Posted on 05/21/2004 4:32:12 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
Somewhere, perhaps in France, Jerry Lewis is green with envy. His telethons last a mere 24 hours. But every morning, Today sets a new world record for its continuing Abu Ghraib-a-thon.
Dutiful soldiers in the liberal army that they are, Matt and Katie were at their posts again today.
Matt led with an interview with a Washington Post journalist. The Post has obtained additional abuse photos and paraded its findings in a front page above-the-fold story this morning. Blah, blah, blah, cue the hand-wringing.
Then it was on to Katie's interview with Tim Russert.
Asked Katie, fingers crossed: "What will be the political impact be of the new photos and videotape?"
Replied Russert with grim face firmly in place: "This continues the very bad political problems for the Bush administration. The new photos will have 'an enormously powerful effect on the American people.' Something has gone terribly wrong."
Katie is never better than when she is offering "helpful" advice to Republicans. "Instead of drip, drip, drip wouldn't it be better to get all this out?"
Russert: "That is the view of John McCain and Lindsey Graham. Yes, it would give us a higher moral authority."
Katie is clearly impatient and concerned that the taint hasn't reached high enough. "There have been congressional hearings, a parade of generals, Sec. Rumsfeld. All have insisted this is limited to a group of rogue soldiers. When will the American people know just how high this gows? It seems the animus toward the US is growing daily. Isn't time of the essence?"
Russert 'sagely' observed that Abu Ghraib has become "A metaphor for the mismanagement of the war."
Referring to W's meeting with congressional Republicans yesterday, Katie asked "did Pres. Bush smooth any ruffled feathers or reassure congressional leaders?"
Russert implied the meeting was a failure: "Deep down there is a lot of anxiety. These pictures are just devastating."
With echoes of Carole Simpson's taunting referral to Pres. Bush I as the "education president," Katie then asked, butter not melting in her mouth: "Is the Bush campaign rethinking the strategy of running the President as a war President in view of all the bad news coming out of Iraq?"
Nope, said Russert.
The most telling moment came at the very end.
Katie asked: "Has John Kerry been overshadowed [by all the Abu Ghraib news]?" She then clearly was beginning to ask "How," and then at the last second caught herself and rephrased her question "Is he breaking through?"
In other words, Katie's instinct was to ask "how can Kerry break through?" as if she were a campaign adviser or at the least the avid supporter that she is.
She might have thought she covered her tracks, but the merciless eye of Free Republic sees all, tells all!
I just looked at the photos. BFD.
Ow.
Chris did make a comment that there were A LOT of hoops to jump through for this interview
I had the impression that she controlled every second of the interview
Thanks. Even the humble dung beetle plays a constructive role.
Me to,left eye only.SHUT THEM OFF AND THEY DIE.
Wallace was all over himself: 'it is the first time in history she has appeared on FoxNews...'
I don't look for Wallace to ask her any more difficult questions than Russert would. Wallace said it took massive negotiations to get her.
Interpretation: Wallace has already received (from Clinton's staff) the questions he will be allowed to ask her.
FoxNews should pull a switcheroo and let Brit Hume question her offscript for 20 minutes. [I'd bet she would walk out and Fox could put up a graphic of the ocean with a palm tree waving in the breeze.]
Oh, and just for the record, with VCR rolling and calculator in hand, I kept careful track of the number of references to and photo displays of the murder of Nick Berg on this morning's Today.
Let's see, double-checking my math and rounding up to the nearest integer, that would be . . . zero.
You aren't devastated and they don't symbolize to you all (the President's and Rumsfield's) mismanagement of the war?/s
Gee..Timmy wants you to get with the program and react like he says you must. The Senators and the dems will follow the script...bet on it.
Russert is way wrong if he thinks the American people will be further outraged with these new photos. The initial shock is over, and all the hammering away by the media won't work. Heck, look at how quickly most have forgotten 9-11.
Good, keep up the Abu Ghraib and keep losing viewers. Maybe she could also bring out a chalk board and run her nails across it.
I don't speak to ONE PERSON, including casual acquaintances, where the prison issue is a "scandal," much less important. People a) don't care; or b) think these slime had what's coming to them.
At least the Senators will get more facetime.(I have good ones from Texas, they aren't part of the herd.)
"Chamber of Horrors" is the latest talking point.
Do not deny your masochistic tendencies! ;~)
Well, OK, I'll admit it, when it comes to watching The Today Show. But don't get the wrong idea!
They broadcast "All Abu Ghraib, All the Time", and then they wonder why Kerry isn't getting his message out. Should I sell them a clue? Not that it matters, anyway, as Kerry has no message.
I only said "tendencies"! lol
The MRC also found, however, that in the past year, NBC had aired only five stories on mass graves found in Iraq from the Saddam Hussein era."
Remember how, 2 days after 9-11, the networks stopped showing images of destruction at WTC? They said "it wasn't good for us." I would like to see an actual counting of how many times we saw the images of those falling to their deaths at WTC vs the number of times we have seen the "man in the cape" on our screens.
And there is tape of Saddam's tortures taking place, but it's never shown , not once. No film, no still pictures and no discussion.
Good vanity!!!
Umm...Katie, don't think anyone is watching the Abu G stuff any more. You're beating a dead horse, so to speak.
"Hey, I resent that remark!"
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