House Candidate Draws Fire for Web Photo

SAN DIEGO - A congressional candidate is under fire for a Web site photo that purported to show a peaceful Baghdad neighborhood but was actually taken in a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey. "We took this photo of Baghdad while we were in Iraq," the accompanying caption on Howard Kaloogian's Web site read. "Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be."

Internet bloggers began questioning the photo earlier this week because none of the signs was in Arabic and billboards were advertising Western products.

Kaloogian, a former state assemblyman who founded Move America Forward to support the war and is now running for Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's House seat, took the photo down on Wednesday.

**snip**

"They used a picture that was wrong. There's nothing sinister about it," he said.
___

On the Net:

http://www.kaloogianforcongress.com/

http://kevxml2adsl.verizon.net/_1_2JPYTO104NS3VGO_11737847_vzn.dsl/apnws/story.htm?kcfg=apart&sin=D8GM3E880&qcat=washnews&ran=30003&passqi=&feed=ap&top=1

He's a loon.

in a gop split race.

people will be smarter this time around.

But there are a couple of millionaires trying to buy the seat. It is a solid repuke seat and whoever wins it will keep it for years.

Showing him and all other republicans running for that spot at around 14% or less. The democrat running was at 46%.

TlalocW

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).

I used to go to movies there all the time!

Where I used to go all the time. But yeah--it's closer to a view of Baghdad than a picture of Istanbul, Turkey!

still claims they took the picture when they were in Turkey ~ so he's lying again ~

Btw, thanks for helping expose this guy ~ what a lunatic! :eyes:

The graphic in the OP gives the current situation. There are multiple GOP candidates and Busby is the only Dem.

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).

The BS meter just exploded!



He tried to lie, He got caught, plain and simple

it also sounds like He's trying it again with the "balcony" photo
most likely taken in june of 05


How stupid does he think we are?

Not only did he try to blame it on a staffer, but the 'new' one IS from last year. A diary on DailyKos verified it because a building shown in the picture has since been blown up.
He said yesterday that they took "hundreds and hundreds" of photos on this trip, but he still tries to dupe us. Jeez.

about the news in Iraq while it was itself a lie.

so...pretty sinister.

could depict all the good news in Bagdad.

he hasn't tried to use M.Moore's peaceful Iraq footage from F 9/11

And don't miss Keith Olbermann's take on it at a Can-o-Fun link posted here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=791597&mesg_id=791609

The list:

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).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x791597
thread title (3-30-06 GD): DU'S NETECTIVES HOCK A KALOOGIE ALL THE WAY TO THE NY TIMES!
Excerpt: “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.”
LINK TO KEITH OLBERMANN VIDEO ON KALOOGIAN PHOTO IN REPLY #3.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2196702
thread title (3-29-06 LBN): On Web, Error Is Uncovered Through Relentless Pursuit (Kaloogian photo)
LBN thread on the NYT article. Note that Kaloogian’s blatant lie is called an “error” and the reaction to it is downgraded to a “kerfluffle.” Almost as “fair and balanced” as Faux News!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x784626
thread title (3-29-06 GD): One thing to Hammer about Kaloogian's "Baghdad" Photo-Lies...
The photo was taken on the “Iraq Truth Tour.” Now that’s irony.

the reaction to it as "a kerfluffle." What the internet people who documented the blatant lie did was called "relentless pursuit" - those sinister bloggers again. Downplay and minimize all the way and make the progressives look as bad as possible, not easy in a situation like this one. Just a leetle honest mistake, folks, nothing to see. But at least they did report it. So did the Guardian (UK) and Newsweek. (Links in threads in the list just above)

Keith Olbermann really gave it its due - you can see that he believes the "mistake" was actually a deliberate lie and that he was incensed that Kaloogian tried to use the photo to "prove" how the press was failing to report the true bliss of current Iraq.

Let's hope some of the local people in a position to actually choose whom to vote for will see this and decide one more Bushie liar is not acceptable. Note that one of the threads in the thread list posted just above is about the Dem candidate in that race, Franciine Busby, and her current standing in a poll relative to the other candidates, including KaLIARgian.

don't seem to realize the power of the internet.

???

a blatant falsehood isn't sinister? suuuuuure. they got caught in a lie. its just that simple and their excuses ring hollow.