Homeland Security Disowns Politically Motivated 90-Day Strategy

[Nbadan]

Homeland Security disowns PR plan
'90-day Strategy' sought to play up success on border

By SCOTT HIGHAM and ROBERT O'HARROW JR.
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - A Bush political appointee in the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection bureau drafted and distributed a public relations strategy designed to "change perception" about the nation's security by repeating the message, in the weeks leading up to the presidential election, that America is safer.

The "90-day Strategy" lays out a detailed media plan to "push information out," "maximize" the media and "brand" the border protection agency as a model of counterterrorism operations.

"Reassure the citizens of the United States," says the strategy, which was presented five weeks ago to public affairs officials for Customs and Border Protection regional offices around the country.

"Repeat the message. Repeat until we are completely exhausted by it."

This week, the chief public affairs officer for the border protection agency disavowed the 90-day strategy do ent and said it was never approved by senior officials.

more:Chronicle

More on this breaking story from the Washington Post:

snip~

James M. Loy, deputy secretary of homeland security, dismissed the do ent as an unfinished draft and a "piece likely produced by well-meaning, enterprising public affairs folks." A copy of the three-page strategy obtained by The Washington Post is not labeled as a draft.

Loy and Murphy said they were unaware of any details about the do ent. They said they did not know that it existed or had been distributed to field officers until reporters contacted them this week.

The two officials said that politics played no role in writing the do ent, and that senior homeland security and White House officials knew nothing about it. Other do ents from the same public affairs office take note of the campaign season by listing the dates of the presidential debates alongside radio interviews and media appearances by high-ranking Homeland Security officials.

Murphy said the debates were listed for planning purposes.

"If there's an announcement that you need to communicate and the public needs to know about, you need to know when the debates are," he said. "If you're going to make an announcement, you're not going to make it on that day."

Washington Post

Honestly - you will feel better after...America is safer, Shrub is the best president ever, Afghanistan and Iraq have been "liberated"...

This administration might as well be peddling crack to children...

[Marcus Bryant]

So what was the proper response to 9/11, O wise one?

[Nbadan]

This has nothing to do with 911.

[Marcus Bryant]

Re-read you own post doofus:

Afghanistan and Iraq have been "liberated"...