This Isn't America

[RPankn]

I love the slam Krugman makes against Wolf Blitzer (paragraph in bold below). However, through all of Blitzer's breathless shouting style of reporting, I think he's a more-than-willing propagandist for the neo-cons and this administration.

This Isn't America
By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: March 30, 2004


Last week an opinion piece in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz about the killing of Sheik Ahmed Yassin said, "This isn't America; the government did not invent intelligence material nor exaggerate the description of the threat to justify their attack."

So even in Israel, George Bush's America has become a byword for deception and abuse of power. And the administration's reaction to Richard Clarke's "Against All Enemies" provides more evidence of something rotten in the state of our government.

The truth is that among experts, what Mr. Clarke says about Mr. Bush's terrorism policy isn't controversial. The facts that terrorism was placed on the back burner before 9/11 and that Mr. Bush blamed Iraq despite the lack of evidence are confirmed by many sources — including "Bush at War," by Bob Woodward.

And new evidence keeps emerging for Mr. Clarke's main charge, that the Iraq obsession undermined the pursuit of Al Qaeda. From yesterday's USA Today: "In 2002, troops from the Fifth Special Forces Group who specialize in the Middle East were pulled out of the hunt for Osama bin Laden to prepare for their next assignment: Iraq. Their replacements were troops with expertise in Spanish cultures."

That's why the administration responded to Mr. Clarke the way it responds to anyone who reveals inconvenient facts: with a campaign of character assassination.

Some journalists seem, finally, to have caught on. Last week an Associated Press news analysis noted that such personal attacks were "standard operating procedure" for this administration and cited "a behind-the-scenes campaign to discredit Richard Foster," the Medicare actuary who revealed how the administration had deceived Congress about the cost of its prescription drug bill.

But other journalists apparently remain ready to be used. On CNN, Wolf Blitzer told his viewers that unnamed officials were saying that Mr. Clarke "wants to make a few bucks, and that [in] his own personal life, they're also suggesting that there are some weird aspects in his life as well."

More here: www.nytimes.com/2004/03/30/opinion/30KRUG.html

[POA]

This might better belong in the Julius Streichers in the Media section (especially regarding Herr Blitzer), but he is one of the most biased worms on the news regarding the Democratic candidates I've seen outside of FAUX news.

I read a news story a while back where Blitzer came out and accused Kucinich of being a loser, and he practically enjoyed asking Dean loaded questions during his interview with Dean a while back.

Perhaps part of what needs to be done is to come up with a strategy against the media itself, because it obviously has no idea what the problem is, much less being part of the solution.

POA

[Moses]

I am quite sure that Blitzer is what one might classify an Israeli operative, and a co-hort of Wolfowitz.

FAIR did an analyis of his subtle strategy.

And further analysis of the way he framed the issues are proof in any court of law that he was part of the conspiracy to bring about a way against Iraq.

And perhaps even worse.

There should be discussion about how to investigate and bring charges against those in the media who have done this.

It is treason, it is a war crime.

[Jay Berner]

[POA]

You're getting really good at this.