You can't control all of it

TAMPA -- During President Bush's visit to MacDill Air Force Base on Wednesday, the White House tried to choreograph his every move.

The visit to the U.S. Central Command, the nerve center for the war in Iraq, was intended to shore up support for the war at a time when images of coalition casualties and prisoners of war are giving the country reason for pause.

Some things, however, the White House just couldn't control, not with a crowd of 4,000.

Like the announcement that came over the intercom shortly before the president arrived.

"Has anybody lost a child?"

Or the moment when the president was introduced with no mention of the woman walking in with him holding his hand: first lady Laura Bush.

If they got in to the briefing, we want in too!

The morning's most unwieldy moment came when the president was taken for a closed-door briefing on Afghanistan and Iraq at CentCom headquarters. The White House had decided to let photographers in for quick pictures, but not reporters.

Three reporters who cover the White House, however, swore they saw three wire service reporters sneak in with the president. They demanded that CentCom staff let them in. They spent much time on their cell phones, against CentCom regulations, wailing to their bosses. They demanded to see a White House staffer.

All along, the three reporters they swore were with the president were outside in air-conditioned vans filing their stories.

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