Bush ‘proud’ to have served in National Guard (MSNBC Impartiality)

MSNBC FrontPage News ^

[Cranky]

Bush 'proud' of National Guard service

[Cranky]

Letter to the Editor: I am under no illusions as to whom MSNBC is supporting in the upcoming presidential election. However, your use of the quotation marks around the word proud in the headline does not allow you to argue that your company is impartial. If you are not impartial then you are partisan. And if you are partisan then there are legal limits under the election laws, that is limits on your 'free' speech, as to your continuing 'coverage' of the election. In other words, I do not believe you can continue to name or use any images of the candidates and that would include the one you are supporting. This is the link to your article http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5999397/ . Please let me know if you find your journalistic integrity. Perhaps a poster on a telephone pole offering a reward will encourage someone to return it to you. By the way, your 'speech' isn't free - I'm paying for it.</

[BillyCrockett]

I just noticed that headline too. Maybe Tommy should join Danny in the "I used to be important" club.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

Laura Bush said the documents were “probably” forgeries, although she did not explain why she thought so.

Because they are forgeries. Does the press ever use this disclaimer for any of Terry McAuliffe's bizarre statements?

[steveegg]

Here's their likely response:

Dear (Cranky),

The placement of quotation marks around the word "proud" is entirely defensible. President Bush used that exact word to describe his service in the National Guard when he said, "Nineteen individuals have served both in the National Guard and as president of the United States, and I am proud to be one of them." Indeed, we put that quote in the story you objected to.

Perhaps we could become completely partisan like our comrades over at CBS. In fact, we will just to prove you right in the future.

Sincerely,
MSNBC flunkie

[steveegg]

Does the press ever use this disclaimer for any of Terry McAuliffe's bizarre statements?

Actually, yes.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe derided Bush as “a fortunate son who has spent his whole life receiving special favors and having strings pulled for him” and accused the president of refusing to “come clean” about the Guard.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

What I mean is something like this:

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe derided Bush as “a fortunate son who has spent his whole life receiving special favors and having strings pulled for him” although he did not explain why he thought so.

McAuliffe also accused the president of refusing to “come clean” about the Guard, although he did not explain why he thought so.

[WestTexasWend]

Just checked their website...they need to make this one:

Kerry "promises" to cut health costs

[RFEngineer]

If he said he was proud of his service (which according to the article he did), then the quotation marks are justified.

Sure they impugn guard service in the article (maybe that should be your complaint) - but they can legitimately headline this story as they have.

There are plenty of things to complain about in the MSM, I don't think this specific instance is one of them.

[Cranky]

I stopped watching ABC News with Jennings on the first night of Desert Storm - he said something blatantly one sided and that was it for me and ABC. Skip forward a decade or so to the weeks following September 11th (look no superscript!) and Ann Curry on the Today Show corrects a guest over his politically incorrect use of the phrase "Allah Akbar" when describing a scenario of an airline hijacking and telling viewers what they should do. That was the end of my NBC news viewing days. CBS has always been suspect to me with their ambush and attack journalism style. Now Dan Blather and crew have confirmed to millions why the rest us don't watch CBS News either.

[2banana]

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) Compares Guard Service To Draft-Dodging. “‘If people went to Canada, if people opposed the war, if people chose to be in the Guard, that’s their choice, and I’ve never raised that in an issue,’ he said.” (Noelle Straub, “Kerry Presents Himself As GOP’s Worst Nightmare,” Boston Herald, 2/3/04)

Kerry Repeats Insult Of Guard. “‘I’ve never made any judgments about any choice somebody made about avoiding the draft, about going to Canada, going to jail, being a conscientious objector, going into the National Guard,’ Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, told Fox News Channel. ‘Those are choices people make.’” (Nick Anderson, “Buoyant Kerry Embraces Role Of Frontrunner,” Los Angeles Times, 2/4/04)

DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe Says National Guard Service Not Part Of Military. “George Bush never served in our military and our country.” (ABC’s “This Week,” 2/1/04)

[steveegg]

Gotcha.

[AMDG&BVMH]

"That brought cheers and a standing ovation from the National Guard crowd."

That is the answer to Blathers' silly list of questions. Rejected.

[donnab]

freep that poll on that page
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5999397/

[cwb]

I've been watching MSNBC and CNN follow both the CBS debacle and Bush's appearance before the National Guard. Each of these networks not only continues to treat the CBS documents as legitimate...they each have taken the oppurtunity, as Bush spoke to the NG, to ask why Bush hasn't answered any questions about his Guard service.

It's simply amazing to watch the media demand that Bush answer every accusation against him...even fraudulent ones, while they continue to ignore the plethora of allegations against Kerry. This same media that has attempted to discredit the SBVT because in their words, Kerry's "official" records run contrary to the accusations against him, has no problem discounting Bush's "official" record and honorable discharge, demanding that he "prove" he served.

As we know enter the third attempt "this year" by the media to make Bush's Guard service an issue, the media has yet to do any thorough investigation into the claims against Kerry. On the contrary, unlike the claims against Bush that have been discredited, the media continues to act as part of the Democrat machine as they actively try to discredit the accusations against Kerry. I've never seen anything like this in my life.

[sharktrager]

Perhaps the used quotes to indicate that was the specific word used by Bush.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

Gotcha.

DOH!