Posted on 08/17/2005 5:08:14 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
Today Show: US Soldier in Iraq Zaps Media - "I'd be Depressed Too if I got my News from the Newspapers"
When The Today Show sprung a surprise this morning - an unannounced trip to Iraq by Matt Lauer - one US soldier had a little surprise of his own for Today and the media at large.
Lauer interviewed a group of soldiers at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, and at one point asked about the state of morale. After getting two responses to the effect that morale was good, Lauer had this to say:
"Don't get me wrong, I think you're probably telling the truth, but there might be a lot of people at home wondering how that might be possible with the conditions you're facing and with the insurgent attacks you're facing."
If Lauer was the advocate for the anti-war case, he then made the cardinal mistake that no advocate should make: asking a question to which you don't know the answer.
Asked Lauer: "What would you say to people who doubt that morale could be that high?"
Captain Sherman Powell nailed Lauer, the MSM and the anti-war crowd with this beauty:
"Well sir, I'd tell you, if I got my news from the newspapers I'd be pretty depressed as well!"
Bada-bing!
Powell went on to add that, while acknowledging the difficulties the media face in getting out into the field in Iraq,
"For those of us who have actually had a chance to get out and meet the Iraqi Army and Iraqi police and go on patrols with them, we are very satisfied with the way things are going here and we are confident that if we are allowed to finish the job we started we'll be very proud of it and our country will be proud of us for doing it!"
Finkelstein has degrees from Cornell University and Harvard Law School. He lives in Ithaca, NY where he hosts "Right Angle," a local political talk show. Finkelstein specializes in exposing liberal bias at NBC's Today Show.
Today Show ping.
Bada-bing! ping
Gotta love it.
Kicking the liberal MSM where it hurts BUMP! :>)
Oohrah!
Great rejoinder--we need more of exactly that from the senior leaders as well.
(Insert perky Katie Couric doing "spit take" with coffee, here.)
Oh, that's a huge BUMP right there. Great post.
PLEASE tell us what Lauer responded to THAT zinger! Can you describe the look on his face as well?
great pst, too bad he didn't say "newspapers and morning shows", but a great line nonetheless
A solid shot to the groin!
To his credit, Lauer took it in stride and said something to effect: "perhaps because there's so much emphasis on the insurgency we don't focus on average Iraqis who welcome your presence." He then went on to ask a soldier to describe his interactions with average Iraqis.
But...but...but
I'm taking it that by 'newspapers' he really had the MSM at large in mind.
Liberals can take a shot to the groin since they don't ahve any balls.
i agree that he meant the MSM and they know it. they think he meant the Washington TImes and the WSJ opinion page.
Who in Hades cares what you think?!
And Lauer was really flogging that comPost report, the one about the allegedly lowered expectations. I'd say Gen. Myers sorted that bravo sierra out very nicely, telling Lauer that the DOD knew what the CinC wanted and was going to see that he got it.
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