critical speech on China's human rights record given earlier today in Bangkok, Thailand, several journalists wondered?
"I think so," speculated Knoller, "but I have no way to prove it."
As the flight crew begain to roll in-house movies to the unhappy travelers, Senior Production Manager of the U.S. TV Pool, Steve Schrock put on his headset and began watching the classic thriller "Silence of the Lambs."
"I'm just trying to make the best of a bad situation," he said. "It's a good movie. It won an Oscar."
Two and a half hours into the crisis, customs officials began handing out passports and customs forms.
"We're working through logistical issues," wryly noted Gordon Johndroe, the White House National Security spokesperson, also on the plane.
Speculation abounded. The concensus was, the Chinese government went back on a previous agreement to allow the journalists in without a delay. For some reason, Chinese security decided to insist all luggage and camera equipment be screened, which caused the long delay.
As disoriented passengers made their way down the ramp to the empty terminal, a welcoming committee of smiling Chinese lined the corridors--some dressed in blue and white shirts with "Beijing 2008" emblazoned on the back.
A quick detour through passport control, where an electronic board asked for a push-evaluation of service -- one of four choices being "service took too long." Not a smart option. This journalist pushed "excellent service."
Three and a half hours after Northwest Airlines flight 9989 landed, the press exited the airport, heading to buses that would drive 45 minutes to the hotel. Dawn was breaking. The sky was hazy and the air was as thick as pea soup.
"Quite the welcome," said ABC's Correspondent David Kerley. Ditto that.
August 7, 2008 in White House | Permalink | User Comments (8 )
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Every body loves the prices they pay for items made in China and sold in Walmart. Liberals try to play stupid and complain about equal rights for them but everything they own and are wearing is made in China because they demanded the lowest price.
Democrats hate Walmart why? Because they do have the lowest prices. Where are you scag liberals going to shop then if you drive them out of the country like you did the Auto makers
Posted by: slam dunk | Aug 7, 2008 5:36:08 PM
Slam dunk: Have you tried to find anything that has the US seal on it?? My sister went down this road and had to give up. It was impossible to find clothing that is made in the United States.
Posted by: beck | Aug 7, 2008 5:48:13 PM
I own a computer but am to dumb to look online for SUB PAR items made in America by the Unions that rip off workers and then give Union Donations to Obama.
Posted by: beck. | Aug 7, 2008 5:53:23 PM
Are Americans and their Unions why companies moved to Mexico and China in the first place. If it were not for NAFTA all the companies would of already left America. But Liberals are so stupid they think it was NAFTA why companies are leaving America. Instead NAFTA actually force companies to stay in America or new foreign Companies in America.
BUT I VOTED FOR OBAMA because my brain is FRIED
Posted by: beck. | Aug 7, 2008 5:56:33 PM
Let's see... Al Gore has already stated that the media should not cover opinions that conflict with his global warming scam, and for the most part the media has acquiessed. Obama says his prior relationships with his hate-America pastor, Pentagon-bombing terrorists and his wife's hate-America comments are off limits and the media also grants his wishes. Why are media types complaining about China since they follow someone (Obama, of course) who shares the same ideology?
Posted by: Joaquin B. | Aug 7, 2008 6:00:38 PM
LOL! Conservatives always put down unions and liberals, but they enjoy taking advantage of paid vacations, sick leave and employer provided healthcare which NOBODY would have were it not for liberals and unions! Do you think the corporate big-shots who donate to Bush and McCain really care if your family can go to a doctor, or if you have quality time to enjoy with your family and maybe them on a vacation? In a word, no, they don't! So before you trash the unions and liberals again, think what life was like in the workplace before the days of workers' rights...because that's what you're really fighting to return us to, you fools!
Posted by: Darth_Romeny | Aug 7, 2008 6:25:23 PM
China has it right - slave labor and no benefits and anybody who complains get shot. That's what America needs to get back to. We don't need all these middle class liberal whiners - just the GOP party bosses and the rich corporate elite, and a slave labor class of disposable peons and cannon fodder, just like China. The ideals of our founding fathers were a nice experiment, but Democracy is over. It's time to return to the real world and forget this historical aberration of freedom, human rights and all that crap.
Posted by: toy made | Aug 7, 2008 7:03:45 PM
Hmmm .. it's beyond me what Liberals or WalMart have to do with this story. This was purely childish behavior on the part of the Chinese.
Just for the record ... this Liberal refuses to shop at WalMart. Most of us don't. It's the Conservative who shop there. They don't care about human rights.
Posted by: SFRussell | Aug 7, 2008 7:46:47 PM
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