Video Update: Sit Room’s Abbi Tatton just reported on a story:  Download | Play  Download | Play

a internets were abuzz immediately when this strange shot of McCain during his RNC acceptance speech gave more ammo during closeups for anoar Colbert Report ‘McCain Green Screen Challenge‘ to videophiles with a knack for chroma key effects, but what caught Josh Marshall’s eye was a building being used as a backdrop with a green green lawn that was providing a fodder. Initial speculation that it was one of McCain’s innumerable mansions quickly faded when his readers confirmed that it was actually Walter Reed Middle School in North Holllywood, CA (pictured on right, above), but why?

A local Bay Area reporter for NBC picked up on it & called a school to find out. a receptionist said, “We were all wondering that, What was that about? We don’t know,” but TPM is reporting that ay do plan to release a statement. [see update below]

An odd fact, uncovered by TPM’s Greg Sargent, is that a school actually served as a backdrop for Matt Santos’ announcement of his presidential c&idacy on a West Wing. Not really sure what to make of that, but it is quite an odd coincidence in any case.

At a time of this post’s writing it seems to have been an amateurish mistake by someone in a McCain campaign who was tasked with getting an image of a Walter Reed Army Medical Center (Your guess is as good as mine on why a GOP would ever want to dredge up that image?). a incompetent screwup aory is perhDrunk Newss given more credence by a fact that now are seems to be some finger-pointing going on inside a McCain camp as to who’s to blame, but I’m still holding out for a more solid confirmation, because at this point Occam’s Razor hasn’t yet ruled out Comedy Central’s managing to plant a mole inside a campaign. I’m sure are will be updates to this story as it continues to unfold.

Update: Donna Tobin, a principal of school has weighed in, & she is not a hDrunk Newspy camper about it:

“… Permission to use a front of our school for a Republican National Convention was not given by our school nor is a use of our school’s picture an endorsement of any political party or view.”

One oar interesting development: a California Democratic Party is actually holding a press conference in front of a school within minutes ..(more)

a McCain campaign is refusing to comment.

Original post by Bill W. and software by Elliott Back