Posted on 11/14/2005 4:29:25 AM PST by Peach
Tim Russert, Democrat Shill
We realize Tim Russert only got his job at NBC because of Russert’s then boss Senator Patrick Moynihan’s friendship with the then head of NBC News. But Russert regularly goes beyond the call of duty to his DNC overlords.
Behold this lead into a question for GOP head, Ken Mehlman on today’s (November 13th) installment of Meet The Press:
MR. RUSSERT: "On solid intelligence." And then 15 months later, the secretary of state came on this program and said this.
(Videotape, May 16, 2004):
SEC’Y POWELL: But it turned out that the sourcing was inaccurate and wrong, and in some cases, deliberately misleading. And for that, I am disappointed, and I regret it.
(End videotape)
MR. RUSSERT: "Deliberately misleading." That’s the secretary of state. So why can’t Democrats now say that the administration deliberately misled the American people?
Because, Mr. Russert, you are a liar.
The actual context of Powell’s remarks from the cited May 16, 2004 Meet The Press broadcast gives his words an entirely different meaning:
RUSSERT: Thank you very much, sir. In February of 2003, you put your enormous personal reputation on the line before the United Nations and said that you had solid sources for the case against Saddam Hussein. It now appears that an agent called Curveball had misled the CIA by suggesting that Saddam had trucks and trains that were delivering biological and chemical weapons. How concerned are you that some of the information you shared with the world is now inaccurate and discredited?
POWELL: I’m very concerned. When I made that presentation in February 2003, it was based on the best information that the Central Intelligence Agency made available to me. We studied it carefully; we looked at the sourcing in the case of the mobile trucks and trains. There was multiple sourcing for that. Unfortunately, that multiple sourcing over time has turned out to be not accurate. And so I’m deeply disappointed. But I’m also comfortable that at the time that I made the presentation, it reflected the collective judgment, the sound judgment of the intelligence community. But it turned out that the sourcing was inaccurate and wrong and in some cases, deliberately misleading. And for that, I am disappointed and I regret it.
It is clear that in his May 16th remarks Powell was referring to the CIA asset called "Curveball," who had been deliberately misleading. — Not the administration.
In fact in his original answer Powell insisted the administration honestly believed the information the CIA had made available to them and had acted in good faith. But Russert edited Powell’s response to make it sound exactly the opposite.
Doing so, Tim Russert has once again exposed himself to the world as the Democrat hack that he is. Of course this is not news to anyone who has ever watched him.
Agreed, and it wasn't an innocent, by-the-by, "misquote" is was a setup to a trap. Russert knows better -- I would hate to think it was intentional.
To be fair dont you think that asking Dean what solutions the Dems have for any of the problems he whines about when he knows they have none is confrontational too? Dont you think that anyone watching Dean squirm with that question would understand that the Dems dont have any solutions. Also, refresh my memory, what current scandals do the Democrats have, especially involving their congressional leaders? Reporters work with a story line. Due to Libby and Frist and to Ronny Earle, the Republicans do have what appear to be a series of "scandals". So Republican scandals becomes the story line into which reporters try to force their questions and reporting. Get used to it. Until something new and big happens to change the paradigm most reporters will continue in the same vein of questioning.
Also be aware that he has a staff does much of the research for the program. He may well have been fed that quote by a staffer and fully believe that the quote was accurate and in context. Given the number of complaints sent to Russert, I bet their is a researcher hearing an earful this morning.
Russert seems to be personally invested in the "Bush is a liar" story. Wonder why.
As opposed to Libby's flat out lying?
Mike Barnicle and Chris Mathews both got their jobs after working for Tip O'Neil as interns and then staffers for several years. Barnicle and Russert are best friends.
Nothing they say passes the smell test.
Tiny Tim Russert's creditability = 0;
Your proof for the fact that it was deliberate? Or that it was his fault. By your standard of evaluating Russert, you must really believe Libby is guilty of lying through his ass. To anyone prepared, that question is a softball that can easily be hit out of the park. Russert, basically talking a Dem talking point and allowing Mehlman the opportunity to knock it out of the park.
I dont think Scooter needs any more guidance on how to lie.
Great observations! Very true and correct.
But they'll say it's only a "matter of opinion." Remember, with liberals, there's always "a gray area."
Always.
I'd like to clarify one thing re deceased
Senator Moynahan...
He was NOT the breed of Democrat we see in the
Congress today. He was of the old school of
Dems who played the game fairly, always having
the good of the country in mind. While it is
true that he was coerced into passing his
Senate seat to the New York party Honchos ready
to anoint Billary Clinton, Pat Moynahan left
behind him a respected career.
And there are still a very few in the Congress
who remain loyal to the OLD ways of the Dem
Party. But their voices are not heard these
days, and they are guilty of acceding to the
will of the K/K's and Pelosis.
Decades ago, my family were all staunch Democrats.
That was before it became an organization bent on
establishing a bloated Welfare State. Unfortunately,
there are still too many Americans who have never reevalutated their own political roots or seen a
metamorphosis of the Party.
Re Tim Russert. He's just a chubby-faced Mouth
for the Party who tells it like they want it.
First, the very fact that you refer to the partisan, political attacks on DeLay and Frist as "scandals" is revealing. They have not been convicted of anything.
Dem scandals: Durbin's false accusations concerning Americans at Gitmo comparing them to the Nazis, Pol Pot, and the Gulag; Berger's theft and destruction of national security documents; House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi filed a late report for an aide whose trip to South Korea was financed by a group that had registered as a foreign agent, which appears to violate House rules; an inquiry into whether Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and his aides improperly conducted partisan political activities out of his Detroit congressional office; an inquiry into allegations that Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) violated House ethics rules and standards in handing over a tape of an illegally intercepted phone conversation to the press; and an inquiry into whether Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) misused his public office for personal financial gain.
The scandals listed above are the most recent. However, it is readily apparent, "to be fair," that the MSM has a double standard when it comes to reporting them. Clinton's pardons of Rich and the Puerto Rican terrorists, the transfer of technology to the PRC, campaign finance contributions from the sale of the Lincoln bedroom and from overseas, the use of the IRS to attack political opponents, etc. are far more important than what DeLay, Frist, and Libby are being charged with.
:) Thanks.
How do you know Libby is lying? An indictment doesn't mean a conviction. Libby will have his day in court. It is interesting to note that Russert is the primary reason cited in the indictment that Libby is lying. If Russert can distort and mislead with selective quotes from Powell, who is to say that Russert is not lying about what Libby said?
As noted Russert can be as bad as all the rest but on occasion he does a good job.
Despite some of the crap he pulled Sunday he did one very good thing, he got two very specific admissions out of Dean. These admissions are no on tape and can be used against him. In some ways he was giving Dean enough rope to hang himself.
The first admission was that those who say the Democrats have no plan on Iraq, the Economy, Social Security or the other big issues which concern people, are correct. The current Democratic policy is to simply stop the Republicans from carrying out their plans. The Democrats will have a stated policy on these issues eventually in time for the 2006 election. In other words we have no principles or beliefs but we will come up with something to tell the American public so we can win the next election.
Second, when we say Bush lied we really mean mislead. When we say mislead we mean didn't share all the intelligence. When we say didn't share all the intelligence we mean they did gives us all the reports they left out some of the qualifications and caveat. When we say they left out some caveats we mean they gave us the caveats in writing they just did not emphasize them enough.
In other words when we say Bush lied we mean there tone a demeanor did not make us skeptical enough.
I think this is similar to a woman claiming she was raped because; the man did not make it clear in his tone and demeanor, that he not was interested in a long term relationship.
Russert's question was not a softball for Libby to hit out of the park. Russert intentionally used the selective comments of the most admired and trusted man in America, Colin Powell, to associate them with the Dem bogus assertion that Bush lied and intentionally misled the American people. The question was meant more for the viewing audience than for Mehlman. Unless, Mehlman had memorized the Powell quote or had the entire context before him, it would be very difficult to refute what Powell said. The Dem talking point did not contain the Powell quote.
See my post #77 on Libby.
I think this is similar to a woman claiming she was raped because; the man did not make it clear in his tone and demeanor, that he not was interested in a long term relationship.
Insightful.
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