KerryWHPool: Fair and Balanced Edition

We reprint reporters' random CrackBerry noodlings, you decide. . .

Highlight (Kerry):

while staff told us to walk in the street so we didn't get too close, secret service told us to get back on sidewalk. slightly confusing. we followed orders of men with guns.

Highlight (Bush):

Bush arrived at Andrews right after noon, and tripped slightly on his way up the stairs to the plane. But he recovered quickly, and appeared to have the stair thing figured out on the way down once we arrived in NH.

Full reports after the jump.

From: kerrypool On Behalf Of Stephen Dinan

Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 10:20 PM

Subject: [Kerrypool] (no subject)

we have just delivered JK to the hotel. when we arrived 15 mins ago he decided to go for ice cream. walked a block east to Tasti D-Lite, where he bought three vanilla-chocolate swirl cups for himself and staff.

he then walked back to hotel, shaking his head when pooler asked for reaction to president's comments today.

this time, while staff told us to walk in the street so we didn't get too close, secret service told us to get back on sidewalk. slightly confusing. we followed orders of men with guns.

info on evening event to come soon

From: Press.Releases@WhiteHouse.Gov

Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 2:22 PM

Subject: POOL REPORT #1, 9/20/04

Pool report, Andrews AFB to Derry, NH

Top announcement of the day -- Josh Deckard, of lower press, got engaged to his girlfriend last Friday.

Perhaps as notably, Scott McClellan gaggled en route, regarding the CBS statement, Kerry's Iraq speech and the debate schedule. Transcript to follow, but the highlights include Scott saying that Kerry has "continued his pattern of twisting in the wind" with his latest remarks. He quoted back Kerry's comments to Dean during the primaries, that anyone who believes removing Saddam has not made the US safer lacks the credibility to be president.

On CBS, there is an addendum to the gaggle: Scott hadn't yet seen the actual CBS statement, including the explicit apology, when he talked to the pool. He later came to find me to offer this: "We appreciate that they deeply regret it, but there are serious questions that still need to be answered." Among those questions, also listed in the transcript: "Why did they rely on Bill Burkett?"

Also later, Scott said the president learned the CBS news during the flight, while he (Scott) was back talking to the pool. Bush also signed an executive order on Libya, which the White House has released.

On the debate debates, in response to news stories saying there is a tentative agreement to hold three presidential debates as scheduled, Scott said all news about that will come from the campaign, but said: "There could be more on that later on in the day."

Bush arrived at Andrews right after noon, and tripped slightly on his way up the stairs to the plane. But he recovered quickly, and appeared to have the stair thing figured out on the way down once we arrived in NH. He waved in both directions, but said nothing to us.

Anne Kornblut

Boston Globe