Posted on 09/22/2004 10:19:08 PM PDT by ETERNAL WARMING
MEDIA MATTERS Helen Thomas defends Rather 'The real issue is why doesn't the president tell us the truth?'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: September 23, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
Helen Thomas
Helen Thomas, the so-called "dean of the White House press corps," is not blasting up Dan Rather over his use of unreliable documents about President Bush's military record, but instead is targeting Bush himself.
"To me, the real issue is why doesn't the president tell us the truth?" Thomas said Tuesday at a Monmouth University forum on women and journalism in West Long Branch, N.J. "Why doesn't he put out all the documents? Because he can't, because there are too many gaps."
According to the Asbury Park Press, Thomas called Rather "a magnificent reporter" who experienced every reporter's nightmare in connection with his airing of unauthenticated material in a Sept. 8 broadcast of "60 Minutes II."
"Truth is our Holy Grail" she said. "I'm sure everybody is feeling bad about it."
The paper says Thomas wasn't alone in her defense of the CBS Evening News anchor, as her comments were echoed by longtime Associated Press reporter Linda Deutsch.
AP's Linda Deutsch
"This is all so symptomatic of kill-the-messenger mentality," Deutsch said. "They are interested more in Dan Rather. ... The underlying issue of Bush's National Guard Service is ignored. ... People are gloating over it. I find that very disturbing."
On Monday, after 11 days of widespread criticism, Rather apologized and issued a statement saying he no longer will defend the authenticity of documents he used in a report that raised questions about Bush's National Guard service.
Rather's statement said:
Last week, amid increasing questions about the authenticity of documents used in support of a '60 Minutes Wednesday' story about President Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, CBS News vowed to re-examine the documents in question and their source vigorously. And we promised that we would let the American public know what this examination turned up, whatever the outcome. Now, after extensive additional interviews, I no longer have the confidence in these documents that would allow us to continue vouching for them journalistically. I find we have been misled on the key question of how our source for the documents came into possession of these papers. That, combined with some of the questions that have been raised in public and in the press, leads me to a point whereif I knew then what I know nowI would not have gone ahead with the story as it was aired, and I certainly would not have used the documents in question.
But we did use the documents. We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism.
Please know that nothing is more important to us than people's trust in our ability and our commitment to report fairly and truthfully.
Thomas the 84-year-old journalist who admits she asks herself "Who do I hate today?" told the Press both the president and today's news media have fallen short of peak performance, especially when it comes to the amount of presidential press conferences, less than 20.
"I think this administration is the most inaccessible and most secretive that I have covered," Thomas said. "I feel a lot of information that should be in the public domain is hidden."
"I think the press rolled over and played dead," she continued. "Reporters are human beings. They're Americans, too. I think we fell down on the job. We were asleep at the switch.
"I just don't condemn my colleagues. All of us played ball when we should have questioned the president on a regular basis and held him accountable. We defaulted."
In her syndicated column for Hearst Newspapers last month, Thomas blasted Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry for his continued support of what she calls "the disastrous war against Iraq."
"Kerry has blown it big time," she wrote, "rising to Bush's bait and throwing away his ace in the hole Bush's shaky credibility on the profound question of war and peace."
Same person? You make the call.
I heard she still has the original set of kneepads from when she first got into "journalism" back in the 20's.
Yeah, hitch your wagon to Rather's, Helen...
if both candidates released all the records they have we could maybe stop talking about these issues. im sick of hearing about either...
Now that's scary. With a purple cape and shirt, she could almost pass as Sammy Terry..
Give it up Helen, Dan is still not going to sleep with you.
"I think this administration is the most inaccessible and most secretive that I have covered," Thomas said. "I feel a lot of information that should be in the public domain is hidden."
Helen,
They are only secretive and inaccessible to you, You crazy dingbat!
JJ
Mommy, Daddy, make the monster go away.
NO, there was no such thing as FILM when she was YOUNG! ROFLMAO!
Isn't she dead yet? Good grief..like my Nanny used to say, "Only the good die young."
Meooooooowwwwww
Helen when she was young and sexy
Hey, you made a mistake in your post. That's not Helen. That looks like Grandpa Munster.
Ridiculous.
Look at the criminal conduct that Helen's been reduced to defending.
Even al Zarqawi woundn't want her head.
"Truth is our Holy Grail" she said.
This is the same goblin who once said she wakes up wondering "who shall I hate today?"
Uhhhhh.......no. No. Please don't say that.
OK. All kidding aside for a moment. I'm sorry, but I don't think he's continually supported this war. No sirree....
The Billy Goats Gruff
Once upon a time there were three billy goats called Gruff. In the winter they lived in a barn in the valley where they paid outrageous utility rates thanks to Gray Davis. When spring came, they longed to travel up to the mountains to eat the lush sweet grass, have a big steak, and drink beer. They loved driving their gas-guzzling SUV.
On their way to the mountains the three Billy Goats Gruff had to cross a rushing river. But there was only one bridge across it, made of wooden planks. There would have been more bridges but the union workers had been on strike for three years. And underneath the bridge there lived a terrible, ugly, one-eyed troll named Helen Thomas.
Nobody was allowed to cross the bridge without the Helen the Troll's permission - and nobody ever got permission. After engaging in a screaming and virulent anti-Republican diatribe, she always ate them up.
The smallest Billy Goat Gruff was first to reach the bridge. Trippity-trop, trippity-trop went his little hooves as he trotted over the wooden planks. Ting-tang, ting-tang went the little bell round his neck.
"Whos that trotting over my bridge?" growled Helen the Troll from under the planks. "Are you a right winger?"
"Billy Goat Gruff," squeaked the smallest goat in his little voice. "Im only going up to the mountain to eat the sweet spring grass."
"Oh no, youre not!" said Helen the Troll. "Im going to eat you for breakfast! You want anti-abortion justices on the Supreme Court!"
"Oh no, please Ms. Helen the Troll," pleaded the goat. "Im only the smallest Billy Goat Gruff. Im much too tiny for you to eat, and I wouldnt taste very good. And I didn't even vote last time. Why dont you wait for my brother, the second Billy Goat Gruff? Hes much bigger than me and would be much more tasty. Besides, he voted a straight Republican ticket."
Helen the Troll did not want to waste her time on a little goat if there was a bigger and better one to eat, particularly one who was canceling out her votes. "All right, you can cross my bridge," she grunted. "Go and get fatter on the mountain and Ill eat you on your way back!"
So the smallest Billy Goat Gruff skipped across to the other side.
Helen the Troll did not have to wait long for the second Billy Goat Gruff. Clip-clop, clip-clop went his hooves as he clattered over the wooden planks. Ding-dong, ding-dong went the bell around his neck.
"Whos that clattering across my bridge?" screamed Helen the Troll, suddenly appearing from under the planks.
"Billy Goat Gruff," said the second goat in his middle-sized voice. "Im going up to the mountain to eat the lovely spring grass."
"Oh no youre not!" said Helen the Troll. "Im going to eat you for breakfast. You voted for people who are poisoning the air, taking school lunches from children, and trying to destroy the trolls' social security benefits."
"Oh, no, please," said the second goat. "I may be bigger than the first Billy Goat Gruff, but Im much smaller than my brother, the third Billy Goat Gruff. Why dont you wait for him? He would be much more of a meal than me. And I promise not to vote next time."
Helen the Troll was getting very hungry and was worried about being late to a Sinkmaster speech, but she did not want to waste her appetite on a middle-sized goat if there was an even bigger one to come. "All right, you can cross my bridge," she rumbled. "Go and get fatter on the mountain and Ill eat you on your way back! Vote for Bush in 2004 and I'm going to hunt you down and kill you."
So the middle-sized Billy Goat Gruff scampered across to the other side.
Helen the Troll did not have to wait long for the third Billy Goat Gruff. Tromp-tramp, tromp-tramp went his hooves as he stomped across the wooden planks. Bong-bang, bong-bang went the big bell round his neck.
"Whos that stomping over my bridge?" roared Helen the Troll, resting her Clinton DNA-stained chin on her hands.
"Billy Goat Gruff," said the third goat in a deep voice. "Im going up to the mountain to eat the lush spring grass and smoke a good cigar."
"Oh no youre not," said Helen the Troll as she clambered up on to the bridge. "Im going to eat you for breakfast!"
"Thats what you think," said the biggest Billy Goat Gruff. Not only did he vote a straight Republican ticket, but he used his tax savings to buy a Bowflex Home Gym and get into great fighting shape. He lowered his horns, galloped along the bridge and butted the ugly troll. Up, up, up went the Helen the troll into the air... then down, down, down into the rushing river below. She disappeared below the swirling waters, and was drowned. Soon, she would be joined by Terry McAuliffe.
"So much for his breakfast," thought the biggest Billy Goat Gruff. "Now what about mine!" And he walked in triumph over the bridge to join his two brothers on the mountain pastures. From then on anyone could cross the bridge whenever they liked - thanks to the three Billy Goats Gruff. They all vowed to go after any RATS who would stand in the way of the Bush agenda.
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