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December 19, 2007
Harry Reid Aids, Abets Terrorist Supporters
Terrorist-supporting Code Pink camped out in Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's Capitol Hill office on Tuesday during breaks from lobbying (in violation of its IRS tax-exempt status) members of the U. S. Senate against funding for the Iraq War.
Harry Reid, aiding America's enemies.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:06 PM
Another Liberal Myth Destroyed
At the height of the Gannongate hysteria, liberal journalism elites and Hillary Clinton's thugs at Media Matters for America justified their crusade against me by suggesting that because "day passes" to the White House briefing room were nearly impossible to get, that there was something sinister about my presence there for two years. To support that theory, Garrett Graff, a former Howard Dean campaign worker, chronicled what he complained was an arduous effort to be allowed into the press briefings as a blogger in March of 2005.
However, now Graff presents himself as a "political expert" and admits in a recent interview that the process to get a "day pass" was, ironically "relatively liberal".
Q: How hard is it to get a press pass?
I mean, you call someone up and say you have this Livejournal which somewhere between 1 and a million people read, and cross your fingers?
Garrett:
Although there was initial reluctance to let me into the White House press briefings in March 2005, ever since the precedent was established the White House has actually been pretty open about letting bloggers in. The White House Correspondents Association, the group that represents the press corps (and throws the huge party each spring that last year got Stephen Colbert in so much trouble), argued successfully in my case that there shouldn't be an arbiter who decides who is a "legitimate" blogger and who isn't. They didn't want to take on that responsibility and neither did the White House press operation, then run by Scott McClellan.
Bloggers can apply for what is known as a "day pass" that lets you enter the White House press room for a single day by supplying your birthday and Social Security Number so they can run a brief criminal background check. The rules basically stand today that they'll let anyone in once -- and as long as you're respectful and not disruptive, you can continue to be let in on a day-by-day basis. The challenge, of course, is getting in the second time. Overall, it's actually a relatively liberal policy -- it's harder to get into places like Congress or the State Department as a blogger.
There are a several admissions that Graff makes that destroys the liberal mythology about my tenure as a White House correspondent:
Myth #1: Giving someone a "day pass" for any length of time is unusual and indicates someone is trying to circumvent the rule.
Graff says: The rules basically stand today that they'll let anyone in once -- and as long as you're respectful and not disruptive, you can continue to be let in on a day-by-day basis.
- That's what I did, coming back day after day while trying to get a permanent "hard pass" as the first exclusively online journalist to cover the White House on a regular basis.
Myth #2: Getting a "day pass" circumented a background check.
Graff says: Bloggers can apply for what is known as a "day pass" that lets you enter the White House press room for a single day by supplying your birthday and Social Security Number so they can run a brief criminal background check.
- I gave the White House all of the information it required and WAS subjected to a background check. (My legal name accompanied my DOB and SSN, which demonstrates that the White House, the Secret Service and anyone else (including the White House Correspondents Association) was aware that I used a professional name.
Bit by bit, reality erodes the liberal mythology surrounding Jeff Gannon.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:47 AM
December 18, 2007
Harry Reid's Winners & Losers
In May 2005, Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid, called President George W. Bush "a loser." Since that time, Bush has proved exactly who the real loser is.
Earlier this year, Reid proclaimed that the "surge" had failed even though it had not yet started and that "the war is lost." Facts on the ground have demonstrated the Reid was WRONG on both counts. However, the Democratic leader is so invested in defeat that he continues to demonstrate that he is DIVORCED FROM REALITY (TM).
The Politico reports Reid's latest outburst after Bush put a big presidential bootprint on the Senate Majority Leader's sorry behind:
"Who's winning?" Reid asked a group of reporters. "Big oil, big tobacco. ... Al Qaeda has regrouped and is able to fight a civil war in Iraq. ... The American people are losing."
Harry Reid, L-O-S-E-R (and a delusional one at that.)
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:46 PM
December 13, 2007
Let Hillary Be Hillary
Liberal feminists are panicked at Sen. Hillary Clinton's drop in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. The cloud of entitlement and inevitability that the former First Lady hoped to ride to the Democratic presidential nomination and on to the Oval Office has dissipated, leaving the campaign floundering.
The slippage produced attacks on rival Barack Obama over past drug use and rumors of a shake-up in the campaign staff. Former President Bill Clinton has hit the trail to help his wife (and himself) return to power. A recent poll indicated that nearly half of likely Democratic voters would cast ballots for her because of him. This revealing statistic caused pundits to question Mrs. Clinton's candidacy.
Liberal Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi recommends the strategy that helped Ronald Reagan win two elections and have an enormously successful presidency. Vennochi says that Bill can't win the election for his wife and suggests that her handlers must "let Hillary be Hillary."
I could not agree more with Vennochi, but for different reasons. Voters should be exposed to the real Hillary Clinton, hear her articulate her qualifications to be Commander-in-Chief as well as specific plans to deal with illegal immigration, national security and the economy and a host of other issues. That would probably put an end to Mrs. Clinton's presidential aspirations.
So far, the media bubble surrounding Mrs. Clinton has kept that from happening. The only glimpse of the real Hillary came during the debate when Tim Russert caught her off-guard with a direct question about New York Governor Elliot Spitzer's plan to give drivers' licenses to illegal aliens.
I'd like to see much, much more of that. Let Hillary be Hillary!
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:05 AM
December 12, 2007
Politico Puts Lipstick On Pig
Liberal Washington Post refugees Jim VandeHei and John F. Harris, now working for the multi-media Politico slathered bright red lipstick on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's kisser then engaged in a heavy session of tongue-wrestling with the San Francisco Democrat in an interview about her first year of leadership. For those aghast at the title of the article and the photograph, please know that the porcine reference is to Pelosi's record of achievement or lack thereof and not the "elegantly styled Speaker, a grandmother of seven."
As the Democrats' first year of House rule since 1994 comes to a close, Pelosi and Company has little to show the restive voters who put them in charge. Yet the Politico boys would have readers believe otherwise. For all of the blather about a "new direction" that Democrats promised, the House has accomplished nothing at all. The lack of progress on any legislative initiatives made the gaffes, miscalculations and defeats even more glaring. Worse yet for Democrats and their angry Bush-hating base is the manner in which the President, written off as a lame duck has outfoxed Pelosi at every turn.
Perhaps no issue has been more important to Democrats than the Iraq War. Pelosi made numerous attempts to secure defeat, but Bush beat her back every single time. Now that the fortunes have changed in America's favor as the result of the "surge" Pelosi opposed, her shrill rhetoric makes her appear even more out of touch with reality.
Democrats tried to convince Americans that they are the party of fiscal responsibility, but their natural tendency to raise taxes and wastefully spend what the federal government steals from its citizens has resulted in a budget showdown with the White House. Bush will likely win this battle also.
Pelosi's stab at being Secretary of State flopped as well. Her sit-down with Syria's Bashir Assad and a push for the condemnation of ally Turkey over something that happened 90 years ago exposed her foreign policy naiveté.
The Speaker's maneuvering to grant special rights to gays also fell flat, failing to deliver on a promise to an important Democratic constituency. All is not well in Hissyville right about now.
As a conservative, the current session of Congress was as good as could have been hoped for with San Fran Nan in charge. If nothing else, voters got a relatively harmless taste of Democratic rule, something that will likely cause them to think twice before pulling the lever for the candidate with a "D" next to the name.
For anyone to suggest that Pelosi's reign thus far has been anything other than an abject failure for the "steel magnolia" and her party is downright dishonest. No matter how much journalistic lipstick is applied to a pig, the creature remains a pig. Unfortunately, Politico's puff piece on Pelosi is what passes for objective political reporting in Washington.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:51 AM
December 11, 2007
No Hope For NBC
Would Network Air Comedian’s Troop Shows Today?
NBC sank to a new low last week when it rejected ads thanking American troops for their sacrifice and offering them Christmas greetings. A network official deemed the spots produced by Freedom’s Watch, a pro-troop organization to be “too political.” The ensuing backlash from patriotic Americans convinced an adult at NBC to reverse the decision after a few days.
The controversy underscored the liberal bias of the Old Media that can no longer be hidden or denied. The mindset that perceives a message of gratitude and support for American troops as "too political" defies any other plausible explanation. The ideological leanings once concealed by a monopoly of three similar television networks and a handful of major newspapers stand naked in the vast expanse of the new media universe and the marketplace of free ideas.
As a child growing up in front of the television during the 1960s, I watched the legendary Bob Hope entertaining the troops fighting for freedom in faraway lands during the Vietnam War on NBC. When my father served in the Army during the Korean War, Bob Hope came to where he was stationed to bring a bit of comfort, joy and encouragement from home. Hope’s last wartime performance for American troops came during the Gulf War.
If Bob Hope was alive and well today, it is almost certain that he would be traveling to Afghanistan and Iraq to entertain the troops. However, it is not clear that NBC would broadcast the show. It seems that anything that can be construed to suggest support for the war in Iraq is taboo on the Peacock network. Even positive news about Iraq appears to be verboten. The Media Research Center charted the direct relationship between declining Old Media coverage of the war in Iraq and the reduction of violence and U. S. troop deaths as a result of the “surge.” During the period from September 1 through November 30, stories broadcast by ABC, CBS and NBC about Iraq dropped 60 percent, matching a decrease in the number of soldiers killed.
This phenomenon goes beyond the adage that “if it bleeds, it leads” to indicate an agenda at work that denies progress in Iraq. A similar ploy during the Vietnam War handed the enemy a victory in the media that it could not win on the battlefield. Witness the attention paid to Democratic “hawk” John Murtha since he declared the Iraq War “unwinnable” in 2004. For over three years, the Old Media, especially MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, fawned over Murtha, uncritically accepting and repeating his pronouncements – until the Pennsylvania Democrat returned from a Thanksgiving trip to Iraq and admitted military progress was taking place.
In April 2006, retired Army Major General John Batiste led a small group of former military officers into the politics of the Iraq War writing an op-ed for The New York Times calling for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The Old Media instantly elevated Batiste to expert status. The retired general retained that exalted position, even while campaigning for antiwar Democrats as part of the MoveOn.org front group, VoteVets.org. However, his departure from the group and subsequent op-ed published in The Washington Post that suggested the current strategy employed by Gen. David Petraeus was working has been virtually ignored by the Old Media.
During a program last week at Columbia University, the moderator incredulously asked me if I actually believed that the Old Media wants the United States to lose the war in Iraq. My reply: Of course it does! The Old Media is not necessarily anti-American, but it sees failure in Iraq as something that would help its soulmates in the Democratic Party achieve electoral success and is willing to help that come about. Like the DailyKos, MoveOn.org, Code Pink radicals that have taken over the Democratic Party, the Old Media is willing to lose a war in order to gain political power.
Some would call that treason.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:57 AM
December 10, 2007
Military Mom Protests Pelosi
Will Old Media Notice?
Beverly Perlson, founder of the pro-troop organization The Band of Mothers began a week of protest in Washington, DC Monday. Perlson, the Blue Star mother of a soldier with the 82nd Airborne is hoping to bring publicity and pressure to bear against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to fully fund the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
For the past several years, the Old Media provided obsessive and favorable coverage to antiwar groups like Code Pink and "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan. It remains to be seen if Perlson will garner even one media mention.
Pro-troop patriots outside Cannon House Office Building
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:23 PM
'Disturbingly Reasonable'
Last Wednesday evening, I participated in the Friendly Fire Free Speech Series at Columbia University. Past events organized by the non-partisan Columbia Political Union, have featured speakers including conservative commentator John Podhoretz and liberal gadfly Arianna Huffington. I was pleasantly surprised at the civility of the students considering the raucous behavior that greeted other “controversial” figures like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist.
The program consisted of a one-on-one interview with history professor Dr. David Eisenbach. The conversation that transpired was a wide-ranging discussion of the topics in my book “The Great Media War: A Battlefield Report”, particularly the White House press corps and the bias of the Old Media. A question and answer period followed the interview during which students respectfully posed thoughtful questions.
There were a few gasps of disagreement when I suggested that historians would treat President George W. Bush favorably about the Iraq war as well as the my characterization of National Public Radio as “state-sponsored liberal radio.”
I have received favorable feedback about the program, even from the liberal students in the audience. One referred to me as “disturbingly reasonable”, suggesting that my articulation of the points I made in my book prompted students to rethink some of the liberal dogma about journalism and the media - as well as the media caricature of me. That is a frequent reaction when I have the opportunity to speak for myself. The reality that I represent is so disparate from the image created by my critics that it causes people to distrust their sources of information. For some, that is quite disturbing.
Dr. Eisenbach said, "Jeff Gannon gave me and my students a lot to think about. And we're grateful to him."
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:44 AM
December 05, 2007
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Book Talk at Columbia University, Dec. 5
I'll be at Columbia University on December 5 at 7:00PM talking about my book, "The Great Media War: A Battlefield Report". My presentation is part of the "Friendly Fire Free Speech Series" sponsored by the Columbia Political Union. There will be a one-on-one discussion about my book, followed by a Q & A with the audience as well as a book signing at the conclusion of the program.
Posted by jeffgannon at 01:59 PM
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
DC Book Signing Dec. 5
I will be signing copies of my book, "The Great Media War: A Battlefield Report" at Trover's Books on December 5 from 12:30 to 1:30. Trover's Books is Capitol Hill's premiere bookstore where Washington luminaries and politicians have their book signings.
Trover's Books
221 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
202-547-BOOK
(Capitol South Metro stop, Next to the Library of Congress)
Posted by jeffgannon at 01:41 PM
December 04, 2007
Reid 'Divorced From Reality' On Iraq, Too
In January 2005, Hillary Clinton's "goon squad" at Media Matters for America came after me because I pointed out on a national television broadcast that the New York Democrat was "divorced from reality"(TM) for her statements asserting that Social Security was solvent for the long term and the economy "was on the verge of collapse." In "The Question" posed to President Bush that fateful day, I also noted that Sen. Harry Reid suffered the same separation from logic and fact.
On Monday, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader reconfirmed his disconnect from the world everyone else inhabits in making the statement: "The surge hasn't accomplished its goals... We're involved, still, in an intractable civil war."
Reid's pronouncement puts him at odds with the "Cowardly Whiner" John Murtha, who returned from a Thanksgiving visit to Iraq and said, "The surge is working." Democrats across the country and their Old Media amplifiers are also backing away from the dire rhetoric of defeat, shifting focus to a lack of political reconciliation or U. S. domestic issues.
However, Democratic Congressional leadership is mired in a quagmire of defeatism that renders it incapable of giving American troops the respect, admiration and gratitude they earned with blood and sacrifice. When the troops finish their mission and return home, Democrats may pay a heavy price for their efforts to secure defeat in Iraq. In the meantime, voters need to decide if they want to put Democrats in charge of national security.
My "planted" YouTube question for the next Democratic presidential debate: Do you think the United States is winnning in Iraq?
Posted by jeffgannon at 02:14 PM
December 03, 2007
CNN Reporter: Stacked GOP Debate 'Inexcusable'
CNN's chief national correspondent John King criticized his network's handing of the Republican YouTube debate that critics have called "Debate-gate" because at least ten of the supposed "undecided Republican voters" submitting video questions turned out to be Democratic activists. Responding to a question from the audience at a National Press Club program about media coverage of the 2008 presidential election Monday night, King admitted that "fundamental journalism mistakes" were made in the vetting process.
King called the mistakes "inexcusable" and said that the debacle "should not have happened." So far, CNN has not announced any investigation of the circumstances surrounding controversy or disciplinary action against those responsible for organizing the debate.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:42 PM