How The Bush Team Controls the Message through Staged Events

Careful staging of events and control of message are tactics that have been on the upswing since President Reagan made it something of an art, according to Martha Kumar, a Towson University professor who studies presidential communication.
In addition to orchestrating the on-stage portion of the events, there is evidence that the White House works to control the live audience. Presidential appearances are "ticketed events," with ticket distribution controlled by local officials and organizations.
The locals operate under marching orders from the White House "advance" staff.