- 
 
A-Z
Accounting
Art / Museums
Books+
BusinessNews
Censorship
Comics
/ Links
ComputerNews
Consumer
Dictionaries
Directories
Education
Energy
Entertainment
Environment
FIND
Free-Speech
Genealogy
Government.gov
Guides
Health Medical
History
Humor
I.P.
Intellectual
Property
Intelligence
Labor
Language
Law / Legal
>Law
Enforcement
Library
Links
Linux
Maps
Media
Military
Music & MP3s
NET / WEB
NEWS-STAND
NoteWorthy
Nuclear
Opinion
Parents
People
Politics
Privacy
Radio/ Online
Reference
Science &
Tech
Search/Engines
>SpecialEngines
Seniors
Space
Sports
Terrorism
Travel
TV /Channels
U.S.
Vocabulary
Weather
Webcasting
Women
World
FOCUS:
 Special
Reports
9-11
Meta Index September 11 2001
CLONING
NEWS
STEM
CELL NEWS
ENRON
NEWS
MICROSOFT
NEWS
WORLDCOM
NEWS
Quad
Cities
Tucson
News
_A-Z.Gif's_
A-Z text
Top
|
MEDIA News:
20081109
 Radio
-
-  Opinion
-  Politics
-  People
-  2008
Election -  Obama
-  Government
-  Retirement
-  Money
"Right-wing
media feeds its post-election anger." ... "... [M]any
on the losing end of last week's [2008] election want to hold on to their
anger. And there are those in the media -- led by the likes of [radio talker
Rush] Limbaugh and [Fox tv talker Sean] Hannity -- only too ready to feed
that animus, along with their own ratings." ... "In a time when the nation
calls out for cool leadership and rational discussion, Limbaugh stirs the
caldron, a tendency he proved in a particularly grotesque way last week
when he accused Obama's party of plotting a government takeover of 401(k)
retirement plans." ... ""They're going to take your 401(k), put it in the
Social Security trust fund, whatever the hell that is," Limbaugh woofed.
"Trust fund, my rear end."" ... "A slight problem with Limbaugh's report:
Obama and the Democrats have proposed no such thing." ... "To broadcast
such a report -- so drained of context as to constitute a lie -- would
be a shameless act at any time. But Limbaugh needlessly stirred the fears
of the millions he holds in his thrall -- making the 401(k) thievery sound
like nearly a done deal. Shameless." -By James Rainey
-LAtimes
20081108
Barack
Obama -  John
Boehner
-  Karl
Rove - 2008
Election - Media
- Politics
- Corporate
-  Healthcare
-  Ohio
-  US
-  Iraq
-  Global
-  Climate
"Sunday
Roundup." ... "In the wake of [2008 Election Democratic
President-Elect Barack] Obama's overwhelming victory, and Democratic gains
in the House and Senate, conservatives are desperately trying to convince
the world that these results are meaningless. "Democrats should not make
the mistake of viewing Tuesday's results as a repudiation of conservatism,"
insisted
[Ohio Republican Representative] John Boehner. "Barack Obama understands
this is a center-right country,"
claimed
Karl Rove. "This country remains every bit as center-right as it has for
a generation," parroted
Brent Bozell. And David Brooks dreamed
of an Obama administration that understands "this was an election where
the middle asserted itself." Drunk on self-delusion, a staggering GOP whistles
past the electoral graveyard, missing the whole point of this election:
the center
has shifted, and positions that used to be considered "left-wing" --
on healthcare, on global warming, on corporate responsibility, on Iraq
-- are now solidly mainstream." -By Arianna
Huffington -HuffingtonPost.com
20081029
Barack
Obama -
- Ad
- Media
- 2008
Election -  Families
- Economy
-  Military
- Ohio
-  Missouri
-  Kansas
-  New
Mexico -  Florida
-  Arizona
- - US
- Iraq
"30-minute
Obama ad shows campaign muscle." ... "[2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's
30-minute TV ad, which ran simultaneously on broadcast and cable networks
at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, is muscle-flexing that has little precedent, a
campaign advertising expert said." ... ""It's evidence, if you needed any,
that the Obama campaign has more money than there is ad time left to buy,"
said Evan Tracey, director of the Campaign Media Analysis Group. "This
is flexing the muscles."" ... ""The strategic brilliance of this for Obama
is that he is going to consume about 24 hours of the news cycle," Tracey
said. "It boxes [John] McCain in, takes the oxygen out of the room."" ...
"In the carefully produced infomercial, Obama laid out his plans for the
economy and for bringing an end to the war in Iraq." ... "It also featured
stories of struggling families in swing states such as Ohio and Missouri
and included testimonials from high-profile supporters, including Kansas
[Democratic Governor] Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and New Mexico [Democratic
Governor] Gov. Bill Richardson." ... "Obama's Republican opponent, Arizona
Sen. John McCain, was not mentioned, nor was the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican].
The spot ended with a brief, live Obama address to a rally in Florida,
another hotly contested state in this year's campaign." -By
Richard Allen Greene -CNN
 WATCH
Barack
Obama ad: "American Stories, American Solutions."
"Obama:
"I'm reminded every single day that I am not a perfect man. I will not
be a perfect president. But I can promise you this: I will always tell
you what I think and where I stand. I will always be honest with you about
the challenges we face. I will listen to you when we disagree. And, most
importantly, I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved
in your own democracy again."" - BarackObama.com
20081020
 Cartoon
-  Fashion
-  History
-  Germany
-  Poland
- US
-  McCain
-  Palin
- 2008
Election - /Channel
- Media
- Corp
"Fox
Family Feud Over ‘Family Guy’." ... "A Sunday night
episode of the Fox animated series “Family
Guy” stirred up trouble by suggesting rather directly that Nazi
officers would have supported the McCain-Palin ticket. And it was another
arm of the News Corp. conglomerate, Fox News Channel, that first reported
on the episode." ... "Fox (the broadcast network) aired the episode in
which Stewie, the obnoxious baby character at the center of the series,
and Brian, a talking dog, traveled back in time to Poland during the 1939
German invasion. The characters ambush Nazi soldiers in an alley and steal
their uniforms so they can travel without drawing attention. Putting on
an overcoat, Stewie notices a McCain-Palin campaign button affixed to the
lapel. “Huh, that’s weird,” Stewie remarks." -By Brooks
Barnes -NYTimes
"Family
Guy" cartoon with animated character "Stewie" in a Nazi uniform with a
McCain/Palin button on it:
WATCH
episode of "Family Guy" cartoon with character Stewie in Nazi uniform with
McCain/Palin button
20081007
Reporter
- Politics
- Government
- Financial
- Social
Security -  Accounting
- 2008
Election
"If
Social Security Was a Private Corporation Then it Would Sue Tom Brokaw
for Every Penny He Has." ... "If a news reporter
deliberately makes a false statement claiming that a private company like
Boeing or Microsoft is going broke, the company has the right to sue the
reporter and the news agency. That is why reporters rarely make statements
like Microsoft or Boeing (or Lehman Brothers, AIG, or Goldman Sachs) are
going broke." ... "However, reporters can freely impugn the financial health
of a government program like Social Security because a government program
cannot sue for libel. That is why Brokaw knew that he could imply that
Social Security is going broke, even though it is not true. Social Security
cannot sue Brokaw even if he deliberately tells explicit lies about its
financial health." ... "Those who are interesting in learning about the
true state of Social Security's financial health can find out by looking
at the non-partisan Congressional
Budget Office's website [PDF]." -By Dean
Baker -Prospect.org
20081004
Secret
- John
McCain -  Terrorism
- History
- Money
- Politics
- Radio
- Federal
-  Law
-  Enforcement
- 2008
Election -  Clinton
-  New
York -Arizona
"Why
is the NY Times continuing to ignore McCain's "own Bill Ayers"?"
... "... [The New York[ Times has yet to mention, let alone
devote an entire article to, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's relationship with radio host and
convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy [Republican President Nixon
associate]." ... "As
Media Matters for America has noted,
Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction
for his role
in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist
of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers.
Liddy has acknowledged
preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary";
plotting
to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting
with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating
with investigators; plotting
to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting
to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention
-- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed
from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never
carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed
his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his
shooting targets after [Democratic President] Bill and [New York Senator]
Hillary Clinton." ... "Liddy has donated
$5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February
2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during
the presidential campaign, including as recently as May.
An online
video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07"
includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as
an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence
to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he
was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come
on your program."" ... "Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly
held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled
to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer
reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's
"character":"
"His
[McCain's] campaign officials said Liddy's character will appeal to many
voters because he was following orders from [Republican] President Nixon
and kept silent afterward."
""His
(Liddy's) judgment might be in question, but I don't think his character
is," said Ed Walker, the York County chairman of McCain's campaign. "He
was following orders just like any good soldier, and he didn't tell on
anybody. He felt like he was on a mission and kept his silence.""
"Liddy's
2000 speech was reportedly canceled due to bad weather." ... "In his May
4 [Chicago] Tribune column,
[columnist Steve] Chapman wrote:"
"What
McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers -- in the form
of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent
more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary.
That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret
White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him,
McCain has embraced him."
...
"Last
November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend,"
and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family,"
he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon,
and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles
and philosophies that keep our nation great.""
"Which
principles would those be? The ones that told Liddy it was fine to break
into the office of the Democratic National Committee to plant bugs and
photograph documents? The ones that made him propose to kidnap anti-war
activists so they couldn't disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention?
The ones that inspired him to plan the murder (never carried out) of an
unfriendly newspaper columnist?"
"Liddy
was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American history --
and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he has
no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a prisoner
of war.""
[Chicago
Tribune columnist Steve Chapman]
"
-By Jon Sime -MediaMatters.org
20080923
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Media
- Politics
- Commentary
-  Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Campbell
Brown Rips McCain Camp's "Sexist" Treatment Of Palin."
... "A prominent female news anchor chastised the [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate John] McCain campaign Tuesday evening for engaging
in sexism and insulting behavior in its attempt to shield [2008 Election
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah
Palin from members of the press." ... "In a fiery commentary, Campbell
Brown laid into John McCain for casting a "chauvinistic chain" that ran
over his running mate. Punctuated by a call to "Free Sarah Palin," the
CNN anchor highlighted the attempt Tuesday by the McCain campaign to ban
editorial reporters from covering Palin's visit with world leaders
at the UN, as yet another gender-demeaning move in a campaign highlighted
by sexist behavior." ... ""[Campbell Brown:] "Tonight I call on
the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate
flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska
for crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is confident. And
you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If
that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow
her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters...
Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah
Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing
her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic
chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an
end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this
race as the men do. So let her act like one."" -By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
WATCH:
Female news anchor tell Republican McCain camp to end its "sexist" treatment
of Republican Sarah Palin and "Free Sarah Palin"
20080922
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Politics
- Arizona
- 2008
Election
"The
Media Blackout: Nearly 40 Days and Counting." ...
"As of this writing, it has been 39 days and 22 hours since [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain
last held a news conference (despite having promised to hold weekly Q&A
sessions with the press if he's elected). According to the Democrats, it's
been 24 days and 11 hours since his running mate, [2008 Election Republican
Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin, held one." -By
Michael D. Shear -WashingtonPost
20080911
Media
- US
-  Mexico
"Carlos
Slim Helu, World's Second Richest Man, Buys Large Stake In New York Times."
... "Mexican financier Carlos Slim Helu and members of his family now own
6.4 percent of publicly traded shares in The New York Times Co., according
to a regulatory filing Wednesday." ... "The 9.1 million Class A Common
Shares were purchased by Inmobiliaria Carso, S.A. de C.V, a Mexican holding
company controlled by members of the Slim family, according to a disclosure
report the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission."
-AP via -HuffingtonPost.com
20080904
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Marketing
- Media
- 2008
Election - US
- Foreign
"No
Questions, Please. We'll Tell You What You Need To Know."
... "According to Nicole Wallace of the [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate John] McCain campaign, the American people don't care whether
[2008 Election Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin can answer specific
questions about foreign and domestic policy. According to Wallace -- in
an appearance I did with her this morning on Joe Scarborough's show --
the American people will learn all they need to know (and all they deserve
to know) from Palin's scripted speeches and choreographed appearances on
the campaign trail and in campaign ads." [
WATCH the discussion]
... "Wallace's bash-the-media exercise has its merits as a campaign tactic.
It certainly rallies the base. But the base won't lift McCain to 50% in
November. More importantly, in her smug dismissal of the media's role in
asking questions of the candidates, Wallace was really showing contempt
not for reporters, but for voters." -By Jay Carney
-Time-Blog.com
Sarah
Palin - History
-  Sports
- Journalism
- Television
-  Idaho
- Alaska
- 2008
Election
"Republican
vice presidential nominee Palin changes colleges 6 times in 6 years."
... "Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin seems to have switched
colleges at least six times in six years, including two stints at the University
of Idaho before graduating from there in 1987." ... "She majored in journalism
with an emphasis in broadcast news." ... "Despite her journalism degree,
she does not appear to have worked for the college newspaper or campus
television station, school officials said. She worked briefly as a sportscaster
for KTUU in Anchorage [Alaska] after she graduated college." -By
Nicholas K. Geranios -LAtimes
20080831
McCain
- Palin
- Alaska
- Newspaper
- History
- 2008
Election
"McCain
Camp Didn't Search Palin's Hometown Paper Archives."
... "The [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain
campaign has gone to great lengths to present the selection of [Alaska
Republican] Sarah Palin as one made after a careful, meticulous vetting
process. But evidence continues to suggest that the Arizona Republican
made his VP choice with surprising haste." ... "On Saturday, a Democrat
tasked with opposition research contacted the Huffington Post with this
piece of information: as of this weekend, the McCain campaign had not gone
through old newspaper articles from the Valley Frontiersman, Palin's hometown
newspaper." ... "How does he know? The paper's (massive) archives are not
online. And when he went to research past content, he was told he was the
first to inquire." ... ""No one else had requested access before," said
the source. "It's unbelievable. We were the only people to do that, which
means the McCain camp didn't."" -By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
20080830
Sarah
Palin - Alaska
- Newspapers
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- Politics
- McCain
- 2008
Election
"2
Top Alaska Newspapers Question Palin's Fitness."
... "For the past 24 hours, the pages and web sites of the two leading
papers up there have raised all sorts of issues surrounding [2008 Election
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah] Palin, from her ethics problems
to general lack of readiness for this big step up." ... "A reporter for
the Anchorage daily, Gregg Erickson, even did an online chat with the Washington
Post, in which he revealed that Palin's approval rating in the state
was not the much-touted 80%, but 65% and sinking -- and that among journalists
who followed her it might be in the "teens." He added: "I have a hard time
seeing how her qualifications stack up against the duties and responsibilities
of being president.... I expect her to stick with simple truths. When asked
about continued American troop presence in Iraq, she said she knows only
one thing about that (I paraphrase): no one has attacked the American homeland
since [Republican President] George Bush took the war to Iraq."" ... "Dermot
Cole, a columnist for the Fairbanks paper, observed that he thinks highly
of Palin as a person but "in no way does her year-and-a-half as governor
of Alaska qualify her to be vice president or president of the United States."
... ""One of the strange things Friday was that so many commentators and
politicians did not know how to pronounce her name and had no clue about
what she has actually done in Alaska....I may be proven wrong, but the
decision announced by McCain strikes me as reckless. She is not prepared
to be the next president should something happen to McCain."" -By
Greg
Mitchell -HuffingtonPost.com
20080812
Barack
Obama - Family
-  Hawai'i
-
- Journalist
- Politics
- Military
-Sports
-  Illinois
- 2008
Election
"Akaka
defends Obama's Hawaii vacation from ABC commentator:
Journalist questions [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack]
Obama's vacation in 'foreign' destination." ... "A group called Asian Americans
for Obama sent out a media alert yesterday with the headline, "BREAKING:
Hawai'i is a State," as U.S. [Unisted States Hawaii Democratic Senator]
Sen. Daniel Akaka and others defended U.S. [Illinois Democratic Senator]
Sen. Barack Obama's decision to spend a weeklong vacation in the Islands."
... "Obama had another casual day yesterday: Visit his grandmother at her
Makiki apartment again, watch a movie at the Ward Complex theaters and
go to dinner. But his choice of vacation destinations — his hometown of
Honolulu — prompted [Disney TV's] ABC News' Cokie Roberts to twice call
Hawai'i a "foreign" and "exotic" vacation destination for the man who wants
to be president." ... ""I know his grandmother lives in Hawai'i," Roberts
said on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. "And I know Hawai'i
is a state. But it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign,
exotic place. He should be in Myrtle Beach if he's going to take a vacation
at this time."" ... "But Akaka didn't see any humor in Roberts' comments."
... ""Saying our 50th state is somehow 'foreign,' does a great disservice
to the hardworking, patriotic Americans who call Hawai'i home," Akaka said.
"For months, people have been asking me, 'When is Sen. Obama going to come
home?' I'm so glad he found time to visit his sister and his grandmother,
and for him and his family to bond and recharge in his home state. Hawai'i
is a great U.S. destination; just ask the 5.5 million Americans who visited
last year for business and pleasure."" ... "Akaka's press secretary, Jesse
Broder Van Dyke, wants Roberts to see firsthand evidence of Hawai'i's history
and its role in the country's future." ... ""I would love to take Ms. Roberts
on a tour of O'ahu, with stops at the Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl, followed
by a visit with Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers training for their
second deployment to the Middle East," he said. "Then I would take her
to Eastside Grill to watch Team USA women's volleyball and Bryan Clay.
I would introduce her to Hawai'i residents so she could witness our diversity
and learn about the aloha spirit. Part of what makes America great is the
unique contributions of all 50 states. Sen. Obama has every right to come
home and visit his sister and grandmother."" -By Dan
Nakaso -HonoluluAdvertiser.com
20080810
 John
Edwards -John
McCain - Media
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Obama
- Family
- People
- Money
- History
"Catching
the Wrong John: Why Are the Media Talking about John Edwards' Infidelity
If They Aren't Going to Talk about John McCain's?"
... "If John Edwards' infidelity is news, and he's not a candidate for
anything, why isn't [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John
McCain's? He reportedly had numerous affairs in the years after returning
home from Vietnam to a beautiful wife who had been disfigured in a car
accident, and ultimately, by his own reports, he zeroed in like a laser
on beautiful a 25-year-old heiress upon meeting her one evening in 1979
while he was still married, promptly lied to her about his age, and almost
as promptly left his wife for her. We all extol John McCain for enduring
5 years of extreme hardship in Vietnam. But aren't his first wife's circumstances
much like Elizabeth Edwards'? After all, the first Mrs. McCain waited in
agony (and presumably fidelity) during those five long years for her beloved
husband to return from Vietnam, raising their children while he was away
and undergoing dozens of painful operations herself, only to be repaid
by a philandering husband who ultimately left her for a younger woman."
... "Now personally, I don't think anybody's sex life has any bearing on
a campaign, except to the extent that the candidate runs as a hypocrite,
extolling family values, fighting gays while fighting his own gay demons,
etc. But John McCain is increasingly making this campaign about character,
and his actions over many years suggest some worrisome patterns that fly
in the face of the entire story he tells about himself. Setting aside his
cheating on his first wife, what about his attending to something other
than the people's business as a member of the Keating Five (and ultimately
contributing to a bailout that cost middle class American taxpayers the
equivalent of nearly half a trillion in 2008 tax dollars -- imagine the
middle class tax break we could offer if we weren't still paying off the
principal and debt on that boondoggle); or hiring the most dishonest, amoral
campaign team money could buy in 2008; or generating one fabricated or
grossly misleading charge after another against [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama in the last three weeks (as in his
sleazy new tax ad where, for example, he says Obama would raise taxes on
small businesses when Obama has never proposed anything of the sort)? Like
[Republican] George W. Bush, he doesn't seem like a man who once was lost
but now is found. He [McCain] seems more like a man's whose principles
are soluble in self-interest." -By Drew Westen
-HuffingtonPost.com
20080805
Political
- Terrorism
-  Intelligence
- Crime
- Noteworthy
- Government
- Law
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- History
-Journalist
"Author
claims White House knew Iraq had no WMD: Journalist
Ron Suskind says [Republican President] Bush ordered forgery linking Saddam,
al-Qaeda." ... "President Bush committed an impeachable offense by ordering
the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] to to manufacture a false pretense
for the Iraq war in the form of a backdated, handwritten document linking
Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, an explosive new book claims." ... "The charge
is made in “The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of
Extremism” by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, released today."
... "Suskind says he spoke on the record with U.S. [United States] intelligence
officials who stated that Bush was informed unequivocally in January 2003
that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction. Nonetheless, his book relates,
Bush decided to invade Iraq three months later — with the forged letter
from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam bolstering the U.S. [United
States] rationale to go into war." ... "“It was a dark day for the CIA,”
Suskind told TODAY co-host Meredith Vieira on Tuesday. “It was the kind
of thing where [the CIA] said, ‘Look, this is not our charge. We’re not
here to carry forth a political mandate — which is clearly what this was
— to solve a political problem in America.’ And it was a cause of great
grievance inside of the agency.”" ... "The author writes that Bush’s action
is “one of the greatest lies in modern American political history” and
suggests it is a crime of greater impact than Watergate." ... "The letter"
... "On page 371 of “The Way of the World,” Suskind describes the [Republican
President Bush's] White House’s concoction of a forged letter purportedly
from the hand of [Iraqi intelligence chief Tahir Jalil] Habbush to Saddam
Hussein to justify the United States’ decision to go to war." ... "CIA
officers [Bob] Richer and John Maguire, who oversaw the Iraq Operations
Group, are both on the record in Suskind’s book confirming the existence
of the fake Habbush letter." -By Bob Considine
-MSNBC
WATCH:
Ron Suskind interview on TODAY show.
Government
- Intelligence
-Secretly
- Marketing
- Media
- Opinion
- Noteworthy
- Military
- Terrorism
- Political
- History
-  Book
- US
- Iraq
"Book
says White House ordered forgery." ... "A new book
by the author Ron Suskind claims that the White House ordered the CIA [Central
Intelligence Agency] to forge a back-dated, handwritten letter from the
head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein." ... "Suskind writes in “The
Way of the World,” to be published Tuesday, that the alleged forgery –
adamantly denied by the White House – was designed to portray a false link
between Hussein’s regime and al Qaeda as a justification for the Iraq war."
... "Suskind writes in his new book that the order to create the letter
was written on “creamy White House stationery.” The book suggests that
the letter was subsequently created by the CIA and delivered to Iraq, but
does not say how." ... "The author claims that such an operation, part
of “false pretenses” for war, would apparently constitute illegal White
House use of the CIA to influence a domestic audience, an arguably impeachable
offense." ... "Suskind writes that the White House had “ignored the Iraq
intelligence chief’s accurate disclosure that there were no weapons of
mass destruction in Iraq – intelligence they received in plenty of time
to stop an invasion." ... "“They secretly resettled him in Jordan, paid
him $5 million – which one could argue was hush money – and then used his
captive status to help deceive the world about one of the era’s most crushing
truths: that America had gone to war under false pretenses,” the book says."
... "Suskind writes that the forgery “operation created by the White House
and passed to the CIA seems inconsistent with” a statute saying the CIA
may not conduct covert operations “intended to influence United States
political processes, public opinion, policies or media.”" ... "“It is not
the sort of offense, such as assault or burglary, that carries specific
penalties, for example, a fine or jail time,” Suskind writes. “It is much
broader than that. It pertains to the White House’s knowingly misusing
an arm of government, the sort of thing generally taken up in impeachment
proceedings.”" -By Mike Allen
-Politico.com
20080728
 Jim
David Adkisson - Terrorism
- Media
- Politics
- Radio
- TV/Channel
-  Tennessee
- Religion
- Law
- Police
"Bill
O'Reilly, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity on accused shooter's reading list:
4-page letter outlines frustration, hatred of 'liberal movement'." ...
"Police found right-wing political books, brass knuckles, empty shotgun
shell boxes and a handgun in the Powell [Tennessee] home of a man who said
he attacked a church in order to kill liberals "who are ruining the country,"
court records show." ... "Knoxville police Sunday evening searched the
Levy Drive home of Jim David Adkisson after he allegedly entered the Tennessee
Valley Unitarian Universalist Church and killed two people and wounded
six others during the presentation of a children's musical." ... "Knoxville
Police Department Officer Steve Still requested the search warrant after
interviewing Adkisson. who was subdued by several church members after
firing three rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun into the congregation." ...
"Adkisson targeted the church, Still wrote in the document obtained by
WBIR-TV, Channel 10, "because of its liberal teachings and his belief that
all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and
that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war
on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid
of media outlets."" ... "Adkisson told Still that "he could not get to
the leaders of the liberal movement that he would then target those that
had voted them in to office."" ... "Inside the house, officers found "Liberalism
is a Mental Health Disorder" by radio talk show host Michael Savage, "Let
Freedom Ring" by talk show host Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor,"
by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly [the latter two work for Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp subsidiary Fox TV]." ... "The shotgun-wielding suspect
in Sunday's mass shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist
Church was motivated by a hatred of "the liberal movement," and he planned
to shoot until police shot him, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen
IV said this morning." ... "Adkisson, 58, of Powell wrote a four-page letter
in which he stated his "hatred of the liberal movement," Owen said. "Liberals
in general, as well as gays."" ... "Owen said Adkisson specifically targeted
the church for its beliefs, rather than a particular member of the congregation."
-By Hayes Hickman with contributions by Bob Fowler,
J.J. Stambaugh, Frank Munger and Amy McRary
-KnoxNews.com
20080727
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Broadcast
- Opinion
- Politics
-2008
Election
"In
study, evidence of [conservative bias] liberal-bias bias:
Cable talking heads accuse broadcast networks of liberal bias -- but a
think tank finds that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama than on [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] John McCain in recent weeks." ... "The Center for
Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, where researchers
have tracked network news content for two decades, found that ABC, NBC
and CBS were tougher on Obama than on Republican John McCain during the
first six weeks of the general-election campaign." ... "You read it right:
tougher on the Democrat." ... "During the evening news, the majority of
statements from reporters and anchors on all three networks are neutral,
the center found. And when network news people ventured opinions in recent
weeks, 28% of the statements were positive for Obama and 72% negative."
... "Network reporting also tilted against McCain, but far less dramatically,
with 43% of the statements positive and 57% negative, according to the
Washington-based media center." -By James Rainey
-LAtimes
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Media
- Politics
- Iraq
-  Pakistan
-  Afghanistan
-  Iran
- Kuwait
-  Britain
- US
-  Nuclear
- Military
- Terrorism
-  Gas
- Money
- 2008
Election
"How
Obama Became Acting President." ... "The growing
[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama clout derives
not from national polls, where his lead is modest. Nor is it a gift from
the press, which still gives free passes to its old bus mate [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain. It was laughable to watch
journalists stamp their feet last week to try to push Mr. Obama into saying
he was “wrong” about the surge. More than five years and 4,100 American
fatalities later, they’re still not demanding that Mr. McCain admit
he was wrong when he assured us that our adventure in Iraq would be fast,
produce little American “bloodletting” and “be paid for by the Iraqis.”"
... "Never mind. This election remains about the present and the future,
where Iraq’s $10 billion a month drain on American pocketbooks and military
readiness is just one moving part in a matrix of national crises stretching
from the gas pump to Pakistan." ... "First, on July 7, the Iraqi prime
minister, Nuri al-Maliki, dissed [Republican President] Bush dogma by raising
the prospect of a withdrawal timetable for our troops. Then, on July
15, Mr. McCain suddenly noticed that more
Americans are dying in Afghanistan than Iraq and called for more American
forces to be sent there. It was a long-overdue recognition of the obvious
that he could
no longer avoid: both Robert
Gates, the defense secretary [of Republican President Bush], and [Admiral]
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had already
called for_more
American troops to battle the resurgent Taliban, echoing the policy
proposed by Mr. Obama a
year ago." ... "On July 17 we learned
that [Republican] President Bush, who had labeled
direct talks with Iran “appeasement,” would send
the No. 3 official in the State Department to multilateral nuclear talks
with Iran. Lest anyone doubt that the White House had moved away from the
rigid stand endorsed by Mr. McCain and toward Mr. Obama’s, a former Rumsfeld
apparatchik weighed in on The Wall Street Journal’s op-ed page: “Now
Bush Is Appeasing Iran.”" ... "Within 24 hours, the White House did
another U-turn, endorsing
an Iraq withdrawal timetable as long as it was labeled
a “general time horizon.” In a flash, as Mr. Obama touched
down in Kuwait, Mr. Maliki approvingly cited the Democratic candidate
by name while laying out a troop-withdrawal calendar of his own that, like
Mr. Obama’s, would wind down in 2010. On Tuesday, the British prime minister,
Gordon Brown, announced a major drawdown of his nation’s troops by early
2009." -By Frank Rich
-NYTimes
20080707
 Roger
Ailes - Terrorism
- Television
- Corporate
- Media
- Politics
- People
-
|
