DU'S NETECTIVES HOCK A KALOOGIE ALL THE WAY TO THE NY TIMES!

[stickdog]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/30/national/30candidate.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The sleuths of cyberspace never sleep. Starting Tuesday afternoon and working through the night, a group of bloggers dissected a photo and a caption on the Web site of a Republican Congressional candidate in California, Howard Kaloogian, and declared it a fraud. Within hours, Mr. Kaloogian withdrew the picture, blamed an unnamed staff member for the blunder and apologized.

The whole kerfuffle would be of no moment, except that Mr. Kaloogian posted the photo to illustrate a peaceful and prosperous Baghdad that he claims the antiwar liberals who run the so-called mainstream news media never show. Mr. Kaloogian, a former state assemblyman, is one of 18 candidates running for the San Diego Congressional seat vacated when Representative Randy Cunningham, a Republican, resigned and later went off to prison after being convicted of taking $2.4 million in bribes.

The color photograph shows a bustling street corner with a variety of shops, billboards and fashionably dressed pedestrians. The caption reads, "Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But each day, the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it — in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism."

It turns out that the photo was taken in a suburb of Istanbul last summer by a member of a group Mr. Kaloogian led to the Middle East in support of President Bush. Mr. Kaloogian said photos taken by the party had been mixed up.

[EFerrari]

1. Good going, DU.

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

2. Outstanding! Here's an unofficial ***LIST OF DU THREADS*** on this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x776401
thread title (3-28-06 GD): Fake photo of Baghdad used to bolster GOP's claims?
Howard Kaloogian (R) has posted a photograph on his campaign website which he claims to have recently taken in downtown Baghdad, to show how "calm" and "stable" the city was during his visit. But the photo is actually from Istambul, TURKEY!!! Long thread with additional finds all confirming Istambul ID. Now up at Huffington Post and other blogs too.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x785305
thread title (3-29-06 GD): Oops...Kaloogian Blames Iraq Photo Error on Staffer
Says there were “hundreds and hundreds” of photos taken on his Iraq trip, and they had a layover in Istambul. His campaign site says “Baghdad is calm and secure. I know. I’ve been there.” So egregious!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2194954
thread title (3-29-06 LBN): Baghdad, Turkey Baghdad photo scandal
See Reply #17 – It’s not the first time Kaloogian “got lost” like this. What a lying slime. Good composite photo showing obviously NOT in Iraq but Turkey.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x784983
thread title (3-29-06 GD): More photos of things going great in Baghdad
Hilarious! Photos from all over the world – favorite: the “banana burka” from Rio

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x786665
thread title (3-29-06 GD): Kaloogian Slams Press Coverage of Iraq With Bogus Photo (Its made the MSM)
Cites 3/29 Editor & Publisher article on the whole debacle.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x789542
thread title (3-29-06 GD): NEWSWEEK - Baghdad/Istanbul - Blogosphere Nails Kaloogian

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x785264
thread title (3-29-06 GD): Re FAKE PHOTO: It's not just Howard Kaloogian, it's BIG right-wing players
” It's Move America Forward, and it's Russo Marsh & Rogers, the Sacramento-based political public relations firm with major right-wing ties. Move America Forward is an astroturf political action group that RM&R uses to woo big-money financiers of right wing candidates and causes. While it feels good to nail Howard Kaloogian, that phony "downtown Baghdad" photo used on his Web site has a stream that runs right to the heart the right wing ….”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x787933
thread title (3-29-06 GD): UK Guardian now linking to DU thread on the Kalgoolian photo
Excerpt from the Guardian UK: “The Backbencher has been enjoying the spat over a picture, allegedly of Baghdad, that wannabe Republican congressman Howard Kaloogian posted on his website. It purported (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x776401) to show a peaceful street in Baghdad. "Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be," Howard wrote. "But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it". Inevitable, then, that left-liberal blogs would point out that this picture actually shows a street in Turkey. The tight female clothing and non-Arabic signs did give it away.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x790319
thread title (3-29-06 GD): Kaloogian: "It’s one itty-bitty picture"
From msnbc site (Newsweek): “Kaloogian is no stranger to controversy. He was one of the architects of the successful recall drive against former California governor Gray Davis. But he seemed annoyed at the sudden onslaught of attention. ‘Journalists weren’t interested in our trip for nine months afterwards, and now they’re trying to find one picayunish mistake,’ he complained to NEWSWEEK. ‘It’s one itty-bitty picture. The Associated Press gave us a Mark Twain Award for a broadcast we did from Iraq, and nothing was written about that at all.’ (Kaloogian is not named on the Web site of the Associated Press Television and Radio Association of California-Nevada as a Mark Twain Award winner, although several radio talk-show hosts who accompanied Kaloogian on the Iraq trip are named. ‘We invited these talk-show hosts to go with us, it was our trip, but they were on it,’ Kaloogian told NEWSWEEK.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x785309
thread title (3-29-06 GD): I suggest a new usage: Hock a Kaloogian

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x785904
thread title (3-29-06 GD): DKos: Kaloogian Fake Baghdad Photo ID'ed
”This photo was taken by a photographer named Faruk, a member of the wowturkey.com community, and posted there.” So Kaloogian didn’t even use an ORIGINAL photo from Istambul!!!
Full SCREEN SHOT of Kaloogian’s campaign page with the bogus photo and its caption in Reply #8.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2542205
thread title (3-29-06 GD-P): Francine Busby is now at 45% - Survey USA
SurveyUSA current standings – Kaloogian in second place among GOPs with 12%, Busby with 45% (only Dem).

[JHB]

5. You missed one

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=784626&mesg_id=784626
One thing to Hammer about Kaloogian's "Baghdad" Photo-Lies...

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. Keith Olbermann covered it on MSNBC too - VIDEO LINK:

http://www.canofun.com/cof/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=18125&mid=104931#M104931

He had Kaloogian as #3 runnerup for Worst Person in the WOrld. Did a good job describing Kaloogian's extremely stupid lie. Unfortunately, he had Cynthia McKinney as Worst Person #2. (Guess he has to bow to his Bushie bosses sometimes.) Rush Limbaugh was #1.

[mom cat]

4. I wish I had seen Cynthia McKinney deck the guard!

How can they talk about pressing charges on her? The guard should be fired for racial profiling!

[Canuckistanian]

6. It's on tape somewhere

You KNOW there are a thousand cameras in any airport....

[stop the bleeding]

7. Awesome!!!!!

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

[stop the bleeding]

8. here's a quote

Martin Kaplan, a professor of popular culture at the University of Southern California, said he watched it with delight.

"It demonstrates that there's a reserve army of unpaid researchers ready to mobilize at a moment's notice," Professor Kaplan said. "I call this one C.S.I. Baghdad."

[Hekate]

18. "Watched with delight"! I love it!

:rofl:

Hekate

[stop the bleeding]

9. .

Kick

[Wilms]

10. K&R n/t

[gatorboy]

11. I can't imagine how many people have checked out the DU threads.

I posted several pics through my photobucket account on the first thread and had to take them down because my bandwith was sucked out of my account. And that didn't even happen even when I posted the my Sheehan strips.
When I checked into just many people had checked out images in my account, the number was over 30,000 for the month!

Congrats DU!

[katinmn]

16. 30,000 hits! Fantastic. BTW. Gatorboy....

Did I ever send you the video clip of your Cindy and the tank toon on our local TV station?

If not I think I might still have it saved.

[Gregorian]

12. OK, I'm officially inspired and feeling optimism.

And, I now am officially taking off my tin foil hat and putting on my hard hat. We exist. We made them notice. Thank you for being so vigilant. I complain, and feel that there is nothing we can do. Now I see that's not the whole truth. :)

PS. My last name is Kuljian. I'm offended that an Armenian would be so crude. After what we went through, they should think very hard before joining the ranks of the Republican party, and playing immoral games.

[DinahMoeHum]

13. You and me both, friend.

But then again, how different is that "eshek" from George Dukmejian, the former California governor? Remember HIM ??

:hug:

[Gregorian]

15. That's right.

What does eshek mean? I only know inchbeses and shadloff. My dad speaks fluent Turkish. Even he doesn't know Armenian. And Dukemejian has faded from my mind. I think I was rolling joints when he was in office.

DinahMoeHum. Great name. Now I'm hearing the lyrics- Going to el monte legion stadium. With that great sound.

[happydreams]

14. I am ROTFLMAO. This is exactly what the Web is good

for. Nailing the bastards before they can get their spin/lies going. :bounce: :rofl:

[Scout1071]

17. NETECTIVES! Brilliant!

Best term for it yet.