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August 31, 2006
Russert Can't Find Dems Who Would De-fund Iraq - But An MSNBC Reporter Could!
Matt Lauer and Tim Russert, went back and forth on the Today Show about President Bush's claim that Democrats would vote to defund the war in Iraq. Russert said that MSNBC hasn't found a single Democrat that wanted to cut off funds for the Iraq war.
MSNBC reporter Tim Curry found one August 16 - two weeks ago! He reported:
The most explicit proposal to end the U.S. deployment to Iraq has the backing of only 17 out of the 201 House Democrats. It does not seem a coincidence that all 17 hold utterly secure seats, therefore are free to say what they wish.
That House measure, the “End the War in Iraq Act of 2005,” (H.R. 4232) was proposed by Rep. Jim McGovern, D- Mass. and would simply cut off funding for the Iraq deployment, except for money needed for "the safe and orderly withdrawal" of U.S. soldiers.
“I wish more in my party felt as I do,” McGovern said Tuesday.
Further, MSNBC found a Democrat who said that some Democrats wanted to de-fund the war:
Amy Klobuchar
Senate, Minnesota
“I am not one that says we should immediately withdraw from the war. I don’t believe that would be the responsible thing to do. For one thing, if there’s any chance that a regional peace-keeping force comes in or the UN comes in . . . I don’t think we can turn our back at that moment . . . We should bring a significant number of the troops home this year and hopefully get the rest out. There are people, especially in my own party, who want to de-fund the war tomorrow and I just don’t think that’s responsible, as much as I’ve been opposed to the war from the beginning.”
- MSNBC.com interview May 29, 2006
Posted by jeffgannon at 02:25 PM
Fat But Accurate
New CBS News anchor Katie Couric is unrepentant about the manipulation of a photograph that conveys a false impression.
I can live with the Perky One wanting to shave a few pints of Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Monkey" from her hips, but trying to pass as a serious, objective newsgal is downright dishonest.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:02 AM
CNN Still Hoping For Fitzmas
CNN Senior Political Analyst Jeff Greenfield is clinging to the fading hope that the Bush presidency will be brought down by the Valerie Plame Affair.
He points to a September 2003 Washington Post (!) article as the basis to be encouraged that some "frog-marching" from the White House might yet take place:
"Before the Novak column was published two top white house officials contacted at least six reporters and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife."
Greenfield writes: If that reporting is right, the questions remain.
Those questions remain only in the minds of liberals whose hatred of George Bush and Karl Rove have made them "Divorced from RealityTM" and blind to the truth.
The only questions to be answered in the future about the Big Nothing are going to be about the prosecutorial misconduct of Patrick Fitzgerald and the role of the media in perpetuating a story it knew to be false.
Joe and Val's lawyer, Melanie Sloan of the left-wing group Citizens for Resposibility and Ethics in Washington (ha!) says the revelation that Armitage, not Rove or Libby were the leakers actually helps (?) the couple's civil suit. I think the Wilsons should be more concerned about Libby's civil suit against them!
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:40 AM
Rummy Shoot, Scores
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld struck a nerve with his speech to the American Legion. Democrats and their Old Media operatives howled when Rummy nailed them. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi led the outrage parade. It's actually comical to watch.
Rumsfeld Speaks, Democrats Screech
Democrats better get used to it. They will hear nothing but the truth about them all the way to November.
Bush Team Casts Foes as Defeatist
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:16 AM
Liberals, Jihadists Agog Over Bush Kill Flick
A British "docudrama" that fanicizes about the assassination of George W. Bush will debut at the Toronto Film Festival around the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Liberal acclaim for the movie and its premise should be good for at least 5 points in favor of the GOP in November.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:11 AM
August 30, 2006
Frog-March Richard Armitage
Forget everything you've ever heard about the Valerie Plame Affair - it's all wrong. A new book co-authored by liberal journalists Michael Isakof of Newsweek and David Corn of The Nation says that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was the Bush administration official who first told reporters about Valerie Plame's employment at the CIA.
That very important revelation has rendered every statement accusing the Bush White House of conspiring to "out" Valerie Plame in order to punish Joe Wilson - inoperative. I use the term "inoperative" for a very specific reason. Democrats and their operatives in the Old Media have compared the Valerie Plame Affiar to the Watergate scandal that toppled Richard Nixon. When Nixon's press secretary Ron Ziegler, had to retract his denials of White House involvement in the burglary and cover-up, he told reporters that his previous statements were "inopertive". That is, they were untrue.
So too, is everything else that has grown up around what I have been calling The Big Nothing for some time. Richard Armitage is the "leaker' - not Lewis "Scooter" Libby or Karl Rove or Vice President Dick Cheney or President George W. Bush.
Armitage should be "frog-marched" out of whatever consulting firm or think tank he parachuted into after leaving the State Department. Not for the leak of that third-rate analyst's name, but for his cowardice in not coming forward at the time he realized that he (his words) "f___ed up." Instead, he betrayed his President, his colleagues and his country by allowing the charade to continue.
Congress should immediately begin an investigation of the conduct of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald in this matter. Fitzgerald knew that Armitage was the source for Robert Novak TWO YEARS AGO, but continued to pursue individuals at the White House. Clearly, he abused his authority and probably committed a raft of ethical violations as well. Americans deserve to know the truth.
Fitzgerald, for his part should drop the phony charges against Libby and apologize to the White House and the American people. I have long believed that the Libby case would never go to trial, now I am certain of it.
Old Media reporters should correct the record and beg for forgiveness. Their conduct in reporting this story is a scandal that exceeds that of Jayson Blair and Rathergate combined. The headline of every major newspaper - especially The New York Times and Washington Post - should for the next 30 days read: WHITE HOUSE DIDN'T LEAK PLAME NAME.
I doubt that anything like I have suggested will take place. The story will fade into oblivion and the unaccountable media will just go on to their next political jihad.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:01 AM
August 25, 2006
The Body Politic Of Liberal Women
Since the heyday of the "Women's Liberation" movement, some members of the fairer sex have been thrusting their feminine body parts into the forefront of American politics. During the 1960s, these women burned their bras as a symbol of breaking the shackles of a male dominated world and unleashing their womanhood. During the 2004 election, antiwar relic Jane Fonda bounced around the country on behalf of her fellow traveller, Democrat John Kerry with her "Vagina Voices" campaign - as if that opening in the middle of her face didn't produce enough toxic rhetoric.
In her latest ploy to regain the attention of the Old Media, antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan has sacrificed her uterus to remind America that she's still around. Sheehan's sister, DeeDee Miller provided the details at New Orleans Veterans for Peace.
If you need a refresher course on what qualifies as a moonbat rant, read the entire article. But for those who just want a chuckle, check this out:
"Cindy lost her womb but opened Camp Casey with loving arms as a metaphoric womb to those brave souls willing to say no more. Willing to say that they love their country enough to stand up for what is right and against what is wrong."
With all due respect to someone who has undergone a serious - though routine - medical procedure, it's called a HYSTER-ectomy for a reason...
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:11 AM
August 24, 2006
California Dem Supporting Iraq Insurgents
Jeeni Criscenzo, the Democrat candidate for the California congressional seat now held by Republican Darrell Issa recently traveled to Amman, Jordan along with 1960s radical Tom Hayden and members of the anti-American Hard Left group CODE PINK to meet with "leaders of the Iraqi people". If you have the stomach, you can read the rant Criscenzo has posted at DailyKos.
Here's the money quote:
"It is important to distinguish between the militia, or death squads and the resistance, particularly when considering the amnesty aspects of the Reconciliation Plan crafted in Cairo last month. Over 95% of the Iraqi people oppose the presence of the U.S. troops in their country and consider the people the U.S. call "insurgents" to be patriotic freedom fighters -- no different that (sic) how we look at the people who fought in our Revolutionary War. Heroic titles go to the victors and if justice is to ever come to the people of Iraq, the people we call insurgents will have to be recognized as the ones who are actually defending their homeland."
There you have it - the insurgents are "defending their homeland" - against American troops!
Which reporter will be the first to ask House Speaker-wannabe Nancy Pelosi if she supports the statements by her home-state Democrat Party colleague?
If you need to be convinced that the radical Left has taken over the Democrat Party, understand that Criscenzo was a protestor at the 2004 Democrat Convention in Boston. Now she's a Democrat candidate!
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:33 AM
Dems Fret Rove's Return
My good friend Julie Hirshfield Davis of the Baltimore Sun has written an article that will strike fear into Democrats everywhere: Rove shifts energy to GOP election strategies
The "Evil Genius" has not been "frog-marched" out of the White House or indicted (as reported with such certainly by Jason Leopold) and is still on the job despite the efforts of Democrats and their Old Media operatives.
Democrats for their part, have peaked too early and now need to be concerned about their waning momentum. Maybe I should say "Joe-mentum" since Ned Lamont's primary win in Connecticut has established something I'm sure Rove will remind voters about all the way to November. Simply stated, the Democrat Party is unwilling and unable to defend America. We've already heard "cut and run", listen for "retreat and defeat".
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:08 AM
What's In A Name?
Democrats are in an uproar about being referred to as members of the "Democrat Party". One writer claims it is a slur used by Republicans to emphasize the "rat" in Democrat.
New Yorker: The "IC" Factor
Houston Chronicle: Politically Incorrect
What will they say about Herman Cain's new phrase: Hezbo-crat ?
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:08 AM
August 23, 2006
AP Democrat Operative Strikes Again
Mary Clare Jalonick, the Associated Press reporter who recently misquoted South Dakota Sen. John Thune as saying that he would "distance himself from President Bush" has now put the hit on another Republican, Sen. Conrad Burns. I'm still trying to figure out how this is even a story. Note how Jablonik works in the "macaca" ca-ca about George Allen that the Dems have been pushing for the past two weeks?
When the AP resorts to getting a negative quote from someone connected to Pat Buchanan, you know how much nothing this is.
"Mary Clare, Howard Dean on Line 1!"
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:44 PM
August 22, 2006
Bush Blast Democrats
President Bush slapped around the Democratic operatives in the White House Press Corps on Monday and laid out Republicans' political strategy for the midterms at the same time.
ABC correspondent Martha Radditz won the DNC talking point prize with this query:
You've continually cited the elections, the new government, its progress in Iraq, and yet the violence has gotten worse in certain areas. You've had to go to Baghdad again. Is it not time for a new strategy? And if not, why not?
Bush on the economy:
I'd be telling people that the Democrats will raise your taxes. That's what they said. I'd be reminding people that tax cuts have worked in terms of stimulating the economy. I'd be reminding people there's a philosophical difference between those who want to raise taxes and have the government spend the money, and those of us who say, you get to spend the money the way you see fit, it's your money. I'd remind people that pro-growth economic policies have helped us cut that deficit faster than we thought.
Bush on Iraq and terror:
This is a global war on terror. I repeat what our major general said -- or leading general said in the region. He said, "If we withdraw before the job is done, the enemy will follow us here." I strongly agree with that. And if you believe that the job of the federal government is to secure this country, it's really important for you to understand that success in Iraq is part of securing the country.
Bush on the Defeatocrats:
What all of us in this administration have been saying is that leaving Iraq before the mission is complete will send the wrong message to the enemy and will create a more dangerous world...In our judgment, the consequences for defeat in Iraq are unacceptable.
I fully understand that some didn't think we ought to go in there in the first place. But defeat -- if you think it's bad now, imagine what Iraq would look like if the United States leaves before this government can defend itself and sustain itself. Chaos in Iraq would be very unsettling in the region. Leaving before the job would be done would send a message that America really is no longer engaged, nor cares about the form of governments in the Middle East. Leaving before the job was done would send a signal to our troops that the sacrifices they made were not worth it. Leaving before the job is done would be a disaster, and that's what we're saying.
I will never question the patriotism of somebody who disagrees with me. This has nothing to do with patriotism; it has everything to do with understanding the world in which we live. It's like the other day I was critical of those who heralded the federal judge's opinion about the terrorist surveillance program. I thought it was a terrible opinion, and that's why we're appealing it. And I have no -- look, I understand how democracy works: quite a little bit of criticism in it, which is fine; that's fine, it's part of the process. But I have every right, as do my administration, to make it clear what the consequences would be of policy, and if we think somebody is wrong or doesn't see the world the way it is, we'll continue to point that out to people.
And, therefore, those who heralded the [NSA] decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people simply don't see the world the way we do. They see, maybe these are kind of isolated incidents. These aren't isolated incidents, they're tied together. There is a global war going on. And somebody said, well, this is law enforcement. No, this isn't law enforcement, in my judgment. Law enforcement means kind of a simple, singular response to the problem. This is a global war on terror. We're facing extremists that believe something, and they want to achieve objectives. And therefore, the United States must use all our assets, and we must work with others to defeat this enemy. That's the call. And we -- in the short run, we've got to stop them from attacking us.
But you know something -- it's an amazing town, isn't it, where they say, on the one hand, you can't have the tools necessary -- we herald the fact that you won't have the tools necessary to defend the people, and sure enough, an attack would occur, and they say, how come you don't have the tools necessary to defend the people? That's the way -- that's the way we think around this town.
And so we'll -- Jim, we'll continue to speak out, in a respectful way, never challenging somebody's love for America when you criticize their strategies or their point of view. And, you know, for those who say that, well, all they're trying to say is, we're not patriotic, simply don't listen to our words very carefully, do they?
What matters is that in this campaign that we clarify the different point of view. And there are a lot of people in the Democrat Party who believe that the best course of action is to leave Iraq before the job is done, period. And they're wrong. And the American people have got to understand the consequence of leaving Iraq before the job is done. We're not going to leave Iraq before the job is done, and we'll complete the mission in Iraq. I can't tell you exactly when it's going to be done, but I do know that it's important for us to support the Iraqi people, who have shown incredible courage in their desire to live in a free society. And if we ever give up the desire to help people who live in freedom, we will have lost our soul as a nation, as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:22 AM
Plame Affair Gets Smaller
The Associated Press is speculating that Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage around the time that Valerie Plame's association with the CIA was beginning to be talked about in Washington circles. The press coverage of the alleged leak of Plame's name has shriveled up now that Karl Rove has not been indicted. Since this whole thing has been a media-driven political prosecution, there is a good chance the charges against Scooter Libby will be dropped after the November election.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:09 AM
August 18, 2006
Murtha Challenger Beats Matthews' Bullying
Diane Irey, a Pennsylvania Republican running against Rep. Jack "Ol Cut and Run" Murtha appeared on MSNBC's "Hardball" on Thursday. Chris Matthews tried to give her the "Michelle Malkin treatment" of rudeness and abuse, but the confident candidate held her ground. If the interview had gone any longer, Matthews' might have had a stroke.
Chrissy seems to be very sensitive about the fact that his own brother is the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania Lt. Governor.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:46 AM
Carter Judge Gives DailyKos Ruling On NSA Program
When Sixth Circuit Judge Anna Diggs-Taylor, a Carter appointee declared the NSA terrorist surveillance program unconstitutional, she issued a 44-page screed that reads like a post from the DailyKos. Bryan Cunningham shreds Diggs-Taylor's legal opinion in an article at National Review, so I'll focus on the verbiage that establishes her "moonbat" credentials:
"Our constitution was drafted by founders and ratified by a people who still held in vivid memory the image of King George III and his General Warrants."
There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution.
Read the RULING
Diggs-Taylor is the same judge who tried to fix the Michigan Affirmative Action case by taking it away from a fellow jurist she beleived harbored doubts about the constitutionality of racial preferences. Exerpt from Opinion Journal article:
"Earlier, Chief Judge Anna Diggs Taylor of the federal District Court in Detroit tried to take the suit against the law school away from Judge Bernard Freedman, who had been assigned it through a blind draw--and who was suspected of being skeptical about affirmative action--and consolidate it with a similar suit against the university's undergraduate admissions practice, which Judge Patrick Duggan was hearing. The chief judge dropped that effort was dropped after the judge hearing the law school complaint went public with a blistering opinion objecting to what he termed "the highly irregular" effort of the chief judge. Judge Duggan ruled in favor of the undergraduate racial preferences, while Judge Freedman ruled against the law school preferences."
Judicial activist or political hack? You be the judge: BIOGRAPHY
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:45 AM
"Peace Activist" Detained In Plane Scuffle
Surprise, surprise! The 59-year-old woman whose bizarre behavior caused a flight from London to be diverted to Boston this week has been described by her son as a "peace activist." Catherine Mayo, a U. S. citizen and resident of Vermont has been living in Pakistan since March.
Here's a sample of her lunatic rantings from 2003:
AN AMERICAN IN PAKISTAN: To the Guantanamo Bay inmates
Catherine Mayo
Bush has redefined justice. Justice is Guantanamo Bay. It is efficient, uncomplicated, a vast improvement over the old unwieldy system of juries, representation, appeals I apologise for what my government has done to you. I know that you are suffering the worst possible traumas that humans can endure — humiliations, tortures, interrogations, no freedom of movement, no comfort while sleeping, no hope. You have been thrown away, while still alive, by people who don’t want to think about you.
The rest of the world cares, other peoples in other nations are worried about what happens to you, but the Americans don’t care. I know this is small comfort to you, but what you are enduring now is what Americans themselves will get for justice before long. The Supreme Court is gone, the Federal Justice system is gone, all that is left is Homeland Security.
If you were to read the US Constitution now, it would read like a fairytale. None of it can be found in actual practice in the country. The only item left standing in the Bill of Rights is the right to bear arms. Americans will insist that they still have their Constitution, that no one has repealed it yet, but if we were to ask them to practice it they would say that they are too busy, they just don’t have the time today.
There's MORE if you can stand it.
The Boston Globe gives Mayo a warm-fuzzy:
Arrest Follows Years Of Outrage
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:06 AM
August 17, 2006
Democrats Wage War Against Wal-Mart
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden was in Iowa on Wednesday making a speech denouncing Wal-Mart. Today's New York Times dutifully reports the event in a splashy article Eye on Election, Democrats Run as Wal-Mart Foe.
Democrats are throwing some red meat to its Hard Left, anti-capitalist base in response to a campaign called Wake Up Wal-Mart. I don't suggest you go over there since two of the headings on the site tell you all you need to know:
TAKE ACTION - Fight for a better America
WAL-MART'S AGENDA - A right-wing America
If Democrats would put as much energy into fighting the war on terror as they do attacking Wal-Mart, maybe they'd have some credibility on national security. The same people who want voters to put them in charge of defending the homeland see a greater threat from cheap underwear than Islamofascism.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:10 AM
Snow Slams NYT, LAT Frauds
If there was any doubt that the White House press operation has finally decided to confront the political operatives who masquerade as objective journalists, read how Press Secretary Tony Snow opened Wednesday's briefing:
One other note: A number of newspapers today had -- or a couple, The New York Times and L.A. Times -- had pieces about the President's meeting the other day with Iraq scholars. Just a couple of nits to pick with the Times piece -- and I have spoken with the notetaker in the meeting, I was in the meeting, I've talked to others in the meeting and I've talked to all four scholars today, and all, to a person, take exception to a verb or variations of that verb that appear a number of times at the top of the piece, which is that the President is "frustrated." He's "frustrated" that the new Iraqi government and the Iraqi people have not shown greater support for the American mission. All the participants said that that did not reflect the meeting they attended.
"A sense of frustration on the lack of progress on the bigger picture of Iraq, generally" -- again, all of those in attendance said that that did not reflect their characterization. And a paragraph that said, "The President expressed frustration that Iraqis have not come to appreciate the sacrifices the United States has made in Iraq and was puzzled as to how a recent anti-American rally in support of Hezbollah in Baghdad could draw such a large crowd." That was unanimously rejected, as well.
Now, as I've said in the past, we tend not to go into detail about what these conversations -- what the people discuss, and I will continue to do that. Obviously, they're free to discuss what they had. But there were two pieces, and one I think did more -- at least reflect in accordance with my notes -- and I tried to be careful about this and tried not to ask leading questions, but I did talk to the four scholars and four others who were involved in the meeting, and all shared the same reflections, and their notes reflected these same points of view.
New York Times article to which Snow referred:
Bush Said to Be Frustrated by Level of Public Support in Iraq
Snow also launched a pre-emptive strike against reporters angling for sound bites by parroting Democratic talking points about a reorganization at the CIA:
There have been a number of allegations in the last few days by Democrats -- and I'll just read you one from Senator Harry Reid yesterday. "Five years after 9/11, al Qaeda has morphed into a global franchise operation. Terror attacks have increased sharply across the world, and the President has shut down the program designed to catch Osama bin Laden." This has become a fairly common refrain, so I thought I would take a couple of minutes to knock it down.
It's flatly untrue. Now, what has happened is that the CIA, in response to exactly what Senator Reid was talking about, a more diffuse al Qaeda, has, in fact, reshaped its unit dealing with al Qaeda to reflect that diffuse threat. But the notion that the President has shut down a program designed to catch Osama bin Laden is utterly without foundation. It was a reorganization, not a reduction, in effort and commitment.
The CIA's efforts to locate bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda figures has not been downgraded. To the contrary, it remains fully committed to locating bin Laden and his collaborators, and is devoting more resources, not less, toward the effort. The decision to reorganize, as I said, reflected changes in al Qaeda. And it's important to note that the effort to capture bin Laden is continuing unabated, and that the CIA's most experienced personnel working this issue remain fully engaged in the fight.
Some of the people making the allegations about the bin Laden unit know perfectly well what the facts are, and you do, too.
Target hit, destroyed.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:45 AM
August 16, 2006
Wilson, Plame Demand To Be Publicly Humiliated
The lawyers for the pathic pair of Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame have announced their intention to "force" Vice President Dick Cheney and White House advisor Karl Rove to testify in the civil suit the couple filed over the alleged leak of the masterspy's "secret indentity".
I welcome the court case, since it will once and for all put into the public record that Plame was not covert. It will also show that Plame was a failure at whatever she was doing over at Langley and more importantly, how she and others at the CIA actively worked against the Bush administration.
Further, Joe Wilson's reputation as an egotistical blowhard will be solidified in the minds all except the most liberal conspiracy theorists who still believe the discredited diplomat is a "truth-telling whistleblower." His role in The Big Nothing has never been accurately reflected in Old Media reports, but a trial would change that - and perhaps expose Wilson to a counter suit for his libelous behavior.
As a sideshow, Wilson and Plame have engaged the liberal "public interest" group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) to be part of its legal team. It would follow that we could expect a solid stream of leaks of information about the proceedings since CREW's Executive Director, Melanie Sloan is a frequent guest on Al Franken's Air America crapfest. That Sloan worked for Democrats on Capitol Hill is no surprise, but the who is quite telling: Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Joe Biden and Rep. John "King Moonbat" Conyers.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:33 AM
August 15, 2006
Judge: Reporters Must Reveal Grand Jury Leaker
The questionable "rights" of journalists to keep sources of information confidential have suffered yet another blow in the case about Barry Bonds' alleged steriod use. A federal judge ordered two reporters for the San Francisco Chroncicle to reveal who it was that leaked grand jury testimony to them.
This ruling follows on the heels of U. S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's successful bid to examine the telephone records of two New York Times reporters who tipped off two Islamic charities suspected of terrorist ties to an impending FBI raid.
Niall Stanage has a thoughtful piece about how a politicized media has undermined the protections of the First Amendment and threatened the free press.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:08 PM
GOP Rep Apologizes To Marine; Murtha Still Libels
Earlier this year, Democratic Rep. John "Ol' Cut and Run" Murtha declared that U. S. Marines had killed innocent Iraqis "in cold blood" during an incident at Haditha last November. In doing so, Murtha pronounced the servicemen guilty even though the investigation was not yet complete and charges still have not been filed against anyone.
One of the Marines implicated, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Democrat for libel. Another member of Congress, Republican John Kline, who reportedly made similar remarks, has formally issued an apology and will not be named in Wuterich's suit.
Kline wrote: "I am, of course, very concerned regarding any allegations surrounding misconduct by U.S. troops in Iraq,...Such allegations must be taken seriously, but we should never rush to judgment before all the facts are known and the military criminal justice process is completed."
Murtha is refusing to apologize or withdraw his statements condemning the Marines.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:07 AM
August 14, 2006
Countering Old Media Spin
For decades, members of the liberal-dominated Old Media have run roughshod over their political opponents, usually Republicans. Jed Babbin points out the need - and the urgency - to balance the spin of the Old Media and the Democratic Party that are so interwined that they are virtually indistinguishable. In his column, "The Contrived News Story" , Babbin recounts how the monopoly power of the Old Media was successfully countered in the 2004 South Dakota senate race:
Think about Sen. John Thune's race. He was lagging badly, bruised and beaten each day by a Dashcle-friendly press in his state. But once the close connections between Daschle and the principal newspaper were exposed, the press lost its value as a weapon against Thune.
Even though he doesn't mention me by name, Babbin is recognizing the impact my 18 months of investigative reporting had on countering the pro-Daschle bias of the local media. This model needs to be repeated throughout American media in order to neutralize the liberal political operatives who seek to influence the outcome of elections with their dishonest reporting.
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:29 AM
August 11, 2006
Bush: "We're at war with Islamic fascists"
Muslims who refuse to denounce terrorism carried out in the name of the "religion of peace" are denouncing President Bush's comments yesterday about the foiled plot to bomb American airliners. This is yet another example of how political correctness is used, particularly by American Muslims to try to intimidate those who would accurately describe this deadly threat to Western civilization.
Fortunately, Bush doesn't care about being PC and certainly isn't concerned about what people say about him or what the Old Media push polls say. He is resolute in his beliefs, something sorely lacking in his opponents. The President is telling us EXACTLY who the enemy is.
While not all Muslims are terrorists, all of these London "terror suspects" are Muslims. It's time that all Muslims who aren't terrorists to speak up and criticize terrorism - not those who are fighting it.
Two Michigan Muslims Detained On Terror Charges
Egyptian "Students" Missing In US
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:39 AM
Fauxtography
See for yourself how the Old Media stages the images to support its political agenda. VIEW
Pictures as phony as its fake polls and "anonymous sources."
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:58 AM
August 10, 2006
Moonbats Take Flight After Thwarted Airline Plot
When I first heard about the terrorist plot to blow up planes bound for the United States, I wondered how long it would take the Leftist moonbats to suggest Karl Rove was behind it all. Not long, as Townhall notes.
Let me take a shot at their version of events:
1. Joe Lieberman loses primary to Ned Lamont.
2. Karl Rove calls Joe Lieberman to offer support and encouragement to run as an independent candidate. Rove: "We got ya covered, Joe!"
3. White House spokesman Tony Snow tells reporters that Democrats need to support the war in Iraq or risk another 9/11.
4. RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman portrays Democrats as defeatist and cowards.
5. Talking points to right-wing surrogates mention George McGovern and Jane Fonda.
6. George Bush to Tony Blair: "Yo Blair, you gotta..."
7. Scotland Yard announces plot and arrests timed so that every news program in the United States will lead with it in the morning to dominate the news cycle.
The moonbats are in full flight and will be screeching on Keith Olbermann's MSNBC crapfest today. The only question to be answered:
Which Democratic member of Congress will be the first to voice the moonbat conspiracy theory?
Cynthia McKinney EVEN
John Conyers 2-1
Maxine Waters 2-1
Lynn Woolsey 5-2
Barbara Boxer 4-1
Jim McDermott 7-1
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:08 AM
Gore's Inconvenient Truth
Like most limousine liberals, environmentalist fearmonger Al Gore wants Americans to "do as I say, not what I do." An OpEd in USA Today outlines Gore's hypocrisy when it comes to his own lifestyle.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:39 AM
August 09, 2006
McGovern Wins Connecticut Senate Primary
Liberals are always pining for the "glory days" of 1972. Memories of Jane Fonda and John Kerry and Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein swirl in their heads like psychodelic bong smoke. After three decades of hiding among the civilian population secured by Ronald Reagan's defeat of Soviet Communism, liberals have once again emerged to aid and abet America's enemies.
Liberals want to "cut and run" from Iraq and leave it to the terrorists in the same way they did in 1975 when they cowardly retreated from Vietnam and condemned a generation to oppressive Communist rule. Young liberals don't know this lesson of history because the liberals who marched in 1972 are the same ones indoctrinating students on America's college campuses with Leftist ideology.
The liberals who helped Ned Lamont win in Connecticut are the people who want voters to believe that they will keep America safe. Traditional Democrats face a dilemma that Joe Lieberman has correctly articulated. The Democratic Party of John Kennedy and Henry "Scoop" Jackson that was stronly pro-defense has become the party of Teddy Kennedy and Jesse Jackson, who make common cause with those who would do us harm.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:22 AM
More Fauxtography: NYT's "Dead Man Walking"
The New York Times publishes a photo essay about an airstrike in Lebanon that shows a man who is very much alive in three photos, then instantly "dead" in the fourth. This is unconscionable journalistic fraud, but just another day at Pinch's "Old Grey Lady".
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:48 AM
E & P Helps Reuters Plead Fauxtography Case
Greg Mitchell and the gang over at Editor & Publisher shamelessly shill for Reuters in the "Fauxtography" scandal. They repeat the statement of Gary Hershorn, a photo editor for Reuters to who told National Public Radio: "I believe he [fired photographer Adnan Hajj] was trying to take a picture and make it better rather than trying to take a picture and make a statement."
This is no different that Dan Rather's "fake but accurate" defense of his phony documents. The Old Media is swirling around the bowl but thinks it's surfing...
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:42 AM
August 08, 2006
Washington Post Pushing 1994 Scenario
The Washington Post has apparently decided buy into the Democrats' wishful thinking that the same circumstances that enabled Republicans to take control of the U. S. House of Representatives in 1994 exists in this year's midterms - and provides a similar advantage for Pelosi & Company to return to power. While it's not unusual for the drivel that runs in an uninterrupted stream from the DNC fax to the WaPo newsroom to appear as a news story, there's a nugget buried inside that slipped by the newpaper's political officer.
The story is premised on the latest push-poll conducted by the newspaper along with ABC News. Of course the numbers support what the writers are espousing, but in the sixth paragraph the following factiod is casually mentioned:
In a small boost for Bush, his approval rating inched up to 40 percent, two percentage points higher than in June and seven higher than in May, suggesting he may have arrested a slide that deeply unnerved Republican lawmakers and strategists.
Bush at 40% approval?
For nearly a year the drumbeat of how bad the President's numbers were and what a drag they were on Republicans running for re-election in the midterms made headlines day after day. Another new low for Bush's approval number was celebrated by the Old Media the same way it gleefully announces another soldier's death in Iraq or a new record price for a barrel of oil or a gallon of gasoline.
Bush's number "inches" up SEVEN points? A seven point shift higher in two months is enormous, considering the political environment. If it had been another seven points lower, I guarantee you would have heard about it by now.
Bush may have "arrested the slide"? I'd say he reversed the trend, not just stopped going lower as the writer would want you to believe.
The Washington Post can't figure out why its circulation is plummeting. Maybe it should do a poll.
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:07 AM
Another Fake New York Times Story?
The ghost of Jayson Blair lives! During the 2004 election, New York Times reporter Elizabeth Bumiller wrote a front-page, above-the-fold story that said there were rumblings among Republicans to dump Vice President Dick Cheney from the ticket. She cited not a single named source in her sensational report. The story was a total fraud - there was never any move on the right to replace Cheney. In fact, Republican loyalists wanted the Vice President to make MORE campaign appearances.
Anne Kornblut offers the same kind of fantasy, this time about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Because Kornblut and others of her ilk want Clinton to become the first woman president (as does Hillary herself) she must believe that voters need to know that the former First Lady is "one of the guys." Thus we have a heartwarming account of a vodka drinking contest between the junior senator from New York and "maverick" Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, also a presidential aspirant. McCain denied the story during an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
The not-so-subtle message is that Clinton can hold her own with powerful men. She probably would have smoked a cigar too, except considering her husband's activities, that might have left a bad taste in her mouth. Still, The New York Times wants you to know that Hill is tough enough to be Commander-in-Chief.
Next week: Hillary goes alligator wrestling with Janet Reno.
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:48 AM
August 07, 2006
Reuters Pulls Doctored Photos
After a blogger at Little Green Footballs exposed the altered photographs Reuters was publishing that made Israeli attacks look worse than they actually were, the wire service fired the photographer and deleted his 920 pictures from its database.
Greg Mitchell, the ultra-liberal editor of Editor & Publisher who last week carried the water for Reuters about staged photographs of the Qana incident has been silent on this development. He must be too busy canvassing the country to see if there is another newspaper contemplating dropping Ann Coulter's syndicated column to concern himself with the most egregious breach of journalistic ethics since Dan Rather's phony Texas Air Guard documents.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:22 AM
August 04, 2006
TESTIFY!
I've been called to testify - but it's not what you think. I will be giving my testimony at church this coming Sunday.
All are invited to attend:
Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 7:00PM
The People's Church
535 8th Street, SE
Washington, DC
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:18 PM
Thune Taken Out Of Context
Recently when I read the headline of an Associated Press story that blared, “Thune Says He’d Distance Himself From Bush”, I was shocked. Not because a Republican senator who gratefully accepted White House support in his 2004 campaign would make such a statement, but because he didn’t. I was at the National Press Club briefing where the quote was reportedly obtained, sitting between the writer of the wire story, Mary Clare Jalonick and The Hill reporter, Jonathan Allen who filed a similar, but more muted account. The three of us sat directly across a table from Senator John Thune (R-SD) for nearly an hour freely asking dozens of questions and with ample opportunity to follow up.
During the wide-ranging discussion, at no time did Sen. Thune offer up remarks that suggested he would separate himself from the President if he were running in this year’s midterms. He also did not advise his Republican colleagues who are now up for re-election to separate themselves from the President. First of all, Thune doesn’t need to, as his record of independence clearly indicates; and, were he to counsel members of his own party to pursue that as a strategy, it’s unlikely he would do so via the media.
Such a newsworthy comment would have warranted a follow up question for confirmation or clarification, but none was forthcoming either during or after the briefing. This demonstrates that the reporter wanted to write a “gotcha” story - one that has reverberated throughout every news outlet in the country – and create a false impression. Thune was unable to get a correction of the story, necessitating the senator’s personal assurances to his colleagues and the White House that he was misquoted.
Such incidents underscore the distrust that conservatives in particular and Americans in general have of an unaccountable media. It is telling that no news outlets except Roll Call and Fox News have done their own reporting on the controversy; seemingly content to take the word of one reporter as gospel.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:01 PM
Clinton Smearmeister Aids Hezbollah
Sidney Blumenthal, Hillary Clinton's creature during her years at the White House, has openly and seemingly proudly taken credit for informing Hezbollah, Syria and Iran that the United States is helping Israel track weapons being transferred to the terrorist group. This behavior is Bush-bashing so blind to the consequences that is deserved to be denounced and prosecuted. Minimally, Sen. Clinton should be called on to comment on the treasonous actions of her former foot-soldier, but we know that no Old Media operative would dare do so.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:58 AM
August 03, 2006
Tom DeLay - Back By Democratic Demand
Texas Democrats have gone to court to keep Tom DeLay from removing himself from the ballot. Now that a federal judge has ruled that the Virginia resident must return to Texas and compete for the seat he resigned in June, the former Majority Leader will need a campaign slogan. My suggestion:
"Tom DeLay - The Choice of Republicans AND Democrats"
Posted by jeffgannon at 04:23 PM
Newsies Deny Staged Kana Photos
The ultra-liberal journalism magazine, Editor & Publisher gleefully carrys the water for the Associated Press, Reuters and others in promoting their denials of participating in staged photographs of the aftermath of an alleged Israeli airstrike.
The clues to look at in E & P's defense of the indefensible:
1. By the fifth paragraph, E & P mention's Rush Limbaugh.
- Attacking Rush Limbaugh is the first refuge of liberal cowards.
2. Patrick Baz, Mideast photo director for AFP said, "Do you really think these people would risk their lives under Israeli shelling to set up a digging ceremony for dead Lebanese kids?"
- What risk? I would think there would be more danger from Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that is by nature hostile to a free, unbiased press.
3. Kathleen Carroll, AP's senior vice president and executive editor said, "It's hard to imagine how someone sitting in an air-conditioned office or broadcast studio many thousands of miles from the scene can decide what occurred on the ground with any degree of accuracy."
- I doubt if Carroll ever questioned how John Murtha was able to determine with certainty that U. S. Marines killed innocent Iraqi civilians at Haditha "in cold blood" as he sat in his air-conditioned congressional office thousands of miles from the scene of something that happened months ago.
It's not 1972 anymore, folks. There is a New Media that will not permit the Old Media to manufacture the news.
More reporting on Kana: Evidence Mounts that Kana "Massacre" Was a Fake
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:57 AM
Thomas Pleads Syria's Case At White House
The Israel-bashing Hearst columnist Helen Thomas was called out Tuesday by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow:
Q [Helen Thomas] The Israeli operations near the Syrian border could very well be an attempt to provoke Syria to get involved in this conflict. Now, Syria has been pretty cool about this, not to get involved. But is there not a fear that this will again be extended if these operations --
MR. SNOW: It sounds to me like you've just made a Syrian argument against Israel, that the Syrians have been "cool" about it. Look, again, we are --
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:12 AM
Liberals Defend Blogger Jailed For Hiding Evidence
The case of Josh Wolf is where liberals go wrong in their application of the First Amendment. Wolf is keeping evidence of crimes away from the court citing protection of his source - except that HE is the source! He filmed attacks on police officers during an anarchist demonstration and has refused to provide the video so that the identity of the perpetrators can be discovered. Naturally, the ACLU is involved.
I recall that last year liberal Democrat moonbats Rep. John Conyers and Rep. Louise Slaughter wanted to subpoena my journals to determine - what? Not surprisingly, no one raised a First Amendment objection.
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:50 AM
Inmates In Charge Of The Asylum
The Washington Post provides a good example of the reason patriotic Americans hold the United Nations 9and the Washington Post) in such low regard:
But in another sign of Hezbollah's growing political clout, U.N. Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown contested characterizations of the Lebanese militia as a terrorist organization in the mold of al-Qaeda and challenged the U.S. diplomatic approach to the crisis. In remarks published Wednesday, he told the Financial Times: "It's not helpful to couch this war in the language of international terrorism."
Hezbollah not a terrorist organization? Growing political clout?
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:21 AM
August 02, 2006
Unmerry "Fitzmas" For The New York Times
The Old Media's favorite Special Prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald is heading for a fall from grace. The non-partisan U. S. Attorney failed to deliver an indictment against Karl Rove and let it slip out that Valerie Plame was not covert and that her "outing" as a CIA employee didn't damage national. Now he is forcing The New York Times to hand over the telephone records of two journalists.
Fitzgerald is trying to determine if government officials leaked information to Judith Miller and Philip Shenon about a 2001 FBI investigation of two Islamic charities with "alleged" links to al Qaeda, the Holy Land Foundation and the Global Relief Fund. The reporters contacted members of the group and either intentionally or inadvertently tipped them off to an impending raid.
Who would believe that reporters for "the newspaper of record" would do anything to undermine national security?
Apparently Fitzgerald does. Merry Fitzmas, Pinch!
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:06 AM
Marine Sues "In Cold Blood" Murtha For Defamation
Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, architect of the Democrat's "cut and run" strategy to end America's involvement in Iraq is being sued for accusing Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians "in cold blood" in Haditha. Even though his Democratic colleague, Rep. William Jefferson, is "innocent until proven guilty" despite significant evidence pointing to bribery and corruption, Murtha has already convicted U. S. fighting forces.
This will be an interesting election sideshow, especially since Murtha has drawn a credible Republican challenger, Diane Irey whose campaign is gaining traction. Additionally, a group of veterans are taking Murtha to task for his remarks. Look for an Old Media attack on the group similar to what it did to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:31 AM
McKinney Lurches Toward Oblivion
Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the pride of Georgia is suing Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor Cynthia Tucker and publisher John Mellott. It seems the Georgia congresswoman objects to any reference to the incident earlier this year during which she "allegedly" struck a Capitol Hill Police officer with her cellphone. UPDATE: E&P RETRACTS STORY
This gal is cooked, trailing far behind her primary run-off opponent. As awful as she is as a lawmaker, I'll be sorry that she will no longer be a member of the Democratic caucus. Of course, there are no shortage of moonbats on that side of the aisle. Maxine Waters, John Conyers, Sheila Jackson Lee, Lynn Woolsey, Dennis Kucinich, Maurice Hinchey, Louise Slaughter, Rose DiLauro, the Sanchez sisters...
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:15 AM
August 01, 2006
Democrat Shuns Gay Writer's Support, Contribution
Robert Casey, Jr., Democratic challenger to Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum recently returned a campaign contribution from a gay sex columnist. The politician objected to homosexual activist writer Dan Savage's obscene missives, particularly those aimed at his electoral opponent. Casey told a reporter, “...every once in a while, I think it’s very important for a public official and a candidate to stand up and say, ‘You know what? What this person said goes over the line."
Posted by jeffgannon at 03:06 PM
Carter Criticizes Israel, Bush On Lebanon
Former President Jimmy Carter takes Israel and the Bush administration to task in today's Washington Post for not preventing or stopping the warfare going on in southern Lebanon right now. Lest we forget, it was Carter that established the policy of appeasement in dealing with terrorists like Yassir Arafat. Islamofascism could have been smothered in its cradle if he had been the leader American needed in 1979.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:58 AM
Leftists Weep For Castro
The news that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro may be desperately ill is shaking the foundations of the Left today. The communist despot has been the darling of Hollywood and the Old Media for nearly half a century and his demise will be devastating. Cindy Sheehan might have to break her "ice cream and smoothie fast" to attend his wake alongside Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez and Rev. Jesse Jackson. MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell is already on her way to Havana to chronicle the passing of architect of the Caribbean "socialist paradise."
The end of the Castro regime may have significant impact on this year's midterm elections. Even the rumors of Fidel's illness drove Cuban exiles into the streets of Miami to celebrate. Which Democratic strategist will be first to privately lament that the possible liberation of the island nation would be a boost to Republicans and the Bush administration?
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:20 AM
Hollywood Conflicted Over Gibson, Hezbollah
Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic outburst during his recent DUI arrest has thrown Hollywood into a quandray. Usually, the Left Coasters rally around a member of the "creative community" that gets into trouble, but Gibson bucked the film industry establishment to make "Passion of the Christ" and is an outspoken Catholic rumored to have conservative leanings. Still, his ranting about Jews sounds similar to the liberal squawking about Israel's retaliation for Hezbollah's attack, moral equivalence and the origins of Islamofascist hatred of the United States.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:19 AM