Pushing a Phony, Bogus Anti-Bush Story

Media Research Center | 20 May 02 | Rich Noyes & Brent Baker

[LavaDog]

Newsweek Editor Reveals: “The Media Beast Was So Happy...We All Jumped Up and Down”

The liberal media are continuing to push the canard they developed last week that President Bush “knew” before September 11 about Osama bin Laden’s scheme to hijack jets as a way to make war against the United States — equating a vague briefing about a possible hijacking with some of the worst scandals of the past two generations.

"Every President seems to struggle through a credibility gap at some stage, such as Richard Nixon with Watergate, Ronald Reagan with Iran-contra, and Bill Clinton with the Whitewater affair. What did he know, and when did he know it? Now it's George W. Bush's turn to answer Washington's favorite question, " Kenneth T. Walsh and Kevin Whitelaw declared in the May 27 edition of U.S. News & World Report.

Amid the media hype, there are some good questions about how effectively U.S. intelligence sifted through all of the real clues and phony leads last summer. But beginning with CNN’s Judy Woodruff — who on Wednesday’s NewsNight charged that "President Bush knew that al Qaeda was planning to hijack a U.S. airliner and he knew it before September the 11th" — media bigwigs have oversimplified and exaggerated the story to put the blame on Bush:

• On Thursday’s Good Morning America, ABC’s Charles Gibson promoted the cynical idea that Bush had faked his shocked reaction. The President’s vague August briefing, Gibson charged, "calls into question what happened when Andy Card, Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff, that morning went and whispered in the President's ear, as the President was talking to a group of school students in Florida. Was the President really surprised?"

• ABC, CBS and NBC each began their Thursday evening newscasts with the story, ratifying its importance: "On World News Tonight, the White House admits President Bush knew before September that Osama bin Laden was plotting to hijack planes. Was there enough information to make a difference?" Peter Jennings rhetorically challenged.

• In his book, Mobocracy, Matthew Robinson exposed the media’s practice of using quick and methodologically-suspect public opinion polls to reinforce the tone of their coverage. Sure enough, on Thursday evening’s NewsNight, anchor Bill Hemmer showcased a CNN poll echoing the liberal media spin that Bush had mishandled the "warnings" he received: "This is only preliminary, it is still early on this story," Hemmer cautioned, "but when asked, ‘Did the Bush administration act on 9/11 warnings in the proper way,’ 41 percent said yes, 52 percent said no."

• Outgoing CBS Early Show host Bryant Gumbel on Friday echoed his brethren by quoting the media’s hoary scandal question: "In light of revelations that the White House had several terrorist warnings prior to the 9/11 attacks, top Democrats are demanding to know what the President knew and when he knew it."

• On Saturday’s McLaughlin Group, Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift shifted a portion of the responsibility from al Qaeda’s terrorists to the White House: "What we learned this week is the President is not entirely blameless" for the death and destruction on September 11.

• On Sunday’s This Week, anchor-designate George Stephanopoulos wrapped an accusation in a compliment when he said the Bush White House has "been very careful with their words and, I think for the most part, the White House has not lied here." For the most part?

Over the weekend, Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas, appearing on Inside Washington, dismissed the media’s idea of a Bush scandal as "phony" and "bogus." He contended that journalists were "so happy to have a scandal here that we jumped up and down and waved our arms and got all excited about it." In other words, liberal journalists put their personal desire for a Bush scandal ahead of accurate reporting. --

[LavaDog]

As the poet Gomer Pyle once said:

SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

[Bahbah]

And there was Dan Rather on Imus this morning repeating the story that Ashcroft stopped flying commercial before 9/11 because of terror threats when anyone paying attention knows this to be false. He was personally threatened. Rather is a liar.

[Dick Vomer]

We should post e-mail and fax numbers everytime the media does Shi'ite like this and freep the little weasels to death. The only good thing about this all is that I haven't watched a "news" program in almost 7 1/2 years and through Free Republic/Drudge/World News I am more current than those that try to "tell me the latest". hahahahaha

[Senator_Blutarski]

In the words of the poet Barney Fife:

"Nip it in the bud!"

[Ciexyz]

Why is Dan Rather still on the air?

[Paul Atreides]

This "Get W" campaign is all a part of the Vast Kneepad Conspiracy.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

He's joined at the hip with Bryant Gumball.

[Ciexyz]

Who does the media think they're fooling? My 75 year old uncle was complaining last night about the media blitz, mimicking the headlines, "What did Bush know and when did he know it?" This man is a WW 2 navy vet and knows bullshit when he sees it, he's Republican all the way, God bless him.

[Alas]

bump

[jackbill]

And there was Dan Rather on Imus this morning repeating the story that Ashcroft stopped flying commercial before 9/11 because of terror threats when anyone paying attention knows this to be false. He was personally threatened. Rather is a liar.

Two points:

1. Fox News reported several days ago on the "personal threats" being the reason why Ashcroft wasn't flying commercial airlines. Mara Liasson tried to imply something sinister about it and Brit Hume cut her off at the pass and said something like "We've known for some time that this was because of personal threats. Way to go Brit.

2. Jim Miklesewski(sp?) called Imus shortly after Blather was on and he reported that Ashcroft was flying government planes because of personal threats.

[LisaFab]

I heard this on the way to work this morning and almost drove off of I-95!

After Rather got off the phone, IMUS talked to fellow lib shill Mickleshevski (I have no idea how to spell this) who spread the lie further. IMUS then went on to say how brilliant the two talking heads were, etc.

Finally after prodding by IMUS to get to the bottom of this "story," Mickleshevski called back and admitted the true nature of the warnings to Ashcroft.

I don't know why I even listen to this garbage in the morning.

[dawn53]

Some of them now have flipped though and are complaining, "What good are all these alerts we're getting?"

Matthews was on this bent last night and it was hysterical. Unfortunately, no one handy to look him in the eye and say, "Look Chris. You can't have it both ways. Do you want to know what the President knows or don't you?"

[Always Right]

I don't recall one major media outlet that was concerned about "rushing to judgement."

[Bahbah]

LOL. It's a good thing I wasn't in the car when I heard this. The business about how smart Rather and Brokaw are nearly sent me over the edge. I listen to Imus mostly because I usually get a few good laughs, but he is also usually better informed than this.

[Wondervixen]

In the words of poet Foghorn Leghorn:

"The Boy's Have Been Educated Beyond Their Intellegence!"

[p. henry]

To paraphrase the great Leghorn: "Listen to me son. I say, I say, listen to me son. This is not a story. This is the media trying to make a story where none exists." And, since it's not working, they are moving on to ever more outrageous lies and suggestions: i.e. Gibson's question about W's reaction of surprise and Rather's misleading comment concernig Ashcroft. They will hang themselves on this one.

[nhoward14]

Yoda to media: Scandel on Bush you think you have, hmmmmmm? The dark side clouds everything.

[Howlin]

I cannot recall anything quite like it before, and I am old enough to have seen a lot of presidents. They really, really hate him.

[aruanan]

Intellegence

intelligence

[KSCITYBOY]

Mainstrean media types are getting desperate - now instead of spinning the news they just out right lie. f****em