Ivins: Doesn't anyone know how to research a story anymore? (Barnes)

[Karmadillo]

Sean Hannity, "the ridiculous little blowhard", will not like this.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2411970

AUSTIN, Texas - Oh for heaven's sake, doesn't anyone know how to research a story anymore? I have never seen anything as silly as this ridiculous Republican chorus that, aha!, Ben Barnes is a Democrat and so we know he's lying!

The question is not whether Ben Barnes is a Democrat. Ben Barnes has never claimed to be nonpartisan or not to have any affiliation with the Kerry campaign. Of course he does. He's been a major Democratic player for years. The question is whether Ben Barnes is telling the truth about how he got George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard.

The ridiculous little blowhard Sean Hannity crowed on Fox ''News'' that ''Ben Barnes testified under oath in 1999 that no member of the Bush family ever contacted him about getting into the Air National Guard.'' How true. Nor has he changed his story one whit. Barnes testified in 1999 that the man who called him about little George Bush was Sid Adger, Poppy George Bush's dear and good friend. Let's ask Poppy about Sid Adger and see some of that ''famous Bush loyalty.''

And how would Adger know whom to call? Adger had two sons in that very unit of the Air National Guard, that's how he knew whom to call. The notorious ''Champagne Unit'' of the Guard was also graced by the son of former Gov. John Connally, both sons of Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, Bobby Sakowaitz (Houston department store money), the grandson of H.L. Hunt (Dallas Oil) and several players for the Dallas Cowboys football team. Anyone who thinks that is just a coincidence or some kind of freaking accident probably thinks Sean Hannity is a journalist.

more...

[mark414]

1. molly ivins god bless her heart

she's been talking about this bush guard story for, well, forever it seems

[no name no slogan]

Molly Ivins == DA BOMB

She has been talking about this story for five years now-- IMHO that's far too long.

If we actually had reporters who researched their stories before blabbing them across the airwaves this story would have been taken care of long ago.

News organizations are, unfortunately, enslaved to the almighty dollar. They need to be first with the next "scoop", regardless of whether the story pans out or not. Therefore, research and even basic fact-checking are out the door, just so they can be first.

Molly will be in town here tomorrow, signing books. I wasn't going to go, but now maybe I will, just to give her more encouragement. GO MOLLY!!!!

[lanparty]

10. They're overworked and underfunded ...

Yes, the almighty dollar has dictacted the reduction of staff. That staff has to rely on a lot more "external research". They have little choice but to regurgitate the pages sent them by right wing think tanks.

Research takes time and money. It seems we have plenty of money to spend on campaign ads spewing poor research, but a precious few dollars to do any ACTUAL research.

[no name no slogan]

2. Molly Ivins == DA BOMB

She has been talking about this story for five years now-- IMHO that's far too long.

If we actually had reporters who researched their stories before blabbing them across the airwaves this story would have been taken care of long ago.

News organizations are, unfortunately, enslaved to the almighty dollar. They need to be first with the next "scoop", regardless of whether the story pans out or not. Therefore, research and even basic fact-checking are out the door, just so they can be first.

Molly will be in town here tomorrow, signing books. I wasn't going to go, but now maybe I will, just to give her more encouragement. GO MOLLY!!!!

[lanparty]

9. TRUE ...

Just evaluating your logical expression.

If you wanted to associate Molly Ivens with the Bomb you would have written:

Molly_Ivens = The_Bomb;

or in Pascal

Molly_Ivens := The_Bomb;


Sorry, just some programmer humor.

[Blue_Roses]

3. Molly should know

she has more dirt on the Bush family than any Texan I know. I love Molly Ivins.

[gratuitous]

4. Almost makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Why Bob Dole gets uninterrupted time to go on and on about John Kerry's war record (of which he knows absolutely nothing) and yet Molly Ivins can't get 30 seconds to talk about her personal experience and knowledge of Texas politics and its impact or non-impact on the career of one Simpleton W. Bush?

[JitterbugPerfume]

5. Molly Ivans is a National treasure

right up there with Helen Thomas in my estimation

[HootieMcBoob]

6. It would make me wonder

if I didn't already know the answer.

[lanparty]

11. Her and Greg Palast ...

If these two had their own "60 minutes" type show in the US, Bush would never had taken office. They're meticulous researchers who get the story straight.

What the right wing refers to as "elite liberal bias" is actually basic fact checking skills derived from the so-called "liberal arts" as EVERY school teaches. Did these people learn NOTHING in their research writing classes beyond contempt for the constraints that facts placed on their conclusions?????

[AspenRose]

7. Man, I didn't even have to get to the meat of the story to figure out

she was talking about Hannity!

She's right: Hannity is NOT a journalist. (and it shows)
He's a propagandist.

[Pirate Smile]

8. I like the last paragraph:

"The only reason any of this is relevant today is because it speaks directly to the character of the man in the White House. For Bush to still stand there and deny that he got special breaks, to deny that some other American kid went to Vietnam in his stead, is so telling of his moral blindness, of his deliberate obtuseness about the way the world of power and privilege screws over most people. If only he had the grace to say, as Barnes did, that he is ashamed of what happened, I'd have some respect for him.--- "

[oasis]

12. We gotta see more of Molly.

[cheshire]

13. Hannity is a desperate little pissant.

[MazeRat7]

14. Molly makes me proud to call Austin home.

WE LOVE YOU MOLLY !!!!


MZr7

[cthrumatrix]

15. kick

[LisaLynne]

16. I love Molly!

And I'm totally referring to Hannity (when I am forced to refer to that waste of energy, space, and time) as "The ridiculous little blowhard Sean Hannity".