Posted on 01/19/2006 10:50:57 AM PST by Howlin
On Hardball last night, Chris Matthews said no less than three times that Laura Bush said "God wants New Orleans to be rebuilt."
In the interest of FACTUAL and ACCURATE reporting, here are her EXACT quotes, followed by Matthews' statments.
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"Asked about the comment, Mrs. Bush joked that she didn't really think she could speak for God. Then she added that she believes Nagin wants New Orleans to be rebuilt."
"He wants people who lived in New Orleans to come back," Mrs. Bush said. "I do to, and I know the president does too. You know it's going to take a long time."
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Here are some other sources' inerpretations of what she said:
"He wants people who lived in New Orleans to come back," Mrs. Bush said. "I do to, and I know the president does too. You know it‘s going to take a long time."
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Mrs. Bush, who said her next trip likely will be to New Orleans to visit schools damaged in the hurricane, also reacted to a comment by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin that stirred controversy. Nagin had said: "This city will be chocolate at the end of the day." He later apologized.
Nagin also said the hurricane that devastated New Orleans was God's way of showing displeasure about U.S. involvement in Iraq. "Surely God is mad at America," Nagin said in a speech Monday. "Surely He's not approving of us being in Iraq under false pretense. But surely He's upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."
Asked about the comment, Mrs. Bush joked that she didn't really think she could speak for God. Then she added that she believes Nagin wants New Orleans to be rebuilt.
"He wants people who lived in New Orleans to come back," Mrs. Bush said. "I do to, and I know the president does to. You know it's going to take a long time."
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It's all like that; nobody else said the things he said.
***Now, here is the TRANSCRIPT from MSNBC of last night's show (edited by YaYa123):
"MATTHEWS: What did you make of Laura Bush saying, regarding the Mayor Nagin thing of New Orleans, a very famous guy, obviously controversial, because of the way things went down down there.
But Laura Bush saying, “No, Nagin was wrong when he said that God, whatever, is mad at blacks.” He had a couple of comments which I think are a bit off the wall. But then she came in with one that I think topped him. She said, “God wants New Orleans to be rebuilt.” How does she know? Why are people talking for a deity? We can argue whether there is a God, but then to be hearing voices. This is the Joan of Arc stuff.
ROGERS: There do appear to be a lot of people hearing divine calling right now. I haven't read what Mrs. Bush said, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
MATTHEWS: She said God wants us to rebuild New Orleans.
ROGERS: Well, maybe he does.
MATTHEWS: Well, sure. Maybe he hasn't give it any thought, I'm not sure. I just don't know, but I wouldn't presume.
ROGERS: I don't want to pick on Mrs. Bush. I don't know what she said. I give her the benefit of the doubt.
MATTHEWS: Well, I just told you what she said. But you can hide behind ignorance.
ROGERS: Ignorance is bliss.
MATTHEWS: I know. I've heard that before.
Dee Dee, what do you make of this godliness on the part of political figures like Nagin, like Robertson talking about how Sharon got sick because he wanted to cut a deal on land and peace? And now the first lady, who everybody likes—I like her—has jumped into the thing and she's talking for God now.
MYERS: I certainly don't look to political leaders of either party to interpret God's intentions for me. And I hope most Americans—and I don't think most Americans do either.
MATTHEWS: I'd like to know where they were last night, let alone tell me where God is. Just give me the basic information—how did they vote and how much they collected. And, by the way, who at the White House has been entertaining Jack Abramoff? Is that a fair question?
________________________________________________________________
(After the segment with Roger Cressey on the Pakistan bombing,which Chris didn't like at all, Chris goes back to Laura bashing: )
"MATTHEWS: Well, mixed bag. Probably most politicians are mixed bags. Most reporters are mixed bags. Most people are. That's fairly safe, isn't it?
He's saying he wants to bring back a chocolate city—a clear ethnic
reference, a racial reference if you will, although race means we're all of
the same race.
ALLEN: Well, he presumed to speak for God which, I think, is a mistake for any of us.
MATTHEWS: Well, what about Laura Bush doing the same thing today, saying God wants to rebuild New Orleans.
ALLEN: Today...
MATTHEWS: Or is that just general lunch-time Christianity, just the kind of thing you say—we know God wants us to rebuild our city, we know God roots for our downtown booster club, we know God—that sort of generalized sort of Kiwanis-type (ph) of religion, you know?
ALLEN: I think a good rule for living—in fact, I just saw this on a billboard the other day—it said “If you want to know what God's thinking, stop talking.”
And maybe that's a good rule for all of us."
I have searched everywhere and I have not found ONE OTHER source that puts those words in Laura Bush's mouth.
The reason I put this post up is because this has GOT TO STOP -- and until we DEMAND that reporters BACK UP what they say, they'll just keep it up.
So I am going to call him out right now:
Chris Matthews, what's your 'source' on your quotes from Laura Bush????
PUT UP OR RETRACT!!!
Please get this information to ANYBODY who can get it out!
Chrisy boy is a moron and cannot spell "retract" much less "source".
Thanks for the ping, Howlin. I hope you're feeling better.
I sent this out to my e-mail list last night and asked them to send an e-mail to MSNBC demanding an apology from Matthews. Haven't heard even the obligatory response from them.
Better, but this make me FUIOUS........and ILL AS A SNAKE!
We shall see what he does tonight!
Did you send this information to Michelle Malkin???
I bet she would LOVE to confront Chrissy about these remarks!!!
Lying ba$tard!
No, send it, please.
Matthews is and always has been a slobbering, fish-mouthed hysteric. He wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and bit him in the arse.
Didn't you hear? Ray Nagin is God.
Owl_Eagle(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
Fabulous response... wish Matthews and some others would listen. Thanks for the post... I'll be emailing him as well.
I don't know how you can sit through Spitball...
we gave it up years ago...
everyone knows Christine "I joined the Peace Corps 'cause I didn't have the balls to join the Marine Corps" Matthews is nothing but a water carrier for the DNC!
BUMP
I believe that Nagin is stupid enough to say something like this, but where and when did he actually say it? If we're taking aim at Chris Matthews for misquoting Laura Bush, it would be helpful to cite the source of Nagin's quote. (Interestingly, in an email exchange this morning, I was asked by the father of a friend of mine, who happens to be a retired editor of a newspaper in the Bay Area, if I have an example of a reporter of hard news who makes things up, or who doesn't check his sources, as I had charged as typical of today's journalists. This example of Matthews' misquote would be a good response.)
The word "He" was capitalized, and everybody knows when you capitalize the personal pronouns "He," "His," etc. you are referring to the supreme Deity.
</sarcasm>
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