NBC Trumps Rice With Anti-Bush Widows (Matthews suggests sodium pentathol for Bush)

[misunderestimated]

Who are the most important judges of the investigation of what went wrong before September 11? The media elite have provided one consistent answer on who is in the political driver's seat: the relatives of the victims. But not all of them.

In recent weeks, the networks have interviewed a selected set of 9-11 widows and other relatives, and most have focused the lion's share of their outrage at the Bush administration. Viewers at home might assume that a poll of 9-11 families would find they almost uniformly blame Bush more than the terrorists and want him to lose in November.

Minutes after National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice finished testifying, Tim Russert told Tom Brokaw live on NBC: "But the real issue will be, how did the families of the victims of 9-11 respond to this testimony? They have been the driving force for the commission, for information from the White House, for Dr. Rice to testify under oath."

On this morning's Today and for multiple segments in a 90-minute post-Condi Hardball special on MSNBC, only four widows were singled out as judges of Rice?s testimony. The four were celebrated in the April 1 New York Times as "nonpolitical." NBC has emphasized Kristen Breitweiser, who has appeared in four Today interviews in four weeks.

Mrs. Breitweiser insists that she voted for Bush in 2000, but has wildly declared that "Three thousand people were murdered on Bush's watch." Times arts editor Frank Rich also noted how she tartly complained that a Showtime 9-11 docudrama failed to display President Bush reading to school children "while people like my husband were burning alive inside the World Trade Center towers" because it would have been contrary to "Karl Rove's art direction and grand vision." She's hardly "nonpolitical."

In fact, these widows are liberal lobbyists against the Bush team, even as they claim to speak for all 9-11 victim families. Even Tim Russert linked the widows and John Kerry as two forces who will now press the White House for a complete declassification of the much-discussed August 6 presidential daily briefing. (One weblog even urges Kerry to pick Breitweiser for veep.)

In their front-page widow story, the New York Times noted that liberal Senators Ted Kennedy and Charles Schumer were advising the widows to demand Bush and Cheney also answer commissioner questions (and speeches) on live TV. Print accounts have also noted these widows tried to get the 9-11 commission's director, Philip Zelikow, fired for being too close to Condi Rice.

(NBC wasn't all alone today in the anti-Bush widow department. On ABC's Good Morning America, widow Beverly Eckert was charging "Everybody's basically been covering up, I think, for the administration, this whole Washington scene.")

In March, 9-11 relative Ernest Strada sounded a different note, telling Chris Matthews on MSNBC's Hardball that "anybody can be a Monday morning quarterback." Strada says he told Bush at a memorial event: "Mr. President, you are on the right side of the issues. We're with you 100 percent. Forget what the media says, the country believes in you." Is it any wonder he didn't get to debate the Kristen Breitweiser crew on this important occasion?

[ken5050]

I surf over to DM whenever Alan Colmes is on the air...

[Jagdgewehr]

Some people are too stupid to live.

Ya...I'm with you on that one.

[nutmeg]

Anybody catch Dan Blather's opener tonight? (I purposely watched it to see how SeeBS would spin today's 9/11 hearing.) I'm in the middle of getting dinner together, so I can't post in detail, but he referred to "Bush's bungling of events before 9/11" and played all the contentious clips with Ben Veniste, Kerrey, Gorelick and Roemer, edited to make Condi look weak and ineffectual.

The Aug 6 PDB title - "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the U.S" - was repeated over and over again, and they kept showing videos of Bush in Crawford, Texas with "August 2001" title above the video. They managed to find videos of Pres. Bush apparently wandering aimlessly on his ranch...

I can't remember the concluding line from the White House reporter back to Dan, but you got the impression that the 9/11 Commission already rightly has decided that Bush is to blame completely for 9/11.

Oh, Dan mentioned that the 9/11 Commission questioned Klintoon (in private session) today also, for about 3 hours. Blather's face brightened when he mentioned Klintoon, whom he said was "forthcoming" and "responsive".

I'm so mad I could just SPIT right now! I just know the sheeple are eating all this up. >:-(

[Lancey Howard]

NBC has emphasized Kristen Breitweiser, who has appeared in four Today interviews in four weeks.

Kristen Breitweiser??
Hahahaa.....! That scumbag would pee all over her alleged "loved one's" corpse if it would further her political agenda of helping Kerry and the Democrats get elected.

[leadpenny]

I learn everything I need to know on the Imus program. I know he's not for everyone but he is perceptive beyond belief. Joe Scarborough was a guest this morning. Great TV.

[TracyPA]

Matthews actually looked disappointed Rice did a good job. As soon as I heard he would have the anti-Bush widows on I turned the TV off. I'm sure they made sure every widow hated Bush. I can't even watch Hard Ball any more. Matthews is like a rabid dog concerning President Bush and the war in Iraq. He is such an anti-war appeaser lately-well, he probably always was. I can't believe he reveres Churchill.

[EternalVigilance]

Time for some sane family members of 9-11 victims to step up to the plate.

IMO, their main talking point should be the feckless, craven and cowardly foreign policy of POTUS #42.

It's all part of the real Clinton Legacy...any individual with any knowledge of the Clinton years knows it beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The President's people have been way too kind about the whole thing.

If the RATs keep playing with fire, that might not always be the case...

[NeonKnight]

She is so consumed with ugly hatred I actually feel no sorrow for the woman, quite frankly.

I have found that true grieving is best done in solitude. To attempt to make others feel my grief, would be a cruel, self-centered, sympathy seeking, thing to do, and would accomplish absolutely nothing. No lights, no cameras....just leave me alone and let me grieve.

[axel f]

I had the unfortunate circumstance of watching the ABC News with Peter Jennings just now. (I had no choice.) I about blew a gasket. It was so biased, so over-the-top, I was close to having a stroke.

[ken5050]

I'm glad it works for you....really...I don't like Imus, and I find it, shall we say, peverse..that anyone would want to watch a TV broadcast of a RADIO broadcast....I used to listen ocasionally in the car, but now I think he has about 35 minutes of commercials every hour...it's unlistenable...

[Wolfstar]

CholeraJoe suggests euthanasia for Matthews. Some people are too stupid to live.

Yeah. Chris does seem to be in misery — always red-faced, angry and shouting about something or another.

[McGruff]

Gorelick is on Hardball now speaking freely about what is in this classified Aug. 2,2001 memo.

[cyncooper]

I'm about to switch Chris off. He's starting with the title and here's how badly he's screwed up the state of the record: Even Jamie Gorelick has to correct his assertions about what Rice has said.

Gorelick: If this administration sees this sensibly they'll declassify this PDB. Earth to Gorelick and Chris: Brit Hume said it's in the process of being declassified already.

Matthews repeats the title again. We're up half a dozen times minimum in less than 10 minutes. I'm on track to be correct.

As to the sodium pentathol? He's going to replay the 4 widow "interview" so I'll bet he DOES re-air it.

[expatguy]

LOL "Professional victims"

[cyncooper]

I am no Gorelick fan, but she's referring to what was said in the testimony and only characterized pretty much as Rice did, the tone of the document, which I'm sure will be released soon.

Hume and his roundtable said it is being reviewed for declassification right now.

[clintonh8r]

My sympathy for these families has totally drained away. They are using these deaths to push a political agenda, become celebrities and line their pockets. They seem to think that they're the only ones who were attacked, the only ones with any standing to have an opinion on the matter. They revel in their misery. They disgust me.

[leadpenny]

. . . I find it, shall we say, peverse..that anyone would want to watch a TV broadcast of a RADIO broadcast....

Like I said . . . it's for me. :)

I know, most of it is sthick, but what he really is a master at is doing an interview. He pulls it out of 'em. Matthews, O'Reilly, Rose, Hannity, and many other loudmouths should take lessons from him.

Thank goodness we have choices.

[NeonKnight]

Brit Hume is just as partisan as Chris is. Brit is just better at it. If you read a transcript of what Brit has said, it appears perfectly non-partisan and very journalistic, but it is the look in his eye and the smirk on his face that tell the real story. Nobody does it better than Brit. Great to have him on our side.

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

How about hooking Matthews up to the battery on my truck.

[WHBates]

They need to go away now. Really. They're bringing dishonor to the memory of their "loved one".

Your so right, actually they are giving the public the impression that all they are is are ungrateful money hungry bunch of loons. It's sad because I'm sure most are not.