Oregon Veterans who met with President Obama at a Portland diner on Tuesday were advised by Obama aides not to come on my talk show. No whine, just fact educated guess. These Vietnam era Vets who put on their country’s uniform to stand up for its values, such as free speech, were Di-Fi’d. Bookered. Slo-Joed.

Two of the retired Vets producer Eric the Great scheduled to come on the show, were thrilled about talking about their meeting with the President, as were we, but as we got close to their scheduled interviews they got “all booked up.”

That’s what both of them said: “All booked up.” Both had the same excuses, even using the same turns of phrase, as if…as if… they’d been coached!  By the same person!

Offers to talk to them at a different time during the show were rebuffed with, wait for it, “I’m all booked up.” Retired veterans certainly have a lot of stuff to do. However, as a lovely parting gift, one of them helpfully, though apologetically, suggested that we would be getting a call from the Obama campaign to explain. Considering Eric never brought up the campaign in any of his conversations with this man, it was odd that he offered to have them call. We never heard from the campaign. Thank goodness I didn’t bet the rent money!

As I pointed out here and here the Vets were plants by the campaign. As we find out from the Zero here they, in fact, were driven to the event by the Obama campaign. That’s not illegal, it’s just pathetic that the President had to bring his own Veteran props to look  like the Commander in Chief, which, come to think of it, he made sure he said out loud to the retired vets. Here’s the pool report:

At one point one of the participants referred to a rumor that the President assured him was false, but pool had no idea what the rumor was. “So we can clear that one up right away. You’re hearing that from your Commander in Chief,” the President said.” [emph added]

He planted Veterans who asked planted questions (do you doubt it?) and made sure he said loudly enough for the pool reporter to hear (though he supposedly couldn’t hear what the question was):

You’re hearing that from your Commander in Chief.

I’m sure people positively swooned. We have it on good authority, however, that no one fainted.

Their bios offered by Obama staff to reporters (here) said only one had campaign connections, but it’s been reported that all of them did. Maybe that’s why they were “all booked up;” they had campaign stuff to do or …something.

Look, I’m not naive, for goodness’ sake, you can’t have the President comingling

 with just anybody

someone could ask him an impertinent question

or hurt him or something.

As I said in my post yesterday, the President was attempting to show a little Vet street cred on the same day Mitt Romney gave a tight, competent and very Presidential policy speech to the meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Optics count. So do epic fails.