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McCain Green Screen -- By Design or Accident?

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September 05, 2008 9:37 AM

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reports: When John McCain began his acceptance speech last night, the staging was decidedly less grand than the sweeping stadium vista that the Obama campaign constructed at Invesco Field in Denver last week. And purposefully so. It was more intimate, with the candidate standing closer to his supporters, with a giant screen behind him.

A giant green screen. Or so it appeared to TV viewers for the first several minutes of the speech.

McCain has had trouble with green screens before, when Internet mischief-makers used a green backdrop at one of his worst-received speeches of the year in June to superimpose other images behind him -– making for some popular YouTube spoof videos.

So, had the McCain campaign set designers really picked an image for the screen that highlighted the same unfortunate shade of green?

On close-up, the viewer only saw green, but on a wider shot, and to those in the convention center itself, the green was part of a lawn in front of a distinguished white building. What building?

A little Googling reveals that the photo appears to be the exterior of Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, Calif. Was this a school McCain attended or is otherwise significant to the campaign? Symbolic of his message, perhaps? The campaign isn't saying. But there is speculation on the Web, asking, could it simply have been an error and Walter Reed Medical Center was the intended image?

No comment at this writing from the McCain campaign.

September 5, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (208)

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She's tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption,"
Energy independence: Palin wants to drill drill drill. Oil is jesus juice in the ground to make our SUVs go, and it's our job to get it out.
Corruption: After trying to tackle corruption for years, Sarah Palin finally feels like she's got a handle on how to be really good at it. Fire anybody who disagrees with you, and once you have the federal money you never give it back.

Posted by: killthewolves | Sep 5, 2008 9:48:52 AM

and they are saying Palin is going to do a few softball interviews "maybe"

but for the most part none ion the near future...

here we go again...a governemnt in secrecy who covers up when they make mistakes...

calls the press unpatriotic and sexist...

points to a woman who reads other people's words with no answers and "factual misstatements".. with the right intonation as showing that mccain did not just make the worst decision for the country's security, economics and stability and progress...

by a presidential candidate in our nations' history...so now they are going to do like the continuation of the last 8 years ... and take the hiring of the most illequipped and lacking of any knowledge of ANY of the major issues we are facing ...VP Choice our nation has ever seen...

shut the press down and cover it up.

Posted by: dl | Sep 5, 2008 9:54:07 AM

I also noticed an image in his bio video exploiting the NYFD on 9/11.

McShame, McSame.

Posted by: Deep Release | Sep 5, 2008 9:55:30 AM

Great McCain, the Republican against 8 years of Republican control of Government, doesn't even know how to pic a photo of Walter Reed HOSPITAL. That tells you all you need to know about republican incompetence.

Posted by: Greg | Sep 5, 2008 9:56:47 AM

Photos of the Walter Reed school can be seen at http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/213806.php

Posted by: AM | Sep 5, 2008 9:58:48 AM

John McCain looked like a mound of cottage cheese on a bed of green jello.

Posted by: Trish | Sep 5, 2008 9:59:17 AM


Generally he is not a great speaker. We know this. But yesterday was OK for me and good at least for viewers. But his VP really hurting him. It was really overshadow by her. All people talk about her. Seems he is going to be forgotten. Anyways it is a good work. I gave over all A for McCain A++ for Obama.


I will make my mind up soon after I know who Sarah is .

Posted by: Nan | Sep 5, 2008 10:02:23 AM

Mistake or Not it was horrible.

Posted by: Vanessa | Sep 5, 2008 10:03:17 AM

Thought Cindy had been shopping again.

Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Sep 5, 2008 10:07:01 AM

Am I alone on this one? Is this one of the worst Presidential campaigns in recent history?
They want us to forget that they ran on experience for months, then throw a newbie a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
They want us to forget that they tried to paint Obama as too liberal, and then act like they are bipartisan.
They want us to forget that he voted with Bush 90% of the time, and then not mention Bush like we don't know that he is President.
They want us to forget that Bush flew over New Orleans a few years ago to go celebrate a birthday with McCain as hundreds died and they could not get water into the Superdome.
They want us to forget that he looked ridiculous and robotic in front of the Green Screen a few months ago.

Maybe they don't want us to forget, but they just can't remember themselves.

Posted by: MikeNJ | Sep 5, 2008 10:11:11 AM

Do we elect a VP to run a job of US President at day one? Apparently, Americans will pick Biden over Palin if this becomes truth.
Palin will have a job training for President as the role of VP if McCain wins the election while Obama will have to lead the country in January next year if he is elected.
Wakeup Americans and media. Let focus on the top of ticket.

Posted by: stock_craft | Sep 5, 2008 10:20:22 AM

"Am I alone on this one"?

No MikeNJ, you aren't alone on this. I live in a red state (Texas) and I'm seeing a big change going on here. When the GOP start running ads in a supposedly solid red state like Texas, they have big problems.

Posted by: Trish | Sep 5, 2008 10:22:03 AM

Despite Obama's claims of deep concern for Galesburg's proletarian victims, however, Maytag union members told Secter that Obama had done remarkably little to save the Galesburg workers' jobs. Those workers belonged to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, whose president noted that "Obama's support for Maytag workers was more show than substance."

Posted by: Samantha | Sep 5, 2008 10:22:42 AM

This will absolutely blow your mind. One more reason why you never hear the details of Obama's "community organizing" activities in the mainstream media. People, we are being duped on an unimaginable level.

Michelle's Boot Camps For Radicals

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=305420655186700

Posted by: Jim in OH | Sep 5, 2008 10:29:00 AM

I believe the first picture when he came on stage was one of his 7 houses.

Posted by: Enviro | Sep 5, 2008 10:29:02 AM

I believe the first picture when he came on stage was one of his 7 houses.

Posted by: Enviro | Sep 5, 2008 10:29:02 AM

Ever notice that Republicans ALWAYS have a waving American flag behind them?

Carl Rove knows you can take dogsh&%, wrap it in a flag, and many American lemmings will salute it no matter how much it stinks.

Which "old boy" network are the Republicans going to change? THEY ARE THE OLD BOY NETWORK. The "media" and the "liberals" didn't cause the mess we're in now - THEY DID! And McCain and Palin are more GOP clones.

McCain helped the GOP CAUSE the problems in Washington! Republicans want to pretend the last 8 years never happened. McCain even said he supported George Bush on all the major issues. Now he wants to retract that statement and pretend it isn't true? His policies are a replica of the Bush administration's and they want us to believe that's "change"?

Palin's pork barrel politics (like her bridge to nowhere that she SUPPORTED and then just kept the money when it became unpopular), her hiring of lobbyists (for a town of only 9000) to get MILLIONS in federal pork, her misuse of publc power for personal vendettas, her RAISING of taxes (she DID NOT lower them, she RAISED them!), and her spending that left her little town MILLIONS in debt when she left as mayor prove she is just MORE OF THE SAME! We've had 8 years of this kind of politics.

The GOP spin doctors are trying to put out preemptive strikes against the media. All week they've been trying to send the message that if we question anything McCain's VP choice has done in her lack-luster career, we are sexist.

McCain did NOT want Palin. He wanted Liberman. Then he was told he couldn't have Liberman as a VP. WHO IS ACTUALLY RUNNING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? It's obviously NOT "Maverick" John McCain. Doesn't he stand up for his own beliefs over those of his party? It's simply more BS.

So WHO WOULD RUN OUR COUNTRY IF McCAIN WERE ELECTED?

NO MORE CLOSED DOOR SECRET GOVERNMENT OPERATING WITH IMPUNITY!

Posted by: Not Again! | Sep 5, 2008 10:29:58 AM

Hillary releases a statement at the close of McCain's speech:

“The two party conventions showcased vastly different directions for our country. Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden offered the new ideas and positive change America needs and deserves after eight years of failed Republican leadership. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin did not.

“After listening to all of the speeches this week, I heard nothing that suggests the Republicans are ready to fix the economy for middle-class families, provide quality affordable health care for all Americans, guarantee equal pay for equal work for women, restore our nation's leadership in a complex world or tackle the myriad of challenges our country faces.

“So, to slightly amend my comments from Denver: NO WAY, NO HOW, NO McCAIN-PALIN.”

Posted by: Bhrandon | Sep 5, 2008 10:30:52 AM

A good match for Palin and Obama, they both have no experience and same in age. They should run the show together as “Beauty and the Beast”. May be it will rock our local theaters.

Posted by: stock_craft | Sep 5, 2008 10:30:58 AM

This sums up the RNC Convention better than any of the words spoken there.

Four more years of stupidity and incompetence!

Posted by: Bill B. | Sep 5, 2008 10:36:48 AM

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