Nightline Uses the C&I Words, Crime/Impeachment, & Promptly Freaks-Out

[UTUSN]

Stopping by Nightline for an instant and for the first time in years, I caught one Martin BASHIR spending a couple of instants on the Shrub lawbreaking. The shock was that it WAS being labeled that way. (Nightline charges for its transcripts, so there won't be a link here.)

The first segment was sit-up/shocking itself, but then BASHIR said (paraphrasing), "When we come back, we will find out whether the pResident really IS in any legal problems." Then the guest was Jonathan TURLEY, my impression of whom from the FAKE impeachment days being that he wasn't that cool(?), sat attempting to be stoney faced. His answers were stunning. He said that what Shrub did absolutely, certainly WAS a crime AND an impeachable offense, that whether the POLITICAL process of impeachment would actually be stand-up/implemented was totally separate.

There was little to NO follow-up or discussion. BASHIR looked flummoxed and without any transition said he'd be taking up New Orleans as the next topic.

This morning the ABC side of things had Charlie GIBSON looking grave, since the C & I words are in the ABC pipeline. The NBC side was doing the general story without riling things up. One would think that BASHIR, having claimed fame by challenging the wealth and power of Michael JACKSON would be more comfortable pursuing tough targets.

[ClassWarrior]

1. I loathed Turley during the attempted RW coup of 1998 too...

...but since then I've heard him express some rather well-informed legal opinions. Go figure.

NGU.

[tularetom]

2. Maybe he's one of them "strict constructualists"

You know, the people who think the constitution really means something. It'll be interesting, as the scope of the wiretapgate scandal widens, to hear the spin, probably from rw radio, that the fourth amendment is not to be taken literally that is was written in a time when electronic eavesdropping could not be envisioned, and that it really has no relevance in today's Amurka. All the things they attribute to those contemptible "judicial activists". Wonder how this will affect the future of Scalito?

[Bozita]

3. Turley's statements were jaw-droppers

He really ripped on Bushco, ... bigtime!

The resignation of the FISA judge was mentioned. Turley said the judge's position was made irrelevant by Bush's actions.

[jazzjunkysue]

4. CNN was all impeachment, all the time yesterday afternoon

I can't believe this is happening! Can you imagine the line at the white house staff toilet???

Merry Fitzmas!!!

[linazelle]

5. But don't you find Martin BASHIR disconcerting as a journalist?

I do. I saw the episode. It was great, but everytime I saw Bashir I thought about Michael Jackson and tabloid journalism. He cheapens he show IMHO.

[UTUSN]

6. Yip, But otoh, What to Make of Rick SANCHEZ, Who

keeps getting picked up by multiple outlets, now on CNN? BASHIR clearly had ZERO idea what to make of an actual news item. Where is Kookie ROBERTS saying that Shrub might well be GONE within 5 days? Oh, wait, somebody said that to her (about CLINTON, natch) and she replied, "5 days?! Oh my goodness!"

Where are all the hungry reporters? If one of those still existed they would be on all the network slots the next morning plugging their story without end.