| | In heated exchange, Obama aide declares self Fox's 'fact checker'
 After she gave Barack Obama a bracelet memorializing her son's sacrifice in Iraq, Tracy Jopek asked the Democratic presidential candidate not to use the memento as a political prop. When Obama mentioned the bracelet during last week's debate, though, Jopek said it was appropriate, and she grew dismayed at conservative critics' who turned his mention into "garbage on the Internet."
Perhaps taking their cues from the right-wing blogs who grew so incensed over the weekend, the crew at Fox & Friends attempted to take the trash from online to cable television Monday morning. Their questions about what someone has no doubt already dubbed BraceletGate provoked a heated exchange with Obama communications director Robert Gibbs, who accused the morning anchors of "making stuff up" and dubbed himself the conservative network's "fact checker."
Discussion of the bracelet non-issue monopolized most of Gibb's five-minute F & F appearance Monday morning and ended with Brian Kilmeade angrily shouting at the Obama aide before the show awkwardly went to a commercial break.
Quick backstory: Jopek's 20-year-old son died in Iraq in 2006; she gave Obama a bracelet with the inscription "All gave some -- He gave all" at a Green Bay campaign rally in February; after meeting the candidate, Jopek e-mailed the campaign asking Obama not to mention the bracelet during debates or speeches, fearing her son would become a political anti-war symbol. Meanwhile, Jopek's ex-husband, who's currently stationed at Guantanamo, criticized Obama for wearing the bracelet during a radio interview in March.
Obama apparently continued to wear the bracelet, per Jopek's request, but did not mention it until Friday, when he responded to Republican candidate John McCain telling his own story of meeting the mother of a dead Iraq veteran. That mention sent hoards of conservative bloggers into overdrive, unearthing the interview with Jopek's ex-husband and accusing Obama of all manner of inappropriate behavior.
The Associated Press tracked Jopek down on Sunday to get her own view on what was becoming a developing story. She said his mention was "an appropriate response" to McCain.
"I don't understand how people can take that and turn it into some garbage on the Internet," she told the wire service.
Presumably having seen that article Monday morning, the Fox News crew is nonetheless unwilling to let the story die.
Steve Doocy said, "We're hearing more about the story behind that particular bracelet. And apparently, the mother -- Tracy Jopek -- asked your campaign that he not wear it anymore at public appearances."
For Fox, apparently, more actually means less, and Gibbs pounced on the co-anchor.
"That's not true," he said. "That's not true -- no, no, no, no!"
Gibbs mentioned the AP report and told Doocy to "get your facts straight first."
"That's why you're here," Doocy jibed.
"Yeah, I know, I'm a fact checker on Fox News," Gibbs replied.
The conversation continued, with Kilmeade breaking in to bring up the ex-husband's objections to Obama wearing the bracelet, to which Gibbs said the campaign wasn't trying to mediate the couple's divorce.
"And again, if you guys are going to ask questions about this, let's get the facts right ... before we start making stuff up on the news," Gibbs said, further enraging Kilmeade.
"Don't say we're making stuff up!" he shouted. "We're telling you quotes from both parents."
The exchange continued in this vein for another minute or so before the segment awkwardly ended.
This video is from Fox's Fox & Friends, broadcast September 29, 2008.
Download video via RawReplay.com
TRANSCRIPT:
MS. CARLSON: We just heard from the McCain campaign on their candidate's performance.
Here with the other side: Robert Gibbs, senior adviser for the Obama campaign.
Good morning to you, Robert!
MR. GIBBS: Good morning! How are you guys?
MS. CARLSON: We're doing great!
All right, so there is an article in The New York Sun today that talks about advice for Joe Biden for Thursday night in the V.P. debate. And basically, the advice to him, from some, is to ignore Governor Sarah Palin. Is that advice he's heeding?
MR. GIBBS: Well, I think that's kind of hard to do when that person is sitting about three or four feet away from you!
Look, I think what Joe Biden is going to do is what he's done for us throughout his time as the vice presidential nominee and go out there and make the case for change not just in our economic policies, but in our foreign policies, and to demonstrate to people that we just can't afford four more years of the same John McCain-George Bush policies.
I think that's what he's done throughout his time as the vice presidential nominee. I expect we'll see that again on Thursday night with Governor Sarah Palin.
MR. KILMEADE: Robert, what I wonder is, are you concerned at all about how many times during the campaign for the nomination, Joe Biden criticized Barack Obama and those quotes come barreling back at you Thursday night?
MR. GIBBS: Look, the two of these guys obviously ran against each other, because they both thought they were the best qualified to be president of the United States. Barack Obama won that battle.
But look, the same is true for Governor Palin. I mean, just yesterday the McCain campaign was trying to clean up something where Governor Palin actually agreed with Barack Obama as it relates to our policy on Pakistan and disagreed with their own candidate in John McCain.
So look, I'm sure there's plenty of fodder on each side for that. But again, what I think you'll see Joe do, and what you saw Barack do last Friday night, is just demonstrate a real case for change -- how to get this economy moving again, create jobs, putting people back to work and moving this country back in the right direction.
MR. DOOCY: Hey, Robert, let me ask you about something -- speaking of Friday night and the big debate -- there was one point where John McCain told a story about a bracelet he'd been given by the mother of a fallen soldier. And then after that, Barack Obama said, Well, John, I've got a bracelet too.
Now, we're hearing more about the story behind that particular bracelet. And apparently, the mother -- Tracy Jopek -- asked your campaign that he not wear it anymore at public appearances.
MR. GIBBS: That's not true. That's not true -- no, no, no, no!
MR. DOOCY: All right. What's the truth?
MR. GIBBS: Let's get the story straight here.
She was afraid that the memory of her son would become politicized. She asked Senator Obama in Green Bay. She gave him the bracelet and said, "Wear this in memory of my son." Barack Obama's done that every single day since.
She didn't want the memory of her son politicized and we understood that. But I think if you read the AP article from just yesterday, when people called her, she was ecstatic that the memory of her son became part of an historic presidential debate.
And Barack Obama said he's never going to forget the mothers that he meets, the fathers that he meets, the family members that he meets on the rope line every day that have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I can live our lives in freedom. And that's what we -- that's part of the mission in this campaign. Let's never forget that.
MR. DOOCY: Right, but okay. I was going to get to that, that she did say it was great that he did bring it up, even though she says that she had asked that he not wear it. So you're saying she never asked --
MR. GIBBS: No, no -- you guys have got to get -- no.
MR. DOOCY: I'm just trying to get this straight.
MR. GIBBS: She asked that -- well, you should get your facts straight first. You get your story straight and I'll be glad to help you out with it.
MR. DOOCY: That's why you're here.
MR. GIBBS: Yeah, I know. I'm a fact checker on Fox News.
She gave that bracelet to Barack Obama and asked him to wear it. She didn't want the memory of her son politicized and Barack Obama has respected that.
But in response to a question --
MR. KILMEADE: But if he respected that, Robert --
MR. GIBBS: -- in the debate.
MR. KILMEADE: What I don't get is I understand that. And the story has come back three or four times. That's why it's clouded. And if you believe the last version, it's this one, listen --
MR. GIBBS: No, it's not clouded!
MR. KILMEADE: Well, Robert --
MR. GIBBS: Let's get the facts straight.
MR. KILMEADE: Well, Robert, it's because there is a divorce situation and the husband -- and the husband did not want it mentioned.
MR. GIBBS: Well, look, again, I'm not going to get into a family situation where there's a divorce. I understand.
We respect the wishes of Mary (sic/Tracy) Jopek. Mary (sic/Tracy) gave that bracelet to Barack Obama and asked him to wear it.
And again, if you guys are going to ask questions about this, let's get the facts right --
MR. DOOCY: That's why you're here.
MR. GIBBS: -- before we start making stuff up on the news.
MR. DOOCY: All right.
MR. GIBBS: I appreciate that. I wish you guys had --
MR. KILMEADE: We do have the same -- don't say we're making stuff up. Don't say we're making stuff up! We're telling you quotes from both parents.
MR. DOOCY: Well, Robert Gibbs is now setting the record straight.
MR. GIBBS: No, no --
MR. KILMEADE: No, no, yes.
MR. GIBBS: You're making stuff up. I think you know that!
MR. KILMEADE: No we're not making stuff up. We're telling about a family member -- what they said.
MR. GIBBS: Give me -- yeah. Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the AP article.
MR. KILMEADE: And I've got 20 articles about it as well!
MS. CARLSON: We'll be back.
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