Once an Aberration, Twice a Trend? Today Again Questions Dems' Lack of Iraq Plan

Today Show/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

by Mark Finkelstein November 23, 2005 - 07:27.

ESPN loves to run the clip of NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi stomping down the sideline, demanding to know "what the hell is going on around here?"

Watching the Today show the last two mornings, one is tempted to ask the same question.

As reported here http://newsbusters.org/node/2923, Matt Lauer yesterday criticized the Democrats for their lack of a plan for Iraq. This morning, Matt & Co. were, mirabile dictu, back at it again.

Lauer introduced the segment in this surprisingly W-friendly way: "President Bush has taken a beating on Capitol Hill from Democrats unhappy with the way the war is going, but do the president's critics have an exit strategy of their own?"

Norah O'Donnell, who's never been accused of pro-Republican bias, narrated the segment entitled "Do Democrats Have Plan for Iraq?"

She aired a clip of John Kerry, looking increasingly like a Saturday Night Live parody of himself, ponderously proclaiming: "We need to reduce the American presence. The president does not have a plan to do that."

Norah then asked the obvious question: "But where is the Democrats' plan? They've yet to agree on an exit strategy."

O'Donnell then brought in the suave John Dickerson of left-leaning Slate.com, who answered Norah's question in a manner that largely let the Dems off the hook: "the Democratic party doesn't have a good plan for how to get out of Iraq because there is no good plan to get out of Iraq."

As the segment ground to an inconclusive halt, Norah went on to cite Murtha, Hillary, Biden and Kerry to various effect regarding troop withdrawal. But while it was anything but a tough indictment of Democrat hypocrisy, the very fact that the issue of the Dems' lack of an Iraq plan had been put on the table at all was noteworthy.

Sea change at Today? Not likely. Refreshing blip, fleeting as a subliminal 'X'? Perhaps. To be continued . . .

[Lancey Howard]

Now I'm smelling a setup.... "Hopeless quagmire", perhaps? I saw a thread yesterday that proclaimed that the Iraq war "could last for decades". However, I also saw where troop level is to be reduced by one-third by the middle of next year.

Here's what I think: I think that Bush, Rove, and the GOP have a comprehensive plan for election '06 and I think that it includes a massive pullout of troops from Iraq in the fall months.

[Republican Wildcat]

It won't last.

[Verginius Rufus]

Thanks...sometimes I can't keep those leftist airheads straight without a scorecard.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Think you're right. When Today reverts to Bush-bashing form, I'll be there to report it!

[subterfuge]

Kerry's plan is a 'secret' plan, I guess.

But seriously, the media is just doing what it always does: build you up, just to tear you down.

subterfuge

[Freee-dame]

When the previously planned draw down begins, they take credit for pressuring the President to remove our troops. The media (of course) jumps on the bandwagon and asks the President to apologize to the nation for misleading the country into war.

and praises the leftist politicians for their brilliant strategy to end the war in Iraq when their encouragement of the enemy has actually greatly prolonged this war IMHO