Posted on 03/01/2005 8:27:15 PM PST by bitt
Maureen Dowd's column on Sunday was full of the usual hyperbole and ridiculousness, but one phrase in particular stood out:
"This White House seems to prefer softball questions from a self-advertised male escort with a fake name to hardball questions from journalists with real names..."
I'm confused. Every day Scott McLellan steps into a room filled with big-name journalists - some, like the now-retired Helen Thomas, with political leanings every bit as far to the left as Gannon's were to the right - who ask their "hardball questions." It may be a bit of an overstatement to say the White House press room is a hostile environment, but it certainly isn't a Bush-friendly one.
Dowd's remark brought to mind a recent observation made by Thomas Sowell that "media bias does not consist in having liberal or conservative opinions but in how you do your job -- or don't do it."
Sowell went on to outline the most egregious case of softball journalism we've seen in a while (of which Ms. Dowd and her well-respected paper played a big part): the pass given to John Kerry for not fully releasing his military records.
Here is how the game of softball has been played. In April of last year, Tim Russert asked Senator Kerry about releasing his military records:
MR. RUSSERT: Would you agree to release all your military records? SEN. KERRY: I have. I've shown them--they're available to you to come and look at. MR. RUSSERT: But you'll make all your records public. SEN. KERRY: They are. People can come and see them at headquarters and take a look at them.
Both of these responses were demonstrably untrue. Yet Kerry was never called to account on these falsehoods by members of the press, nor was he pressured into signing Form 180 (the document that gives the government permission to release all military records to the public) even after the Swift Boat Veterans raised questions about about Kerry's service later in the year.
On January 30, 2005 Kerry pledged on national television he would sign Form 180:
MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180? SEN. KERRY: But everything, Tim... MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180? SEN. KERRY: Yes, I will. But everything that we put in it, Tim--everything we put in--I mean, everything that was out was a full documentation of all of the medical records, all of the fitness reports. And I'd call on those who have challenged me, let's see their records. I want to see the records of each of those people who have put up a challenge, because some of them have some serious questions in them, and it hasn't been appropriate.. MR. RUSSERT: So they should sign Form 180s for themselves as well? SEN. KERRY: You bet.
What you didn't see reported by the "journalists with real names" is that the day after Kerry appeared on Meet the Press and called for "those who have challenged me" to release their records, John O'Neill executed a Form 180 and released it to the media authorizing the "total voluntary release of all records to anyone interested"
Jerome Corsi, the co-author of Unfit For Command, did not serve in the military and thus has no records to release. Senator Kerry's office didn't return phone calls asking for the names of other people Kerry would like to see release records.
But the point is moot. On February 7 Senator Kerry not only repeated his pledge to sign Form 180, he said he would do so irrespective of whether others released their records. "I’ll sign it anyway" Kerry told radio show host Don Imus.
Kerry has been stalling for more than a month now, using the canard that he needs extra time to get things "clarified with the military." Not a single "journalist" has thought to question this patently bogus excuse. Executing Form 180 is so simple even a witless columnist from the New York Times could do it in less than 10 minutes.
What conclusions can we draw from all of this? First, Kerry's unwillingness to sign Form 180 means it most likely contains damaging and/or embarrassing information. Second, it is inconceivable that the mainstream press would stand for such behavior if John Kerry was a Republican. Anyone who can't admit that is fool or a liar (or both). And last but not least, we can safely conclude that Maureen Dowd doesn't know the difference between hardball and softball. - T. Bevan
Cool!
I did not see or hear that anywhere on the MSM! Thanks for the news. Will have to search the web tomorrow.
Of course, I'm sure John O'Neill has nothing to hide, so why wouldn't he release his F180?
sKurvy's only hiding a Dishonorable Discharge.
I'm just playing by the rules. ;)
Cableguy:
who'se the chick?
Catherin Zeta Jones. Rules say you gotta post Zeta Jones' pic whenever somebody mentions Dowd so's that Dowd sees a lot of Zeta Jones whenever Dowd does a search on Dowd. ;) 
how about a dc chapter ping asking people to send a blank form 180 to tim russert and to john kerry's office asking for kerry's signature.
we can also email a form 180 in a pdf file to all media and kerry too.
A bizarre and funny play is "Waiting for Godot".
I think we will be "Waiting for Kerry"
Jeff Head, maybe we can adapt "Waiting for Godot" into "Waiting for Kerry" and do a performance somewhere.
..and because, well, any reason to post a Catherine Zeta-Jones pic is a good reason to post a Catherine Zeta-Jones pic.
Don't forget, you want to link her name to the picture. If you don't, we aren't googlebombing the connection.
<a href="http://www.jurassicpunk.com/stars/catherinezetajones/czj5.jpg"> Maureen Dowd</a>
Kerry has been stalling for more than a month now, using the canard that he needs extra time to get things "clarified with the military." Not a single "journalist" has thought to question this patently bogus excuse. Executing Form 180 is so simple even a witless columnist from the New York Times could do it in less than 10 minutes.What conclusions can we draw from all of this? First, Kerry's unwillingness to sign Form 180 means it most likely contains damaging and/or embarrassing information. Second, it is inconceivable that the mainstream press would stand for such behavior if John Kerry was a Republican. Anyone who can't admit that is fool or a liar (or both). And last but not least, we can safely conclude that Maureen Dowd doesn't know the difference between hardball and softball. - T. Bevan
My thanks to BulletBobCo for the concept of this
pic and to Conspiracy Guy for the captions!
When Safire and Friedman were giving Bush his just due desserts, she could not bring herself to do anything but bay at the moon as she usually does in her column. Her range of possibility was revealed once and for all time.
That feature would make a relationship with her actually miserable. Michael Douglas at least is not that stupid.
I googled all over - guess you might have to e-mail T. Bevan for the info
tom@realclearpolitics.com
I am sick of these vicious attacks on my former comrade-in-arms, Lt. JF Kerry. I swam the Mekong into Cambodia on a many moonless night with this brave hero. We carried chloroformed cloths with us in zip-lock baggies, with which we would cause VietCong sentries to pass out by sneaking up soundlessly behind them and pressing them to their faces.
Then JFK would do the lifeguard crawl towing two or three of our hapless and comatose captives back to our HQ for rigorous interrogation, and eventual rehabilitation as Massachussetts dry cleaners and registered Democrats.
I received the first of my 17 Purple Hearts (with Palm) for the vicious case of Swimmer's Ear I contracted on that very Christmas Eve that is seared into the Lt.'s memory. Lt. Kerry was kind enought to mention me in the after-action reports and endorse the awards. I of course, returned the favour by endorsing him for the Croix de Guerre avec Gran Saucisse and recommending him for a Knighthood.
Of course, JFK cannot execute a 180, as all of this is absolutely top bygod-secret. I hope I can rely on the discretion of Freepers everywhere to drop this inquiry and recognize my former CO as the true hero he is.
CC:
THK
JFK: kb
IMHO, Kerry was given a less than honorable discharge because of his anti-American war activities with the radical group VVAW and also for meeting in secret with the Communist Vietnemese in Paris in 1970. After joining the senate he was able to convince people to convert his discharge to an honorable discharge. If he releases ALL of his military records, he is done politically and he knows it.
I agree with you and also with another's suggestion that his original advancement to Lt. was downgraded to 2nd Lt., then perhaps taken away upon his questionable discharge..
I await with baited breath the signing of the 180.
what can I say...
you have convinced me that to continue to explore these allegations further would be a great disservice to our nation...for, his (and your) heroic deeds must remain forever unmentioned, but seared, for their secret but honorable service.
Too bad you gave him your hat, tho.
Teresa has arranged for you to receive a 30% discount on all Heinz products. The Senator is also sending along a discount coupon good on Thursdays at any former VietCong-Owned Dry Cleaning establishment in Massachusetts.
If only more members of the VRWC were like you, George Bush would never have been able to steal that election!
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