Posted on 09/08/2004 4:54:14 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
The folks at The Today Show obviously felt they had a pretty good one-two punch with which to bash the Bush campaign today - the 1,000th US military death in Iraq and Dick Cheney's statement yesterday that "if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating."
Even so, an obviously unhappy Katie Couric, the Kerry campaign coming down around her ears, couldn't resist taking a few shots at Kerry campaign advisor Madeleine Albright. And Mint Lady responded with some classic pique, essentially saying that it wasn't fair to analyze too closely . . . what John Kerry has said!
The half-hour started with a Matt Lauer interview of Colin Powell, and Lauer immediately suggested that the Bush administration failed to anticipate the difficulties in Iraq:
"Did you ever think we'd be sitting here with 1,000 dead, 7,000 wounded and no end in sight of the insurgency?"
Powell: "I couldn't have known that but we knew we would lose lives. We mourn the loss of life. These young men and women died in the cause of freedom. But we are seeing progress in Iraq and Afghanistan toward freedom and democracy."
Lauer: "But what of the families saying that two of the main justifications for the war turned up empty? No WMD and no concrete ties between Saddam and Al Qaeda?"
Powell: "We have no doubt Saddam had the intention of developing and using WMD. Everyone had every reason to believe stockpiles were there. President rightly felt it was a real danger that had to be dealt with."
Lauer: "During the early stages, the administration said the capture or killing of Saddam and sons would be aturning point, but there have been more troop deaths since that happened. Did we miscalculate what is behind the insurgency?"
Powell: "I fully expected insurgency would continue by those who were in power under Saddam and don't want to lose their privileges."
Then it was on to a Katie Couric interview of former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Powell. *Warning -following paragraph contains unkind observations about Albright's superficial characteristics. Do not read if you are above that kind of petty thing.*
Still there, eh? Well, it seemed that what is left of Maddy's ever-thinning hair had turned yet a lighter shade of bottle-blonde. And it looked as if her eyes had come in for some more 'work' since her last appearance.
By the way, she was apparently located at a Kerry campaign HQ, and a blow-up copy of Kerry's seminal tome, "Our Plan for America" was strategically located over her left shoulder.
Albright began, falsely pious, by claiming that "I would like to believe Sec. Powell, but the facts are not there on the ground."
But then, surprisingly, Katie shot off a series of tough questions.
Katie: "If elected Sen. Kerry has said he would begin troop pullouts within 6 months. Is there a danger of cutting and running, leaving Iraq in shambles?"
Albright: "Kerry has never said we would cut and run. He has always been a critic of the administration's policy."
Katie came back with a zinger: "You say that now, but Kerry did authorize the Presidint to invade Iraq."
In a real side-splitter, Albright responded: "Kerry authorized the President to win 'a great victory at UN.'" [Gosh knows, that's where it's important to win victories in the war against terror.] The problem is that Pres. Bush didn't take the time to really build a coalition."
Katie stuck to her guns: "But Sen. Kerry did authorize the war."
Here is where Maddy really started to lose it: "He has said many times that he wanted to make sure there was resolve, but not in the way it was carried out. IT IS A VERY COMPLEX SITUATION. WE SHOULDN'T PARSE ALL HIS WORDS"!
So there it is, the latest Kerry position. Things are complex. Very complex. So complex, in fact, that you shouldn't go back and look at what I said over the course of the campaign. What I say today is what matters. Until tomorrow.
Katie continued to peck at the open wound: "some people are confused by Kerry's position. He says if he knew then what he knows now he would still have voted to authorize the war."
Maddy was breaking down by now. She babbled something about "It's one thing to authorize, another to disagree with way in which it was being carried out. It's wrong to say he's changed his position, he has not! It just ain't so, Katie."
You know that when Albright loses her high-brow shtick and starts slingin' the "aint's" that she's really feeling the heat.
Perhaps feeling some remorse for the obvious damage she'd done, Katie ended by throwing Albright a super puff ball, asking her to comment on Cheney's statement. Naturally Albright felt that "of his many outrageous statements, it's the most outrageous. Completely irresponsible. Using scare tactics."
Thanks for stopping by Maddy. See you. And don't forget to plump the pillows in the Green Room on your way out.
Lauer then interviewed Tim Russert, and also fed him the Cheney line. When Russert's response wasn't sufficiently harsh for Lauer's liking, Matt decided to editorialize. "But isn't it over the line?"
Hey Matt, I think Mother Jones has an opening for an opinion columnist. Look into it.
We can't criticize his Vietnam record, his Senate record, his antiwar record and now we can't look at his statements. What are they running for president? A deaf, blind, mute?
Hahaha
Please let me know by post or private message if you'd like to be added to my ping list for occasional reports on liberal bias at The Today Show and other MSM.
LOL!!! Maid Maddie!
That's OK. I have a hard time telling Helen Thomas from Saddam Hussein.
That's simple. Saddam Hussein is the cute one.
Soon after this picture was taken, the United States signed all of her nuclear secrets over to the North Korean government in exchange for three bags of rice and a bowl of tree bark.
You may be correct on the double digit IQ. 02 is a double digit IQ, but I may be giving the perky witch a one point plus.
You give pet rocks far too much credit.
Hearing the Kerry Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight" use this phrase reminds me of that classic, "One Toke Over the Line". Picture Purple Heart Johnny with his hand up to his mouth like he's holding a joint.
Thanks! I was changing the dog's water dish at about the time General Powell was talking with C. Gibson...Charlie started every comment with "But, General,..." I finished with the water dish and decided to continue listening. I was just darned intrigued to hear what Maddie and Diane Sawyer would follow with...about the same thing as on 'Today'. It sounds like Katie was tougher than Diane today.
'"Kerry authorized the President to win a great victory at U.N"
Darn, the President must not have understood Kerry's directive!
OK, lets surround the UN building, give our friends 24 hours to clear the area, and then level the ...ah....er....place!'
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well, now maybe she IS someone who speaks to us all!
Katie Couric and Maddy Not-Bright together might not amount to double digit IQ. Sheesh....
Watch out! Katie has brought out a short knife on a former Clintonista! I think Couric is a Hillary fan and has been told she can go after Kerry now. She still softballs Albright near the end, but what is going on?
IMHO, the game is to tag Kerry and sink him slowly, setting up a future Hillary win in 2008. If they sink him too fast and Kerry implodes then Edwards gets the default ticket. An Edwards surprise is not what they want. Nor can they continue the free pass with Kerry, their credibility is at stake.
IMHO, watch for a dozen little nicks from the press on Kerry. They will start to balance Kerry's statements with Bushes to appear "balanced" (Having been trounced by fox's convention coverage). Some democratic surrogates in the press will not be able to turn off their pro-Kerry coverage and have to sink with him.
The queen has given out the orders and Katie, ever the faithful servant, obeys.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1209960/posts?page=1
Oh, My!...Looking forward to your report on Kitty K.
Make that two of us Attn. The gall of the past administration never ceases to amaze me. UGH!
"Well, it seemed that what is left of Maddy's ever-thinning hair had turned yet a lighter shade of bottle-blonde."
My hairdresser is convinced that the "pinks" are far more dangerous than the "blues."
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