[An American!]

Is it OK for Republicans to push talking points? You do realize that the Bush admin did it all the time?
Although the Bush White House worked with common phrases and lingo, and the press secretary made sure to use them over and over, I never saw any reports of behind the scenes manipulation of media such as this one. There are some reports on the usage of things like "more tough fighting ahead" in Iraq, these were done publicly and the the media picked up on it that the Bush Admin was setting expectations etc. That is entirely different than what this article is describing.

[gracesdad]

“I never saw any reports of behind the scenes manipulation of media such as this one.”

I can’t think of an example that was made public, but if you think this didn’t happen in previous administrations (Bush, Clinton, etc.) you really don’t know how this stuff works. I know there were cases where Bush and Clinton people put HEAVY pressure on media not to run certain stories or to change the stories.

They also used “contacts” or people outside the adiminstration to influence the news behind the scenes. Believe me, it was a LOT more than just common phrases or lingo. And on the days when talk show hosts are all talking the same line, do you really think that’s just coincidence?