Backdrop Hides Made in China Labels

This is an archived article preserved as a guest op-ed and does not represent the opinions of namedat.com staff.

ST. LOUIS — Someone went to great lengths to ensure the backdrop for President Bush’s sales pitch Wednesday on his economic stimulus plan sent all the right messages — and none of the wrong.

Bush delivered his remarks from a warehouse floor at JS Logistics, a trucking, courier and warehouse business that provided a visual image for his argument that his proposal carries economy-boosting benefits for small businesses. The audience was flanked on all sides by piles of cardboard boxes — with additional piles in front of and behind his podium.

Each one of the hundreds of boxes had a piece of paper obscuring its “Made in China” label.

White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan laughingly attributed the clearly gargantuan paper-affixing effort to an “overzealous volunteer” on the president’s advance team.

A backdrop made-to-order for the White House filled the space directly behind Bush, which is most likely to show up on TV news clips of the event. Blaring a logo of “Strengthening America’s Economy,” it exactly mimicked the real-life box piles, down to perfectly aligned shelves.

Except the boxes on the backdrop were labeled, “Made in the USA.”