[mrbowler]

Interesting follow up/on article about Planted Questions etc. I loved edwards answer


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...n3496586.shtml

According to Dan Schnur, however, such tactics are typical for campaigns -- and not just Clinton's. Schnur was John McCain's communications director in the 2000 campaign and now teaches at University of California, Berkeley and The University of Southern California.

"I don't think in either party I've ever seen a campaign that holds question and answer events that doesn't arrange for some questions," says Schnur. "That's not to say every question is prepared. That's not to say the candidate knows every question coming. But it's pretty standard practice."
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Mr. Bush and his staff have been criticized for pre-screening audience members in an effort to make sure questions come from supporters, particularly when he was traveling the country in support of his Social Security plan in 2005. On Saturday, Edwards compared Clinton's tactics to Bush's.

"That's what George does: George Bush goes to events that are staged, where people are screened," said Edwards, according to Politico. "That's not the way democracy works in Iowa."

Obama also weighed in, saying pre-screening questioners is "not a practice that we've ever engaged in and it's not a practice that we ever plan to engage in."

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney also said his campaign does not screen questions.

"Frankly, in a town hall setting like this, and every setting I'm in, we take all the questions, and we don't know who the questioners are," said Romney. "Sometimes there are planted questions that come from other campaigns or people that have a particular interest. But you know what? You take them all, and you respond honestly to the questions you get. That's part of the process."