Staging a Hug for Political Purposes FAIL

Source: American Spectator

It turns out the woman at a White House-sponsored healthcare forum who pulled the heartstrings of the media by asking President Obama for help in treating her cancer was an Obama plant. (Philip Klein blogged about this earlier.)

Debby Smith is a volunteer for Organizing for America, which is a project of the Democratic National Committee. She was invited to the event not by an outside group but by the White House itself.

No wonder the president hugged her.

Nowadays all presidents host tightly choreographed public events aimed at promoting their policy preferences but this one is particularly Riefenstahl-esque in its execution.

Even veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas (see video) thought the taxpayer-funded dog-and-pony show was a bit much.

"I'm amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency," said Thomas, a hardcore liberal who called George W. Bush "the worst president in American history." Thomas accused the White House of "controlling the press" and said just about all Obama events are "prepackaged."