I am not a lunatic!
A healthy democracy requires an aggressive, cynical news media and in this, America is severely lacking. Throughout the Bush presidency, lefties like me-- opponents of the War on Iraq-- were accused of being on the fringe by the news media, of being conspiracy theorists and disconnected "Bush Haters," even as polls came to reveal a widespread, majority opposition to the war.
In 2004, presidential candidate Howard Dean made the claim that Bush was raising the security alert level to fit his political agenda, and then John Kerry raised the status of his opposition candidacy with the news media by attacking his Democratic rival for his so-called irresponsible claims. Kerry became the "serious" candidate in the Democratic race for president with his statements. "I don't care what (Dean) said. I haven't suggested that and I won't suggest that," Kerry informed the pundit class, "I do not hold that opinion. I don't believe it." USA Today then published an editorial containing the following: "It's the most serious of allegations-- that the nation's leaders would selfishly manipulate the greatest threat we face." People who promoted the opinion that Bush was fogging the severity of the terrorist threat to boost his own re-election were considered not only wrong, but acting outside the bounds of acceptable political discourse.
Well, guess what, it was true. Former Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge will reveal in a new book released September 1st that he was pressured to raise the terror alert to help Bush win re-election in 2004. According to the US News report of the book, "Ridge was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was "blindsided" by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him; found his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of the emergency agency blamed for Hurricane Katrina disaster ignored; and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush's re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over."
Was there any direct evidence to go on that Bush, Cheney, and Rove were cooking the reports? Of course not. There couldn't be. The reports were always shrouded in secrecy and the "classified" designation. But the point is: where was the news media? They were still operating under a long-ago-discredited maxim that politicians don't lie. FBI and CIA reports on terrorism may have been confidential, but it was clear to all healthy cynics that the political wing of the White House (Karl Rove) was driving policy. They were outing "unfriendly" CIA agents and throwing kickbacks at pundits in return for the support of their initiatives in print and on television.
Opponents of the War on Iraq have been proven correct time and time again in our assessments and predictions of the war-- that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction, that the Patriot Act would be ripe for overreach and abuse by the Justice Department, and that the attack on Baghdad would morph into permanent occupation of the country, as would the one on Afghanistan.
One has to constantly watch his or her government. Be vigilant in his or her cynicism. Mark Twain wrote, "Put your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket." The sad truth is that even as the American people seem to be increasingly cynical and suspicious, the gatekeepers working in the traditional news media are not, meaning that the responsibility for holding the feet of our leaders to the fire falls increasingly on the fringe.
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Headline and story in The Onion this week: "Congress Deadlocked Over How To Not Provide Health Care."
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The Brett Favre saga illustrates two key differences between professional football and baseball.
The first: In baseball, there would be enormous media attention to the fact that Favre used and betrayed the New York team he played for while seeking his personal retribution against the Green Bay Packers and their GM Ted Thompson. In football, this story is all about the Packers/Vikings rivalry with everybody forgetting how Favre also used and mistreated the Jets. In baseball, the fact that Favre was no longer playing in New York this year would be the story.
The second key difference: In baseball, teams play every day, and Favre, regardless of the color of his uniform in any given season, would not be able to play every game with 6-day stubble.
In 2004, presidential candidate Howard Dean made the claim that Bush was raising the security alert level to fit his political agenda, and then John Kerry raised the status of his opposition candidacy with the news media by attacking his Democratic rival for his so-called irresponsible claims. Kerry became the "serious" candidate in the Democratic race for president with his statements. "I don't care what (Dean) said. I haven't suggested that and I won't suggest that," Kerry informed the pundit class, "I do not hold that opinion. I don't believe it." USA Today then published an editorial containing the following: "It's the most serious of allegations-- that the nation's leaders would selfishly manipulate the greatest threat we face." People who promoted the opinion that Bush was fogging the severity of the terrorist threat to boost his own re-election were considered not only wrong, but acting outside the bounds of acceptable political discourse.
Well, guess what, it was true. Former Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge will reveal in a new book released September 1st that he was pressured to raise the terror alert to help Bush win re-election in 2004. According to the US News report of the book, "Ridge was never invited to sit in on National Security Council meetings; was "blindsided" by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him; found his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of the emergency agency blamed for Hurricane Katrina disaster ignored; and was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush's re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over."
Was there any direct evidence to go on that Bush, Cheney, and Rove were cooking the reports? Of course not. There couldn't be. The reports were always shrouded in secrecy and the "classified" designation. But the point is: where was the news media? They were still operating under a long-ago-discredited maxim that politicians don't lie. FBI and CIA reports on terrorism may have been confidential, but it was clear to all healthy cynics that the political wing of the White House (Karl Rove) was driving policy. They were outing "unfriendly" CIA agents and throwing kickbacks at pundits in return for the support of their initiatives in print and on television.
Opponents of the War on Iraq have been proven correct time and time again in our assessments and predictions of the war-- that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction, that the Patriot Act would be ripe for overreach and abuse by the Justice Department, and that the attack on Baghdad would morph into permanent occupation of the country, as would the one on Afghanistan.
One has to constantly watch his or her government. Be vigilant in his or her cynicism. Mark Twain wrote, "Put your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket." The sad truth is that even as the American people seem to be increasingly cynical and suspicious, the gatekeepers working in the traditional news media are not, meaning that the responsibility for holding the feet of our leaders to the fire falls increasingly on the fringe.
---
Headline and story in The Onion this week: "Congress Deadlocked Over How To Not Provide Health Care."
---
The Brett Favre saga illustrates two key differences between professional football and baseball.
The first: In baseball, there would be enormous media attention to the fact that Favre used and betrayed the New York team he played for while seeking his personal retribution against the Green Bay Packers and their GM Ted Thompson. In football, this story is all about the Packers/Vikings rivalry with everybody forgetting how Favre also used and mistreated the Jets. In baseball, the fact that Favre was no longer playing in New York this year would be the story.
The second key difference: In baseball, teams play every day, and Favre, regardless of the color of his uniform in any given season, would not be able to play every game with 6-day stubble.
posted by CM @ 8:19 PM
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