Posted on 09/14/2004 4:33:38 PM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
Those who watched Matt Lauer's interview of Kitty Kelley over the last two mornings on The Today Show, or read our threads about them, know that his tone and approach were surprisingly hostile.
On tonight's Hardball, Chris Matthews tone was more polite. But he had obviously done more homework than Lauer, and ultimately was even more effective than Matt in nailing Kelley as a mongerer of unsubstantiated rumors.
After some opening pleasantries, Chris got down to business.
He first forced Kelley to admit that a former Guard member, last name Rogers, whom she quoted to speculate that W might have been taking drugs in Guard, not only didn't know W, but had never met him. She ultimately admitted that Rogers' comments were pure speculation.
Matthews then got Kelley to admit that a Peck Young, who made allegations about W having had an affair with a prostitute while he was married, had no knowledge of W's private life, that Peck Young is a Democrat activist, and that she was unable to ever talk with the alleged prostitute.
Matthews then mentioned that Kelley had alleged that: "some people felt that W has been protected by a coterie of former CIA men who prevented his past from seeping out."
Matthews: "What are your sources for that?"
"That is an informed opinion of the author based on more than 1,000 interviews."
Matthews: "But you cite no sources, only suggesting that people 'felt' that way."
Matthews then referred to the allegation in the book that Laura was "the go-to girl for dime bags of marijuana at SMU, and sold dope."
Matthews: "How do you know she sold dope? Do you have one first-person account from anyone who said 'I was there, I smoked with her, I bought from her?"
Kelley: "I spoke with various people who were unwilling to go on record."
Matthews: "There is a pattern in your book. The people who are willing to go on the record have no first-hand knowledge. And the alleged first-hand sources are all unnamed."
Matthews then asked the most telling question to which he got a devastating admission: "Could you get *anyone* to come forward to say on the record that any of the Bush family broke the law?"
Kelley, abjectly: "No."
Matthews: "It's stunning that you couldn't get one person to go on the record."
Kelley pathetically tried to turn this fatal weakness into a strength: "What you said just demonstrates the power of this family."
There's no doubt that Matthews has turned into a shrill Democratic partisan over the course of this campaign.
But he absolutely dissected Kelley tonight, and by the end left her a pathetic mess, abjectly admitting that she did not have one on-record source able to accuse any member of the Bush family of any wrongdoing.
Let's give the devil his due.
As usual, your report is dead on! Thanks.
I agree that Matthews was exquisitely polite with Kelley, in contrast with his extreme rudeness to Michelle Malkin. But in this case, his manners were really a trap, putting Kelley at ease and perhaps off guard, all the better to destroy her in the end.
My pleasure, Howlin. I appreciate your comment.
I am wondering if Mathews is going back into his 2000 election mod where he almost gave up on the dims.
bump
I love it when they eat their own!
Just the fact that she puts doubts in people's minds about both of these fine individuals, makes me livid. But that's the point, isn't it?
you mean he actually read this book? wow
bookmark bump
I watched Matthews briefly and he really did tie that witch into knots.
MoodyBlu
I hate that I missed it.
Will it re-air tonight?
I began thinking after the Lauer interview as well as how "Old Media" has actually been covering Rathergate that the left may well be reaching their last survival instinct, and that is to eat their own. They will begin killing off their "weakest/most blatant" such as Dan Rather and Kitty Kelly.
Perhaps but any reasonable person with half a brain is going to look at her, listen to the comments that she cannot substantiate and then tune her out. If they take her seriously then they were voting Kerry anyway is how I look at it.
Did anyone see Chrissy with Seymour Hersch? He said Arab beheadings of Westerners in Iraq is equivalent to panties on the heads of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Hersch*t agreed.
I saw it, too. Good interview from Matthews, for a change.
So, does this mean I have to write an apology letter back to him? I didn't watch and wrote telling him I was never watching again since he was having that woman on his show...
It was reported kitty litter got $4 million in advance.
FOR ALL THOSE IN THE EASTERN TIME ZONE, HARDBALL REAIRS TONIGHT AT 11 PM.
I would not have believed this so easily had it not been you who reported it. Maybe he's heard rumors that no one, NO ONE, can tolerate O'Reilly much longer, and, well...
14 Sep 04
SUBJECT: Operation Fortunate Son - Status Update
Phase 1. Shop forged NG documents to gullible media outlets
STATUS: Picked up seriously by only one network, debunked same day.
Phase 2. Release Kitty Kelley's gossip book and send her on the talking head circuit
STATUS: Debunked on second day.
Phase 3. Run fabricated cocaine and drunk rumors in The Nation.
STATUS: Debunked on the same day.
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