Gen. Jim Jones Awkward Joke On Air Force One

This is like watching “Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour”, only the stakes are so much higher.

The ever-present “open” microphone or camer phone or stray journalist SHOULD be obvious to anyone in public service today.

Once again these amateurs open America to ridicule.

“This is a BIG F***ing Deal”

To be clear, this was not an open microphone situation. This transcript comes from the end of an on-the-record briefing.

MS,

Thank you for the clarification which makes his comments or attempt at humor even WORSE.

I deeply respect the US Military…General Jones should have let this opportunity to make a joke pass.

JustMy02Cents

Jim Jones is an amateur?

Forgottenlord,

NO…I do not even know his qualifications but assume they are sufficient for his position.

His COMMENT ON THE RECORD is!

Here it is!
Conservative gloat time!
All you NeoCons, it’s time to celebrate!

You have Time reporting a Democratic gaff.

Come on and pile on!

It sounds fairly minor to me compared to Bush getting in the old car with Putin and Carter’s translator ended up saying that Carter was interested in Poland’s carnal lust.

When did Karzai learn that the President was coming? And the point is?

MS can you please answer as to why these little “distractions” lead you to a story or blog post. First it was the motor-cross to NCAA ball “crisis” and now a benign throwaway joke that had you riled up to write a story. Maybe it should have been the fact that Obama does not hold videoconferences with Karzai as much as Bush did, but no, it was a joke. I think that says more about you than it does Gen Jones.

Huh. That seems more like common sense than lack of trust.

I want to be outraged too!
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Can someone please explain to me what I am supposed to be put off about?

REPORTER: “And how is your Chevron stock doing, General?”

[laughter around the table]

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/the-gas-must-flow/

Oh, it was an amateurish mistake, but you didn’t say the joke was amateurish, you said: “Once again these amateurs open America to ridicule”
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These amateurs clearly refers to the qualifications of the people and the only person who committed a gaffe here is Gen Jones. Therefore, you are implying that Gen Jones is the amateur. Somehow, I think you actually did think it until I pointed out who you were referring to.

Michael, do you not think that Karzai not being informed until the last moment is a good idea for security of the POTUS? I am not saying that Karzai could not be trusted but he would have to let others know and if informed early much more chance for someone to get hold of the information that could endanger the POTUS.

FL,

Point well taken…

I do not think that there is any place for jokes (sensitive or otherwise) ON-THE-RECORD and that knowingly making this joke was amateurish on his part….

Leave the comedy to Leno, Letterman, and Colbert.

Once again a press controversy where there is none. Karzai was informed three days ahead of time. Therefore there is trust in Karzai. The joke had more to do with the fact that few others were informed, including the press lemmings we rely on to keep us equipped with relevant facts and not chasing our tails with non-stories. Very wise.

This wasn’t a gaffe, this is barely newsworthy, this is nothing. If anything, I hope Karzai reads “Swampland,” because he needs to know exactly how much the Obama Administration trusts him.

Amateur Hour? More like a perfect “put.”

As for you, Scherer, if this is your best “gotcha” moment, you got nothing. It is nice to know, tho, that Jones, whom I’ve never seen smile, has a sense of humor, albeit sort of gallows humor.

The Constant Weader at http://www.RealityChex.com

So Jones cracks wise, but then says I don’t know the answer to that, you’ll have to ask Eickenberry and it’s a scandal?

Sorry, I don’t get it. If only President McCain were available to explain it to me.

I agree. Maybe you had to be there to get the inflection and non-verbal cues, but the transcript loses a lot in the translation. I don’t see what is notable about Jones’s comment.

My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.

– President Ronald Reagan, August 11, 1984

patrick, the fainting couch! OMG! OMG! Where’s the fainting couch!?!1?1!

Awkward? Were there topless dancers simulating lesbian sex in the backgound when this was said?

I don’t understand the import of this.

This is Michael’s MO. Making something profound out of nothing, especially if it might be embarassing to the administration.

Sorry, fainting on the couch…
Oh GWB, Sara Palin and Dan Quayle were all such constant gaffs that it is hard to keep up.
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Besides, I had a verbal run in with Rusty where he is threatening me with the FBI and was ranting and raving. So, I had to think of one Democratic gaff for one Republican gaff. It was a self imposed Fairness Doctrine.
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This is a non-story.
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I thought that I would find the usual suspects of the NeoCons singing and dancing.
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I guess even the NeoCons consider this a non-story, too.

patrick: A few months ago rusty advocated exterminating the entire Japanese race so I wouldn’t worry too much about him contacting the FBI. It’s like a guy that calls the cops because some kids trashed his mailbox and he has a bomb factory in his basement.

It hasn’t been that long ago when some republicans were tweeting the locations of a supposedly secret trip over there. If we can’t trust our own officals to keep their mouths shut, why should we trust foreign officals that we have legitimate doubts about?

The Eternal Blogwhore strikes again!

IMO there’s a difference between a joke, which is stated intentionally but not to be taken seriously, and a gaffe expressed entirely by mistake. If you can’t accept the former and leave it alone your judgment needs a tune-up.

LOL

When I heard Prez visited Afghanistan without anyone’s knowledge, I had two thoughts pop up at the same time, some guy stealing the Army uniform and killing CIA officers and how and when Afghani secret service must have been informed about the surprise visit.

So good question whoever asked because I have been wondering about it.

And the answer was probably highlighting the surprise element than the mistrust.

@sacred: Pffffffttttt!!!1!1!
::wipes soda from computer screen::
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@patrick:
I missed your tete-a-tete the other day when it happened, but clicked back over the past week to see what I’d missed and ran across it.
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Nice.
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Your arguments, links, facts were spot-on. I believe you’ve taken over the “Speaker to Furniture” nom de guerre that afguy had a few weeks back.
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My only quibble was that you undertook this effort on a Thursday!
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The TIME.com crew tends to post a lot on Thursdays, and it’s hard enough to through all the good stuff (esp in airports) on Thursdays without having to scroll past RW brain farts.
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All that aside, you were “right on target!”
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Oh…wait…can I say that?!?