They're still lying about the "Mission Accomplished" banner!

The White House said on Wednesday it had helped with the production of a "Mission Accomplished" banner as the backdrop for President Bush to declare major combat operations over in Iraq on May 1....

"They asked if we could help take care of the production of the banner and we were more than happy to do so because this is a very nice way to pay tribute to our sailors and aviators and men and women in the military who were on board that ship for a job well done," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan....

McClellan told reporters the banner had been sought by the U.S. Navy to honor the end of the Lincoln's lengthy deployment at sea.

"It was the Navy, the people on board the ship who had the idea of this banner and made the suggestion because they wanted to have a way to commemorate the fact that these sailors and the crew on board the ship had completed their mission after a very lengthy deployment," he said....

--Reuters

From the May 4 Washington Post:

Still, it's also impossible to agree with the banner that was draped near Mr. Bush on the carrier deck, proclaiming "Mission Accomplished." Aides say the slogan was chosen in part to mark a presidential turn toward domestic affairs as his campaign for reelection approaches.

From USA Today:

The White House communications office, well-known for the care it takes with the backdrops at Bush's speeches, created the "Mission Accomplished" banner in the same style as banners the president uses in other appearances, including one in Canton, Ohio, just a week before the carrier speech. That banner, with the same typeface and soft, brush-stroked American flag in the background, read: "Jobs and Growth."

And, to repeat, from the May 16 New York Times:

Media strategists noted afterward that Mr. Sforza and his aides had choreographed every aspect of the event, even down to the members of the Lincoln crew arrayed in coordinated shirt colors over Mr. Bush's right shoulder and the "Mission Accomplished" banner placed to perfectly capture the president and the celebratory two words in a single shot. The speech was specifically timed for what image makers call "magic hour light," which cast a golden glow on Mr. Bush.

(Last three links via Atrios and Kicking Ass.)