Bwwaaaahahaha
"Better to be wanted by the police than not wanted at all."
Anonymous
Posted on 06/07/2006 5:18:17 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
June 7, 2006
For weeks, the MSM has been billing as a bellwether the congressional by-election in California to replace convicted felon Randy 'Duke' Cunningham. As per the conventional wisdom, if the Democrats managed to take the seat in what is normally a GOP-stronghold, it would be seen as a harbinger of horrible things to come for the Republican congressional majority.
Well, the election was held yesterday, and - whoops! - the Republican, Brian Bilbray, won. So how did Today spin it? Why, silence was suddenly golden. At least as far as the crucial first half-hour, not a word of coverage. Insert your imagine-if-the-Dem-had-won comment here.
While ignoring good GOP news at home, why not drag out Haditha, Abu Ghraib and any other black eyes for America and the Bush administration abroad? The excuse was an Andrea Mitchell-narrated segment on 'Selling America in the Mideast.' Here's a synopsis of Andrea's gloom-'n-doomer:
Mitchell: "How does the Bush administration win friends in the Muslim and Arab world while fighting an unpopular war with Iraq? It only got tougher recently with news of a possible civilian massacre at Haditha. While the facts are yet clear, to Muslim and Arab audiences, Haditha is the latest black eye for U.S. policy. Powerful images transmitted around the world, including on this week's covers of both 'Time' and 'Newsweek' [surprise!]. Before Haditha there was Abu Ghraib and criticisms of treatment of prisoners at at Guantanamo Bay."
Next, a clip of Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland: "Iraq has become a prison of pain for most people in the Arab and Muslim world when they look at America. It is impossible for public diplomacy to overcome that."
NBC then went out of its way to embarrass the Bush administration and Mideast goodwill ambassador Karen Hughes, playing a clip of Hughes on an Arab street, caught asking an aide "how do you say 'friends?'"
Next, another clip of a US academic, Daniel Byman of Georgetown University, opining "The United States has deep problems in the Muslim world and a slightly better marketing effort can improve our image but won't solve the problem."
It got worse. Turns out we're not being nice enough to Hamas. Mitchell:
"The problem isn't only unpopular American wars and prisoner abuse. Mideast critics say while the president preaches democracy, when the Palestinians voted for Hamas, the U.S. cut off funds from the democratically-elected new Hamas government."
The president only 'preaches' democracy? And here I thought he had sent hundreds of thousands of troops and spent hundreds of billions of dollars in an effort giving Afghanistan and Iraq a real shot at democracy.
A woman in a head scarf was shown stating: "Democracy is democracy on US terms rather than the voice of the people really being heard."
Mitchell piled on: "Also undercutting the American argument for democracy, the US has often supported governments in the Middle East that have been brutal in repressing their own people."
Matt Lauer then took his shots:
"Andrea, let me talk to you about Haditha and the alleged massacre there. Adam Putnam who's a Republican congress from Florida who came back from Iraq recently said: 'What we know is pretty ugly stuff. I fear that Haditha can have even greater negative consequences in perception than Abu Ghraib.' Isn't this a situation for the U.S. where the fact the story is being reported, the damage is done?"
Andrea was happy to agree: "That's largely true. Even though there will be an investigation, what we know already is pretty negative. What my colleague Jim Miklaszewski has reporting from the Pentagon is that it's pretty clear that something dreadful happened. John Murtha, a very involved military-supporting member of the Congress [he supports the troops!], said that this is really, really bad example and the investigation will only make it worse. The images have been projected worldwide and that's been absorbed in the Middle East."
In a seemingly endless litany of gloom, Lauer segued: "Let's talk about Guantanamo and the treatment of prisoners there. In recent weeks some officials of key allies have spoken out harshly about Guantanamo. The British attorney general Peter Goldsmith said 'the historic tradition of the U.S. as a beacon of freedom, liberty and justice deserves the removal of this symbol. A prominent Spanish judge said 'a model like Guantanamo is an insult to countries that respect laws.' So, at what point does the Bush administration look at the risk/reward quotient and say is the information from the prisoners worth the damage to our reputation?"
Mitchell identified only one bright spot: the US's recent offer of direct negotiations with Iran coupled with a package of incentives if Iran gives up its nuclear ambitions, that has to be seen around the world as a positive development. Diplomacy over threats of military action?
But Mitchell did see a potential cloud on the horizon: "There will be counter-reaction and criticism from conservatives who opposed any talks with Iran." Yes, it's only those nasty conservatives who stand between America and an outreach to Iran that Jimmy Carter could love.
Ah, the bellwether stuff was sent down the memory hole at Minitrue.
Bwwaaaahahaha
"Better to be wanted by the police than not wanted at all."
Anonymous
They are not making a big deal over the Bilbray/Busby race because it is still "too close to call".
BTW, has Dan Rather called Georgia 2000 for President Bush yet?
Worst display of partisan demagoguery I've ever seen on a major network -- a new low even for NBC and the Today Show. Of course, Matt "fuzzdome" Laurer needed a friendly interview after his pasting at the hands of Ann Coulter. It's now well into the second half-hour and still no mention of Bilbray's 'narrow, razor-slim, just-squeaking by' win of FIVE POINTS. Maybe they have grasped the day school mentality that if they didn't say it, it didn't happen. But, then again, the metamorphosis of 'road rage' into a pathology and a masturbating NY fireman are more important in the long run.
Even the BBC has managed to call it for Bilbray!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5055232.stm
The MSM keeps PUSHING hard the tagline "unpopular war". They are treasonous. What war is popular? Does it matter if a war is popular? If our culture is facing extermination, does it matter if the war is popular? Does the constant emphasis on the use of "unpopular war" help to create and foster ill feelings and sap the resolve of a nation?
I loathe the lying, hippie 60's, agenda-driven media!
Are you serious? I love your stuff here and google Finklestein when I can't find you elsewhere.
Thank you for following these propagandists so I don't have to.
And the golf channel spent a couple of hours chronicling just about every shot of the 36 holes she played. CLick (me turning off the boob tube).
Exactly. You can just imagine the NBC/Today producers sitting around:
"Well, Bilbray won."
"To heck with that. Let's go with Haditha, Abu Ghraib and Gitmo."
"But there's no news on any of those."
"Doesn't matter. We'll do a 'news analysis' piece. Call it 'America's Image in the Mideast.'"
"Yeah, that's the ticket!"
Many thanks - very glad you enjoy it.
Speaking of day school do you think maybe Bilray won because so many people turned out to vote down the preschool deal? It went down pretty hard.
Anyone hear Savage, yesterday? He has a San Diego military lawyer on looking for help in these cases against soldiers. Savage is fit to be tied. I don't like him much, but do agree that this Haditha thing is beyond the pale.
I guess Andrea Mitchell has forgotton that Sudan black Muslims literally picked her Jewish femaleness up and carried her out of the room on a trip with Condi. Hasn't learned a thing.
Well, gee Andrea, how about liberating a few million people in 3 countries from the grips of tyranny and opression? Yep, building schools, hospitals, roads and improving the infrastructure of entire regions, well that is "hardly" a recipe to "win friends". Its all about being "popular" to you isn't it Andrea Greenspan? How is that old coot Alan doing anyway?
The good news is people are getting their "news" elsewhere, ie the internet.
My comment wasn't a criticism of you or Newsbusters. You guys are great, you do a great service exposing the left slant on the news.
Considering there was an independent candidate supported by the Minutemen who got 5%, I'd say Bilbray did very well.
Just analyzing some of the voter info from the state of California election site...the news is much better for Republicans than even the MSM is revealing.
Consider:
In the runoff, there were FOUR candidates, one Republican, one Democrat, one "independent", and one Libertarian. If the independent Griffith was endorsed by the Minutemen (as noted by another FREEPer), then you essentially had THREE CONSERVATIVES going against one liberal.
These three candidates got about 55% of the vote.
In the "primary" for the November election, the total number of votes cast was 101,714...(as of the latest update). Republicans got 56.5% of the votes--the rest went to Democrats.
Democrats are not going to have a dreamy night next November--though every win they DO get will be touted as a giant victory. I don't think they'll be running the House or Senate, though.
Thank God.
Of course, we still have to work very very very hard to ensure that...but this election shows things are not as great for the 'rats as they want us to believe.
Understood - didn't take it as such. I appreciate your comment.
Absolutely the best part of TODAY Show today was this:
http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?f=00&g=8be2e990-cca2-4dfd-8be9-3e13b5d8e643&t=m5&p=Source_Today%20Show
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