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Girl questions Pentagon spokesman: ‘Are you ready to track Santa this year?’ Girl questions Pentagon spokesman: ‘Are you ready to track Santa this year?’
(1 day later)
Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, got a question from an unusual source at a news conference Friday: A small girl concerned about whether the Pentagon will be tracking the movements of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, got a question from an unusual source at a news conference Friday: A small girl concerned about whether the Pentagon will be tracking the movements of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
The question came from the side of the room, where the girl was sitting watching quietly. Kirby had joked at the beginning of the news conference that if she had a question, she should raise her hand. About 25 minutes later, she did, and CBS News correspondent David Martin pointed it out to Kirby. The question came from the side of the room, where the girl was sitting and watching quietly. Kirby had joked at the beginning of the news conference that if she had a question, she should raise her hand. About 25 minutes later, she did, and CBS News correspondent David Martin pointed it out to Kirby.
“Admiral Kirby,” she asked, “Are you ready to track Santa this year?”“Admiral Kirby,” she asked, “Are you ready to track Santa this year?”
The question drew laughter from the press corps and Kirby. He responded that if she went to the Web site for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, it shows “they have their Santa tracker all set up and ready to go.” The command, which oversees security across the United States, has done so since 1955, when Sears made a mistake and printed a NORAD number in an advertisement as a way that children could reach Santa.The question drew laughter from the press corps and Kirby. He responded that if she went to the Web site for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, it shows “they have their Santa tracker all set up and ready to go.” The command, which oversees security across the United States, has done so since 1955, when Sears made a mistake and printed a NORAD number in an advertisement as a way that children could reach Santa.
Kirby followed up by asking the girl what she wanted for Christmas, and she said she asked for a toy from the animated movie “Big Hero 6,” which stars Baymax, a friendly inflatable robot that was inspired in part by a high-tech project funded by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.Kirby followed up by asking the girl what she wanted for Christmas, and she said she asked for a toy from the animated movie “Big Hero 6,” which stars Baymax, a friendly inflatable robot that was inspired in part by a high-tech project funded by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
“That sounds pretty sophisticated. What is that?” Kirby asked the girl.“That sounds pretty sophisticated. What is that?” Kirby asked the girl.
“That sounds like something we should give the Iraqis,” he added, drawing laughter in the room.“That sounds like something we should give the Iraqis,” he added, drawing laughter in the room.
Kirby asked the girl for a report on what she gets for Christmas, noting the conversation they had was on the record.Kirby asked the girl for a report on what she gets for Christmas, noting the conversation they had was on the record.