SOTU: Who Was The Pool Director?

> Update: 10:22pm: Two tipsters say CNN directed the pool feed. “It was horribly directed,” one of them writes. “When the President was walking in, it was obvious the steadicam op was being blocked by still photogs, so all we get is a shot of the back of the still photog’s head. Anf it stayed, and it stayed and it stayed. Very poorly done all the way around.”

“The State of the Union Pool Director is not ready for prime time,” an e-mailer remarks. “Tonight he/she:

> Attempted to cut to Supreme Court Justice O’Connor…who wasn’t there, as the camera op tried to find a face to fill his shot.

> Cut to close-up shots of Cabinet Secretary’s knees when they had already stood up.

> Lingered on a shot of Marines in the gallery as the camera op struggled to frame the shot.

> Lingered on another shot of a dead Marine’s little sister as the camera op tried to find focus.

> As the President called to end AIDS in America, the pool director cut to a close-up of Senator John Kerry…who has had nothing to do with the fight against AIDS.

I know it’s a tough gig, but this many mistakes is unacceptable…”