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April 29, 2006
Camera Crew Arrested in Iraq
A event that is bound to pose a dilemma for the journalism elites took place in Iraq on Friday. A camera crew was arrested while filming the approach of a convoy of American troops in Mosul. A search of the car the cameramen were driving uncovered two IED initiating devices. The men also tested positive for explosives residue.
The camera crew claimed to have been hired to film coalition activities, but evidece suggests that it was going to detonate a roadside bomb and film the attack on American troops. Who hired them? al-Zarqawi? al-Jazeera? CNN? NBC? ABC?
Will Eason Jordan issued a statement about reporters targeting American soldiers? Will the Committee to Protect Journalists come to their aid?
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:13 AM
April 28, 2006
White House Press Corps: "I Want My CNN"
The petulent Old Media elites of the White House Press Corps are once again expressing their sense of entitlement. It seems that the group wants to watch CNN instead of Fox News while aboard Air Force One.
This bunch can't stand anything that doesn't have the reassuring ring of its own echo chamber.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:40 AM
April 26, 2006
Snow Takes Over White House Podium
Former Fox News Sunday host and conservative radio commentator Tony Snow became the third White House Press Secretary of the George W. Bush presidency this morning. He succeeds Scott McClellan, who had the job for nearly three years. There are cries of joy and despair on the Right and the Left today, which indicates that it is a solid choice.
Predictably, liberals are saying that the White House has solidified its relationship with Fox News. No comments of the sort were made during the Clinton years when the revolving door between the press and the White House spun so hard that it created a discernable breeze. Nor was there any acknowledgement of the impropriety of the incestuous relationship of the Old Media and the Democratic Party.
Conservatives, including myself, are ebullient with the selection of Snow. Those on the Right felt McClellan was ineffective and weak in his handling of the partisan press corps. I witnessed McClellan’s futile efforts to deal with the hecklers in the front row and was sympathetic to him because I knew that he was not permitted to fight back. McClellan was a shock absorber for the President, a role he played well despite the toll it took.
It is doubtful that Snow will have any such restrictions. I expect the former conservative pundit to slap down the liberal pundits of the White House press corps at the earliest opportunity. Snow knows these people well and will not suffer fools gladly.
A strong presence behind the podium will rally the conservative base that has been displeased with the muddled message coming from the White House. Not only will the delivery improve, but the message content as well. Snow brings an important perspective to a President who has been increasingly out of step with his most ardent supporters on key issues like spending and immigration.
There is a new day dawning in the White House briefing room. It’s a bad day for the liberals who have used it as a base of operations for launching attacks on the Bush administration.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:14 AM
April 22, 2006
Goss' Broom Sweeps Dem Operative from CIA
The dismissal of Mary McCarthy, a CIA employee and former aide to President Bill Clinton, marked the first public firing of people the New York Times and Washington Post refer to "anonymous sources" but the rest of us call leakers and traitors. McCarthy, a contributor to John Kerry's presidential campaign, failed a lie detector test and subsequently confessed to revealing information about the agency's handling of terrorists to reporters.
Washington Post reporter Dana Priest recently won a Pulitzer Prize for articles she wrote using the classified information McCarthy illegally disclosed. Priest has been the target of a Justice Department probe of CIA leaks. New York Times reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau also face questions from DOJ officials about the illegally released details of the National Security Agency's terrorist surveillance program.
McCarthy's firing is just the beginning of the de-Baathification of the CIA. I said this would happen. Stay tuned - it's going to get even better.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:05 AM
April 18, 2006
Old Media in Comedic Role Reversal
The New York Times, NBC News, and Time Magazine are "resisting" subpoenas from lawyers defending Scooter Libby. The Associated Press report about the news organizations' efforts to keep information away from Libby's legal team is full of irony and comedy.
Item 1:
"Lawyers for NBC News, The New York Times and Time Inc. accused a former White House aide Tuesday of threatening the integrity of their news gathering operations..."
Associating "integrity" with their news gathering operations is pure comedy.
Item 2:
"Lawyers for The New York Times depicted Libby as desperate in casting a "wide net" that he hopes will locate "a statement somewhere" that Plame's role as a covert CIA operative was well known in Washington before Novak's column."
This is ironic coming from a newspaper that just won a prize for betraying the CIA's programs for handling terrorists (as well the security of the United States). Plame WAS known around DC, a point that is going to destroy Fitzgerald's case against Libby when these legal maneuvers fail.
Item 3:
"NBC's lawyers said Russert does not have any documents that would show that Plame's CIA employment was known before Novak's column. They said Mitchell's records aren't relevant to the criminal case and are protected from release under the First Amendment."
This is both comic and ironic. Judith Miller's case that went to the Supreme Court determined that reporters HAVE NO exemption from cooperating in a federal investigation. The very weapon the Old Media used in their attempt to topple the Bush administration has instead stripped them of the First Amendment protection they now want to hide behind.
The Valerie Plame affair will get even more interesting when reporters are called to the stand - if the indictment isn't dropped before then.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:12 PM
The Big Nothing Continues to Unravel
Have you noticed that all of the information coming out about the Valerie Plame affair has been bad for Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's case against Scooter Libby and the Old Media's jihad against the Bush administration? Rick Ballard has a piece at the American Thinker that is focused on the glaring omissions in the discussion of the Big Nothing.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:58 AM
Undermine the War on Terror - Win Valuable Prizes!
Journalism’s top awards were announced yesterday and there were few surprises. Dana Priest of the Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for her disclosure of classified information about the CIA’s handling of terrorists. James Risen and Eric Lichtblau of The News York Times were also honored for their exposure of the classified National Security Agency’s terrorist surveillance program. All three are facing a federal investigation into the sources of the leaks that were the basis of their stories.
The Old Media is in steep decline but continues to engage in self-congratulation. The Pulitzer Board won’t even revoke the 1932 prize it gave to Walter Duranty of The New York Times who helped cover up the deaths of millions of Russians as the result of Stalin’s economic policies. In fact, in 2003 the Board explained that it wouldn’t strip the award from the propagandizing reporter.
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:44 AM
April 17, 2006
Valerie Plame Affair Update
The New York Sun helps to shine some light on the Big Nothing that is the Valerie Plame affair. The latest: State Department memo about how Joe Wilson was chosen for the mission to Niger mentioned Plame but didn't indicate her status. Anyone reading the memo could not have known Plame was anything other than someone who worked at the CIA (and had a husband she set up on a trip to Niger).
Interesting tidbit in the last part:
A cable attached to the key memoranda indicates that on September 10, 2001, one day before the terrorist attacks on America, Prime Minister Amadou of Niger told embassy officials "that there were buyers like Iraq who would pay more for Niger's uranium than France." The cable also said American officials received "frequent leadpipe guarantees by the French ambassador here that no uranium diversion to rogue states is possible." A Senate report discussed the alleged comment from Mr. Amadou, but did not give the exact date.
This is another of the many "I told you so" moments that lie ahead in the Valerie Wilson affair.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:05 AM
Old Media's Statistical Obsession
The Old Media focuses on numbers it thinks helps to support its agenda. Since the invasion to Iraq, the Old Media has morbidly kept a running body count of American combat deaths always making the point that the toll is "mounting". What else could it be? It also dramatically emphasizes round numbers as milestones.
The Old Media has added a new statistic that suits its needs: The number of retired generals that have publicly called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to step down. The count stands at six and because there are thousands of retired generals, it is likely there will be more. When another general decides to speak out, the event will be breaking news. Headlines will scream "more pressure", "opposition growing louder", "eroding support", etc. Generals who express confidence in the current leadership will be largely ignored.
Not surprisingly, the Old Media will also ignore statistics that don't support its antiwar position. American combat deaths have been declining over the course of the six months, despite a spike in April.
Similarly, economic news is so good that the Old Media barely reports any, except for the price of gasoline, because that is a negative. The Dow is at five-year highs and job growth grows while unemployment continues to drop. Incomes are up, productivity is up, Gross Domestic Product is up, but all that the Old Media reports is "pain at the pump." Only 18 months ago, the Old Media was amplifying the Democrats' talking point of the "worst economy since the Great Depression."
A wise man once said, “Figures lie and liars figure.”
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:17 AM
April 14, 2006
Plame Affair Judge Threatens Gag Order
The judge hearing the case of Scooter Libby, accused in the Valerie Plame affair is threatening to issue a gag order saying that he would not tolerate "this case being tried in the media." Unfortunately, it's about two years too late for that.
However, the "gag order" does have some appeal if it applies to Joe Wilson and Chris Matthews.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:54 AM
April 13, 2006
Osama Waits While Clinton-Era Terrorists Pursued
Democrats continue to claim that President Bush's failure to capture or kill 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden is proof that he diverted forces dedicated to finding him to the war in Iraq. Tell me then, what does the killing of an al Qaeda terrorist who blew up the U. S. embassy in Kenya in 1998 mean? STORY
Bush and his allies are still rounding up terrorists Clinton never bothered to go after, including bin Laden himself.
Posted by jeffgannon at 01:08 PM
Another Flushgate Has Old Media Swirling Around the Bowl
The White House is fighting back against the fraudulent reporting of the Washington Post and ABC News. The New York Times wanna-be published a story in which it accused President Bush of lying about the trailers found in Iraq that were believed to be mobile bio-weapons labs. The President made statements about the trailers being proof of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but a CIA field report submitted two days before Bush’s interview on Polish television suggested otherwise. It would be months before that information made its way into intelligence reports the President might see.
At Wednesday’s briefing, Press Secretary Scott McClellan lashed out at the frauds in the front row saying,
“Now, I will point out that the reporting I saw this morning was simply reckless and it was irresponsible. The lead in The Washington Post left the impression for the reader that the President was saying something he knew at the time not to be true. That is absolutely false and it is irresponsible, and I don't know how The Washington Post can defend something so irresponsible.”
“You know, I saw some reporting talking about how this latest revelation -- which is not something that is new, this is all old information that's being rehashed -- was an embarrassment for the White House. No, it's an embarrassment for the media that is out there reporting this.”
”I brought up with some of you earlier today some of the reporting that was based off this Washington Post report, and I talked to one network about it and they have publicly -- well, they've expressed their apologies to the White House. I hope they will go and publicly apologize on the air about the statements that were made, because I think it's important, given that they had made those statements in front of all their viewers. And so we look forward to that happening, as well.”
The network McClellan mentioned was ABC, but I don’t recall a public correction, much less an apology. The Washington Post didn’t retract its FALSE story, either.
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:31 AM
April 12, 2006
The Absence of News Speaks Volumes
Q: What news story is missing from the headlines today?
(Pause for your thoughtful reflection.)
A: The results of California's 50th Congressional District special election to replace Duke Cunningham.
There are very few news stories about it because the race didn't turn out the way the Old Media wanted it to. For several weeks, reporters speculated (and hoped) that the Democratic candidate, Francine Busby would beat a crowded field in STOUthe heavily Republican district. While Busby got more votes than any other candidate, she needed over 50% to avoid a June 6 run-off against a single Republican. She got only 44%.
The reporters who had already written their stories of Busby's "historic" victory will have to put them aside for at least another 7 weeks. Liberal pundits and Democratic strategists will also have to postpone the release of their columns and talking points about how Busby's win bodes ill for the GOP in the November mid-terms, the vote is a referendum on the "culture of corruption" and the "dangerous incompetence" of the Bush administration, blah, blah, blah.
The absence of news speaks volumes.
WASHINGTON POST: There's still hope!
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:26 AM
Did Fitzgerald Flub or Did Facts Get in the Way?
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's case against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is being shredded by facts that he ignored in his zeal to bring an indictment against somebody, anybody in the phony Valerie Plame affair. The Washington Post reports that Fitzgerald has ammended his filing of last week to correct a misconception that his verbiage created.
At the same time, Christopher Hitchens is focusing on information left out of the debate over Joe Wilson's trip to Africa and what he did or didn't find. The title of the article, "Sorry everyone, but Iraq did go shopping for uranium in Niger" says it all, but you should read it anyway.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:52 AM
April 11, 2006
Anthrax "Person of Interest" Subpoenas Reporters
Stephen Hatfill is hoping to identify goverment leakers who cast suspicion on him as being behind the 2001 anthrax attacks by hauling reporters into court. STORY
Posted by jeffgannon at 03:45 PM
April 10, 2006
Old Media Turning on McCain
For years, Sen. John McCain enjoyed the favor of the Old Media because he was willing to poke conservative Republicans in the eye. Now that he is trying to mend fences with some on the Right, the liberal media is beginning to turn on the presidential aspirant. I'm surprised it happened so soon. Democrats haven't even nominated Hillary yet. STORY
Posted by jeffgannon at 01:06 PM
April 07, 2006
White House Doesn't Deny It Acted Lawfully
There's more biased reporting coming out of the White House press corps today, where Press Secretary Scott McClellan is being called on to defend the release of information that the President had specific legal authority to do.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:49 AM
A New Liberal Hero Is Born
But will he replace Cindy Sheehan? STORY
Liberals complain that they can't get into Bush's townhall events to ask the President a question. When they get the chance, all they want to do is make a speech. Typical.
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:42 AM
April 06, 2006
Arianna Doesn't Like Jeff Gannon
I might be more concerned if she did. 'Nuff said. STORY
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:13 AM
April 03, 2006
"Kennedy Would Not Recognize His Party"
Fred Hiatt takes Democrats to task in a Washington Post piece about their lackluster plan for homeland security. His concluding sentence, "The pollsters may be satisfied, but John F. Kennedy would not recognize his party," really stood out.
Truth be told, JFK would recognize the Democratic Party because his BROTHER is a member of its radicalized leadership as is the "other JFK", whose cheap imitation of a war hero would be repugnant to the commander of PT-109. He'd more than likely be sickened by its treatment of Sen. Joe Lieberman, one of the few in his party who takes the threat of Islamofascism seriously. I don't believe John F. Kennedy could be elected to anything as a Democrat in 2006, nor would he want to run as one.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:46 PM
April 02, 2006
ABC Exec Apologizes For Bush, Albright Slams
Even though it's only a very small step toward media accountability, it's a start. STORY
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:22 AM