Free Republic

Because we don’t know, Jack …* On the Monday, June 26 edition of CNN’s “Situation Room,” hosted by Wolf Blitzer, New York Times editor in chief Bill Keller discussed the newspaper’s decision to publish last week details of a secret U.S. Government program to track terrorist financing. Here’s a part of the exchange: KELLER: To the best of my knowledge, three people outside of the administration were asked by the administration to call us. I spoke to one of them. One of them spoke to our Washington bureau chief. One of them spoke to Jill Abramson, our managing editor. All...

06/28/2006Murtha claims he was misquoted U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Johnstown) says he was quoted out of context on two recent occasions. The first occasion, he said, was coverage in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on his appearance in Florida over the weekend. Murtha said, "I was recently misquoted following a speech I gave at a Veterans forum at the Florida International University Biscayne Campus on June 24, 2006. During the speech, I made a point that our international credibility was suffering, particularly due to our continued military presence in Iraq and that we were perceived as an occupying force. For...

Rep. John Murtha (D.-Pa.) appears to be suffering "Daschle-itis," a figurative disease which makes entrenched incumbents become national celebrities and, in the process, risk alienating the voters that put them in office. Since seizing his party's anti-war mantle, Murtha has become a great draw for Democratic fundraisers, helping his party boost its prospects for a congressional takeover. Naturally, this helps his party-leadership bid as well. But at the same time, his outspokenness made him a huge target for the Internet right. His district went for John Kerry with only 51% in 2004. What originally seemed like a long-shot bid by...