Is the press sharpening their teeth tied to the CBS memo thing?

[underpants]

Yesterday's Rose Garden press conference (see link below) featured the White House press corps asking somewhat tough questions of W.

Hell Judy Woodruff actually said "Bush" and "flipflop" in the same sentence.

The question it raises is, is President Bush every bit the flip- flopper that John Kerry is claimed to be by the campaign?


And this morning Ken Melman was on NPR and the Bush campaign was pretty much called liars and agressively questioned on their tactics (no link).

So we were talking about thenews conference and my wife mentioned this: Maybe they are pissed off because Rather got set up and maybe, just maybe, they know who set him up and they are striking back/protecting their own.

They have been carrying W's water going back to the last campaign and suddenly instead of appreciating that the W White House uses them and tries to discredit one of them at the same time.

Just a thought.






http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040923-8.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I noticed that too, on NPR this morning

It was like suddenly the veil had been lifted and the scales had fallen from their eyese and they were asking real questions again?

I hope this keeps up.

[underpants]

3. No audio up yet on NPR's site

That had to be the nicest (hey it is NPR) dressing down I have ever heard.

[nickinSTL]

2. that'd be nice

If the media would stop coddling the idiot.

I don't care if they're not liberal-biased (actually I'd prefer they weren't) but being pro-Bush p!sses me off to no end.

If they are turning, then the ambush of Rather will turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes of the Bush Administration, the one that will bring him down. Bush won't have a chance in the election if the media stop coddling him.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. The media protecting their own? Over a liberal issue?

Mind boggling.

[Loki]

5. I hope they now realize

that if this cabal is allowed to set up CBS to take the fall, they are all vulnerable. Do you hear that "press people" you will be the first to go!

[RedEagle]

7. Maybe the bell has finally begun ringing

This administration would have one media, probably under FOX, as a propaganda arm.

There won't be room for all of them and they'll be out on the street with no job skills they can barter.

And maybe the parent companies are beginning to feel a financial pinch. When the populace can only buy fuel and food, nothing is left to support the advertising they live on.

But what happened to Rather may have helped, although I still think the others wouldn't mind carving up CBS between them.

[KeepItReal]

6. MSNBC tried to paint Bush & Co. as flip-floppers as well

The achor-lady asked some dude "Expert" why the flip-flopper charge doesn't stick to Bush & Co. like it does to Kerry.

The "expert" said that the stuff that you could accuse Bush & Co. of flip-flopping on (like the 9/11 commission, steel tarrifs, homeland security office creation) was "not as important to the public as Kerry's flip-flops". I sh*t you not. The MSNBC achor-lady was really trying to get the "expert" to say they *both* flip-flop, but that punk would not do it.

I was amazed that MSNBC even tried to even the score on that one. Maybe that press conference had a positive effect on them, if only for a minute.

[underpants]

8. I think Olbermann mentioned W's flip flops too

God it is sad in the most important election in our lifetimes that we are relegated to

flip flop
CBS memos (but not the actual story)
Looking Frnech

and such

Sad.

[MaryH]

9. I Was Hoping The Press

would take note.

If Dan Rather, after 30 years of reporting, can be brought down because he reported one story incorrectly - because he made a mistake - and one that just about any reporter could make - then all of the press is vulnerable.

Reporters make mistakes. Their sources turn out to be unreliable.

And Dan Rather's information was most likely correct - but he screwed up on the documents - got into too big a rush to get the story out.

Reporters need to be outraged. They need to learn that this adm. is dangerous to all of them.