'Today' Rains on Bush-Blair Parade, Katie & McCain Spar

With the Yankees fresh from taking two-out-of-three from the Red Sox, why not a NewsBuster double-header this morning?

In the opener, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Washington for talks with President Bush, Today did its best to rain on any good news emerging from Iraq.

NBC White House reporter David Gregory obseved that "two leaders who have paid a heavy political price for launching the war in Iraq will stand together tonight before the country to argue there is new reason for hope."

A hope that Gregory was quick to seek dash. Whereas new Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said he expects Iraqi forces to be able to assume major responsibility for securing the country within 18 months, Gregory described it as a "tall order given Iraqi forces have been infiltrated by gangs fueling sectarian violence in the country."

Added Gregory: "Some analysts think the goal is unrealistic, suggesting the Iraqi prime minister may only be telling the U.S. what it wants to hear."

We were then treated to a clip of Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution asserting "we've never had enough troops in Iraq, and the Iraqis are only now beginning now to have enough, where the sum total of everybody in uniform begins to approach the minimal level."

Gregory saved his nastiest shot for last, observing "a dynamic duo after the 9-11 attacks, the Bush-Blair alliance has been reduced to the 'Axis of Feeble' according to a magazine," as Today obligingly displayed The Economist cover pictured here.

In the 'night-cap,' John McCain went to bat against lefty Katie Couric. What are normally the 'friendly confines' of the Today show for the senator turned decidedly chilly when talk turned to McCain's recent commencement speeches.

When McCain spoke at the far-left New School in NYC, many in the audience booed and turned their backs. If the tables had been turned, with a liberal Democrat, say, receiving the same treatment [as unprecedented as that would be] on a conservative campus, one can imagine Today decrying the lack of civility and perhaps devoting a segment to respect for freedom of speech. Here, Katie only quickly asked whether McCain was suprised, and in the same breadth took this shot: "How much do you think Iraq is going to haunt the republicans during the mid-term elections?" You might say Katie was expressing her solidarity with the back-turners.

Things got even frostier when the topic turned to McCain's commencement address at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, as Couric buzzed McCain with this high, hard one:

"Some wonder whether what you gained in appealing to religious conservatives will hurt you with more moderate members of your party if you do run for president. In retrospect, are you glad you made this appearance?"

"two leaders who have paid a heavy political price for launching the war in Iraq...

Wouldn't you love to have a fact-checker standing next to that oaf Gregory. The President and Prime Minster Blair have both been reelected. Their biggest ally, Australia's Howard has also. Chirac and his girlfriend DeVillepin are both in the toilet with job approval maybe half the President's. Shroeder is gone. Canada booted their corrupt "leader" out and put in a conservative. Spain and Italy were lost but our alliance is basically intact.

The media has waged jihad against the President. They have distorted, slanted, filtered and even fabricated news to destroy him. Yes, his popularity is low, but the Democrats' is worse. The media now score lower on trustworthiness than the government in both the US and the UK. Their circulation and advertising revenues are falling. Their TV ratings remain dismal.

Yes Gregory, you and the "journalism" wing of the entertainment industry have hurt the President, but you irreparably damaged yourselves. Your DNC pimps have taken you down with them. You can fly a "Mission Accomplished" banner but we all see it was a suicide mission.

I have watched McCain for years and his opposition is almost entirely from the Ultra Right. He is correct in many of the things he says and does but where he isn't the Hate meter goes off the charts.

McCain did a great job of campaigning for the President in 2004 and gave a great speech at the convention. He is a Patriot who is his own man. However, I do not hate someone merely because I disagree with him. We do have freedom of thought even within the Conservatives.

The reaction of many here to McCain borders on the pathological.

I've watched McCain for years too. He is not a conservative and carries more (political) garbage around than a BFI truck after Thanksgiving.

Most of us elephants have long memories. McCain's behavior to conservatives in 2000 was appalling. He offended legions when he called Rev. Falwell an “agent of intolerance” and an “evil influence” in the Republican party. Recently, he has been sucking up to Falwell and trying to repent, knowing he needs conservative voters if he has a prayer at the nomination.

McCain has managed to trample on political speech by limiting the right of political expression with McCain/Feingold finance law, which is a joke. And last month when Don Imus interviewed him he answered a critics complaint about his campaign finance reform's stance with this gem:

"I would rather have a clean government than one where First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I'd rather have the clean government."

Ah, and one of my favorite John McCain moments is when he immediately labeled the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth as "dishonest and dishonorable" as soon as they came forward against his good buddy, John Kerry.

How nice of him to slander over 200 brave decorated combat Veterans in favor of one sleazy anti-war activist turned media hero, when it suits him. I'll never forget how he treated the families of MIA's when they went to ask for his help. So forgive me if I don't consider John McCain a war hero either.

There are dozens more reasons to distrust and dislike the RINO, John McCain, the most recent being his pathetic stance on securing our borders.

Surely you realize that McCain did a complete turn around and decided to kiss up and make nice/nice and campaign for our President in 2004 due to a political trade off.

I'm going to have to decline listing the DOZENS of other reasons everyone should detest and not trust McCain because it would take up my entire evening. You don't have to do much digging to find them yourself.

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