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| "the same format: detail a problem, blame the government or a group, and invite invective from like-minded people." Surely he's talking about Jeannine Garofalo and Al Franken at Air America. |
Posted on 07/17/2006 7:38:31 PM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
July 17, 2006 - 21:58
Will the left wing please make up its mind as to the danger posed by conservative talk-show fans? As documented by MRC, in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, liberals like Bryant Gumbel pointed the finger at conservative talk radio: "Right-wing talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh . . . and others take to the air every day with basically the same format: detail a problem, blame the government or a group, and invite invective from like-minded people. Never do most of the radio hosts encourage outright violence, but the extent to which their attitudes may embolden and encourage some extremists has clearly become an issue."
But now, Joe Wilson wants the world to know that in the wake of the disclosure of his wife's identity, he and Valerie have been threatened, and NOT just by "Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity listeners." So which is it? Are conservative talk-show fans harmless fuzzballs, or potentially dangerous mind-numbed robots?
That was perhaps the most amusing line in an otherwise surprisingly staid interview of Wilson conducted by Keith Olbermann on this evening's Countdown. The normally outrageous Olbermann was on his better behavior, soberly posing his questions, neither feeding softballs nor indicating that he bought into Wilson's conspiracy theory that Cheney, Rove et. al intentionally outed Valerie Plame in retribution for Wilson's criticism of the Bush administration's Iraq policy.
Excerpts:
Wilson claimed he didn't watch Novak's Meet the Press appearance. He sniffed: "I didn't watch it yesterday. I just saw your set-up piece piece. Novak is telling another story to another interviewer."
Olbermann even laid a bit of a trap for Wilson: "If you got the truth on the record under oath of what happened, a timeline of some sort, a clear picture but there were no damages and maybe not even a verdict in your favor, would that be enough from your perspective?"
Wilson wouldn't take the high road: "That's a hypothetical. I'm going to leave all that to play out as it may play out."
Olbermann even threw the Wilsons' ensuing fame back in Joe's face: "One critical aspect of the suit would seem to be the sense that physical danger to you and your wife and your family resulted from the revealing of her work with the CIA. Your critics on the other hand have stressed that the danger could not have been that great if she was photographed for Vanity Fair or you were both seen at the Washington Correspondents Dinner. How would you rectify the idea of the threat with those public appearances?"
That's when Wilson dissed talk-radio nation: "Mr. Novak's wife is no danger whatsoever until such time as someone compromises her identity as a CIA operative if that's what somebody decides they will do. If in fact that is what she is. [Huh?] It is the fact that Valerie worked in a very sensitive position in the intelligence services that obviously brings about a certain level of security threat to us, which level we've been exposed to. There have been threats made to us that have come to our attention through the intelligence community. So these are not just your right wing Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity listeners."
Olbermann probed: "Can you go into any detail about that or is that something that will come out in the course of the lawsuit?"
Wilson: "I don't know if it'll come out in the course of the lawsuit, I'm not going to go into detail other than to say that it is happening and we have been informed about it. The law enforcement authorities have taken appropriate measures as they saw fit."
Later, Olbermann questioned the fundamental theory of Wilson's case, that the disclosure of Plame's employment was intentional payback aimed at Wilson: "It has been widely reported that [Novak's] source was the former Under Secretary of State Richard Armitage. I read an article this afternoon from Christopher Hitchens, Hitchens said . . . because Armitage had a visceral hatred of the neo-conservatives, Armitage as Novak's source annihilates the idea that there was any Bush administration vendetta against you. Would it do so?"
Wilson: "I don't think so because I think it's now very clear that there was a vendetta. The vendetta was run out of the vice president's office. It was Scooter Libby and it was Karl Rove. We know that. We know that they were leaking Valerie's identity to the press. So whether or not Novak was part of that other plot or whether or not Novak was just a sideline in all of this, I have no idea. Hopefully when we go through discovery we will learn some of this."
A surprisingly reserved performance by Olbermann. Reading between the lines, could Keith have seen the seemingly credible Novak interviews on Fox News and Meet the Press, reviewed the skimpy Wilson complaint, and concluded that discretion was the better part of valor when it came to hitching his star to a bogus publicity stunt destined for the dustbin of litigation lore?
Olbermann-Countdown/NewsBusters ping to Today show list.
Great report. I watched the interview and Joe Wilson said something to the effect that maybe the Vice President's manhood was threatened.
Have you noticed how the metrosexual liar is projecting his own inadequacy onto the vice president?
Wilson is such a worm.
These two media whores make Cindy Sheehan look like an amateur.
"Hopefully when we go through discovery we will learn some of this."
Didn't Christopher Hitchens point out in his recent article that all the "discovery" Joe Isuzu Wilson could want has already been done by Patrick Fitzgerald?
Their loss will generate about 1% the media hype that their filing of the suit is generating. I'll be so surprised by the lack of media interest in the Wilsons then. /sarc
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| "the same format: detail a problem, blame the government or a group, and invite invective from like-minded people." Surely he's talking about Jeannine Garofalo and Al Franken at Air America. |
I wish I could understand just what it is these folks want. Doesn't Plame already have a book deal?
They want to be in the media limelight as often as possible, just like Crazy Cindy. But don't forget, their privacy and personal security are so important to them!
Actually I read that Plame's deal hadn't quite been done, and had taken quite a hit in light of the announcement that Rove would not be indicted. So the civil suit can be seen as an attempt to gin up interest and improve the book deal.
That's right Joe, I'm gonna get you. First I'm gonna give you a wedgie and then short sheet your bunk. Check Six Mister Wilson.
I think that would require more brain cells on Olbermann's part than I am willing to give him credit for.
He DOES have a producer, and a network boss tired of writing checks...
Blowheart Joe & Voracious Val are victims now, huh? Hahahahaha!
My guess is that their every move is being orchestrated by the DNC. They know they can't win the lawsuit, but if they can just get Rove, Cheney, or Libby to admit to something improper or unethical, the Dems will be in a state of euphoria.
And then there was the Wilson's neighbor's kid who rang the bell and left a flaming paper bag of poo in violation of the Geneva Conventions...
Translation .. Joe doesn't like the investigation done by Fitz and he's going to do his own
Joe seems to think he will get the same classified info that Fitz got
Soooo true. These two are really rather unremarkable people who have managed to get themselves into the media and making money on this.
BTW...Valerie, have you noticed we are in WWIII and the mideast is exploding? Oh, sorry. I forgot who you were for a moment.
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