Posted on 12/04/2007 5:54:53 PM PST by Daniel T. Zanoza
RFFM.org Commentary by Daniel T. Zanoza, National Director
I haven't quite figured it out yet. Were those participating in the Republican Party's presidential debate--which was carried on CNN and in conjunction with YouTube--naive or stupid? I just don't understand why Republicans continue to let themselves be punching bags on a network currently designed to craft their demise.
Practically everything has been said about what took place last week during the CNN/YouTube debate. The network missed the fact that an "openly gay man," who was a general for 43 years, was a Clinton operative to boot.
OK, let's just say things happen. But then we learned two other so-called undecided voters, who were given an opportunity to question the Republican panel, were also political hacks for the Obama and Edwards campaigns respectively. Such alleged oversight pushes the boundaries of believability beyond credibility. At the very least, CNN failed miserably when it came to security and it would not be far-fetched to say the whole thing might have been orchestrated.
However, what struck me the most is, once again, bad behavior was rewarded by the mainstream media and our culture in general. Former Brigadier General Keith Kerr not only violated the rules of the debate when he crashed the CNN party, he also admitted he violated the law for 43 years when he was a homosexual serving within the U.S. Armed Forces, irrespective of "Don't ask, don't tell." You would think a man who held this former rank would be beholding to a higher level of integrity, but Kerr went on to take further advantage of his deception and there were plenty around to help him do so.
Shortly after the debate ended, Kerr was interviewed on CNN. He was not chastised, as one would think, by the CNN host. To the contrary, Kerr was given more time to expound on his agenda which led to the question he posed to the candidates regarding why homosexuals are not allowed to openly serve in the military. Yes, more rewards for bad behavior. It has become a hallmark of our society. Make a sleazy homemade sex tape and you can get a television career, like Paris Hilton. The examples go on and on. I do not need to list them because it would further advance the negative premise of this column.
On Monday night, the former general will appear on The O'Reilly Factor with host Bill O'Reilly (FOX News). More reward for something that should elicit shame from our society.
Only CNN knows if the Republicans were victims of a carefully orchestrated ambush which resulted in Democratic political operatives trying to make the event as uncomfortable as possible for GOP candidates. However, for a moment, imagine if a group of Republican hacks made their way into a Democratic debate on the FOX News Network. The dominant media would be screaming bloody murder from the rafters. Some call CNN the Clinton News Network and, quite frankly, they have done little to shake the perception of bias the network has earned over the years. But there is no reason to reward Kerr or anyone else for breaking the rules of the debate for a self-serving agenda. This goes for Bill O'Reilly, CNN or for whomever the shoe fits.
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YES!
Another sign of the times is the near-universal misuse of the word “notoriety.”
Notoriety is precisely what the the general deserves.
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