1. Nets Champion Pelosi for 'Making History' as First Female Speaker
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sat for interviews Wednesday with reporters for all the networks. NBC's Brian Williams and CBS's Katie Couric put the most emphasis on her presumed "history-making" ascension to House Speaker and allowed her to offer the most-benign descriptions of the policies she will pursue. "A woman on the verge of making American history," Williams trumpeted. Over video of President Bush, with VP Cheney and House Speaker Hastert behind him at a State of the Union address, Williams relayed how Pelosi "says she is most excited to change this picture, to put a female face in this frame of three male faces for the very first time." Williams sycophantically gushed: "Let's talk about history because I know history was riding along with you as you watched the results last night. I know you have thought today about your mother. I know you have thought today about your father, your own children and grandchildren." A smiling Couric wondered: "You will be the first woman Speaker of the House and the highest ranking woman in the United States government. What does that mean to you?" Pelosi replied: "It's pretty exciting, I have to say. I'm just so excited that a Democrat will be Speaker of the House." To which Couric oozed: "So you're a Democrat first, a woman second?"

2. Olbermann Pushes New Democratic Congress to Issue Subpoenas
On Wednesday's Countdown, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, while interviewing E.J. Dionne of the Washinton Post, seemed to fret about whether Democrats would sufficiently investigate and rein in the Bush administration on issues such as habeas corpus and the Military Commissions Act. After wondering if Democrats "ignore at their peril the wing of their party that donated and campaigned on the promise of intensive oversight, of hearing subpoenas," Olbermann moved on to his concerns about habeas corpus as he wondered if Democrats would either "dismantle" the Military Commissions Act or if they would otherwise be able to "keep that monster under the bed." Olbermann: "Of particular concern here in terms of what the Democrats will do unto the Senators recoiled in horror at its passage and anybody who remembers good old habeas corpus. The Military Commissions Act, do the Democrats have a plan to dismantle that or is their presence in power enough by itself to keep that monster under the bed?"

3. Chris Matthews Presses Howard Dean for Iraq Withdrawal
Howard Dean not anti-war enough for Chris Matthews? During MSNBC's election night coverage, Matthews challenged Dean from the left on how soon to pull troops out of Iraq, asking the DNC chairman how he could "justify the loss of another American life or another Iraqi life in a mission that doesn't seem to make any sense at this point? Why stay in Iraq just to make it look good so you'll look like a centrist party?" Although Matthews' questions on Iraq also challenged Dean on the Democratic Party's lack of a clear plan of their own on how to handle Iraq, Matthews did not voice any concerns about whether Democrats might pressure a withdrawal too soon.

4. Bill Maher: 'War Hero' Kerry Should Call out 'Draft Dodger' Bush
Appearing on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday night, comedian Bill Maher, while discussing the recent John Kerry gaffe interpreted by many as an attack on the intelligence of American troops, wondered why Americans would believe a "true war hero" like Kerry would be "against the troops." Ignoring Kerry's history in the 1970s of giving testimony before Congress accusing American troops of committing war crimes, Maher contended that Kerry should have "called out" President Bush, referring to the President as a "draft dodger."

5. With Rumsfeld Out Media Losing a Favorite Punching Bag
With Donald Rumsfeld now on his way out as Secretary of Defense, some liberal media types are undoubtedly grinning from ear to ear, for they have made their antipathy to Rumsfeld very well known. Just on Monday, for example, CNN's Jack Cafferty blasted Rumsfeld as "an obnoxious jerk and a war criminal." Back in August, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann slammed Rumsfeld as a fascist and a "quack." But reporters have been distressed by Rumsfeld since before the war in Iraq. A few examples of the liberal media's anti-Rumsfeld attitude.

6. Flashback: CBS Used Innuendo to Smear Gates with Iran-Contra Link
The MRC's Rich Noyes reminded me of how the CBS Evening News smeared Robert Gates, nominated Wednesday by President George W. Bush to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense, when President George H.W. Bush nominated him to become CIA Director in 1991. A short item in the June, 1991 MediaWatch, a monthly newsletter the MRC published at the time, recounted: "President Bush's May 14 selection of Robert Gates to head the CIA was well received by leaders of both parties, but you'd never know that from watching CBS reporter Eric Engberg. Instead, he linked Gates to the Iran-Contra affair through tabloid-style innuendo: 'During the time when William Casey was secretly overseeing the sale of arms to the Iranians and aid to the Contras, as laws were broken and money flowed, his loyal number two at the CIA was Robert Gates.'"

7. Hume Highlights Hotel Owner Who Removed CNN Over Terrorist Video
"CNN's decision to show video of Iraqi insurgent snipers targeting U.S. troops," FNC's Brit Hume relayed in his Wednesday "Grapevine" segment, "has gotten it kicked out of one Midwestern hotel chain." Hume reported how James Thompson, owner of the Stoney Creek Inns in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, "has dropped CNN and Headline News from the cable lineup in his ten hotels" because "he made a quote, 'judgment of conscience' after seeing the sniper video, which he calls an 'obscenity' that was quote, 'personally offensive and shocking.' He says his company 'will not be a party to propaganda for terrorists.'"

8. "Top Ten Reasons Donald Rumsfeld is Resigning"
Letterman's "Top Ten Reasons Donald Rumsfeld is Resigning."

Nets Champion Pelosi for 'Making History'
as First Female Speaker

     House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sat for interviews Wednesday with reporters for all the networks. NBC's Brian Williams and CBS's Katie Couric put the most emphasis on her presumed "history-making" ascension to House Speaker and allowed her to offer the most-benign descriptions of the policies she will pursue. "Our conversation with Nancy Pelosi, a woman on the verge of making American history," Williams trumpeted in teasing the NBC Nightly News. Over video of President Bush, with Vice President Cheney and House Speaker Hastert behind him at a State of the Union address, Williams relayed how Pelosi "says she is most excited to change this picture, to put a female face in this frame of three male faces for the very first time." Williams sycophantically gushed to her: "Let's talk about history because I know history was riding along with you as you watched the results last night. I know you have thought today about your mother. I know you have thought today about your father, your own children and grandchildren."

     A smiling and spellbound Couric wondered: "A lot has been made of the fact that you, if elected, and it appears that you will be, that you will be the first woman Speaker of the House and the highest ranking woman in the United States government. What does that mean to you?" Pelosi replied: "It's pretty exciting, I have to say. I'm just so excited that a Democrat will be Speaker of the House." To which Couric oozed: "So you're a Democrat first, a woman second?"

     Williams and Couric noted how Pelosi has insulted President Bush, but both also characterized Pelosi's left-wing policy agenda in the most-benign ways possible. Williams concluded the segment: "Congresswoman Pelosi of California, the presumptive next Speaker of the House, has said this nation's Iraq policy is failed. Today she pointed out the troops in the field should not think they have lost the support of their nation. Instead she says last night's vote means the U.S. must find a new Iraq policy."

     Couric, without citing any "nasty things" Bush has said about Pelosi, asserted that "Pelosi has a long list of priorities for her new job. One potential obstacle, she and the President have said some pretty nasty things about each other." Couric cued up Pelosi to sound bipartisan: "What are you anxious to get going on in a bipartisan way? I know your partisan agenda, but in a bipartisan way." But viewers may not know of Pelosi's "partisan agenda" since Couric did not, and CBS has not, outlined it. Couric next hinted at that agenda, as she asked: "The Republicans used two 'T' words -- 'terror' and 'taxes' -- to tell people the kind of alternative they would get if they voted the Democrats into power. Are you going to raise taxes?" Pelosi insisted that "raising taxes would be a last resort" and Couric did not challenge her.

     [This item was posted Wednesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     Pelosi was also interviewed Wednesday by CNN's Wolf Blitzer and ABC's Terry Moran, whose interview was excerpted on World News and aired on Wednesday's Nightline.

     The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video for the November 8 NBC and CBS sessions with Pelosi conducted in a U.S. Capitol office:

     # NBC Nightly News:

     Brian Williams: "Last night's election was surely one for the history books. In so many ways the nation has a new presumptive Speaker of the House, the first woman in that job, and, as Nancy Pelosi reminded us when we sat down with her here in the building behind us in the Capitol today, the first Italian-American as well. I asked her what she meant by her stated goal of, quote, 'draining the swamp' early on Capitol Hill. I also asked her about her early morning phone call today from the President."
     Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader: "I didn't have much sleep, but I didn't need much. I was very exhilarated by the outcome of the election."
     Williams: "Would you concur with the President that the call was cordial?"
     Pelosi: "Oh, yes, the call was very friendly. He extended a hand of friendship, which I reciprocated and told him what I had said earlier in the evening, that I looked forward to working with him in partnership, not in partisanship."
     Williams: "Leader, what does 'drain the swamp' mean?"
     Pelosi: "'Drain the swamp' means to turn this Congress into the most honest and open Congress in history. That is my pledge. That is what I intend to do."
     Williams, narrating: "She is about to become a grandmother of six -- in fact, any moment now. And the woman in line to become the next Speaker of the House says she is most excited to change this picture, to put a female face in this frame of three male faces for the very first time."
     Williams, to Pelosi: "Let's talk about history because I know history was riding along with you as you watched the results last night. I know you have thought today about your mother. I know you have thought today about your father, your own children and grandchildren."
     Pelosi: "Well, as you may know, I was raised in an Italian Catholic family in Baltimore, Maryland. Our faith was very important to us, our patriotism, love of faith, love of family, love of country. We took pride in our Italian-American heritage, and to be the first woman Speaker of the House and the first Italian-American Speaker of the House, it's quite thrilling for me."
     Williams: "Congresswoman Pelosi grew up around politics. Her father was the mayor of Baltimore and a member of Congress himself. She says she's ready to watch over her party and preside over what she calls great change."
     Williams: "You've said some rough things about the President. You have indicated he is a dangerous man. You have intimated he can't be trusted. How do you then sit down with this man and reason with him and bargain with him beginning in the Oval Office this week?"
     Pelosi: "Well, when I go into that office, I will bring with me the wishes of the American people. They want a new direction in Iraq. They want a new direction in our economy where many more people participate in the prosperity of our country. They want the American dream to be fulfilled by having more affordable education, better access to health care. They want energy independence and all that that means for our country. They want a dignified retirement."
     Williams: "Do you think they said all of those things with their votes last night?"
     Pelosi: "I think they said a lot about wanting honesty and civility in government, and I think that they rejected not only the policy in Iraq, but the incompetence that has gone with it."
     Williams: "Congresswoman Pelosi of California, the presumptive next Speaker of the House, has said this nation's Iraq policy is failed. Today she pointed out the troops in the field should not think they have lost the support of their nation. Instead she says last night's vote means the U.S. must find a new Iraq policy."

     # CBS Evening News:

     Katie Couric: "More now on the history that was made by the Democrats last night. For the first time, a woman will become Speaker of the House, second in the line of succession to the presidency. Nancy Pelosi is 66 years old. She's represented San Francisco in California's Eighth Congressional District for almost 20 years. She first ran for office after her five children were grown. She also has five grandkids with number six on the way and overdue. Congresswoman Pelosi has a long list of priorities for her new job. One potential obstacle, she and the President have said some pretty nasty things about each other."
     Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader: "I never called the President a liar. That I never did. I said it's time for the President to tell the truth to the American people. I think that much of the truth has been withheld from the American people."
     Couric: "But you have called him 'dangerous' and 'incompetent,' right?"
     Pelosi: "That's right. Well, if you take a look at the implementation of the policy in Iraq, if you look at Katrina, you look at the rest, I think that there was a lack of judgement on how we proceeded in both cases. Now it's, the election is over, the campaign is over, Democrats are ready to lead, we're prepared to govern and we look forward to working in a bipartisan way with the President and the Republicans in Congress."
     Couric: "What are you anxious to get going on in a bipartisan way? I know your partisan agenda, but in a bipartisan way."
     Pelosi: "I think we do have to address the issue of immigration. It's a challenge in our country. People want answers, and there is bipartisan comprehensive reform that we can do working together that I think the President would support. And we shall see when we bring them up. Raising the minimum wage, even the President said today that might be an area that we can come to agreement."
     Couric: "The Republicans used two 'T' words -- 'terror' and 'taxes' -- to tell people the kind of alternative they would get if they voted the Democrats into power. Are you going to raise taxes?"
     Pelosi: "Raising taxes would be a last resort. There are plenty things in this budget that we could remove and substitute better things for. For example, we could roll back the subsidies for big oil and use that money for investment in alternative energy. Investing in education brings more money to the public treasury than any tax incentive you can name. So we can find other ways to support better priorities without heaping mountains of debt. We want to actually have tax cuts for middle income families in our country. "
     Couric: "A lot has been made of the fact that you, if elected, and it appears that you will be, that you will be the first woman Speaker of the House and the highest ranking woman in the United States government. What does that mean to you?"
     Pelosi: "It's pretty exciting, I have to say. I'm just so excited that a Democrat will be Speaker of the House."
     Couric: "So you're a Democrat first, a woman second?"
     Pelosi: "Well, in terms of the politics, in terms of the change it will make for the American people, yes. But as a woman, I'm very, very thrilled because I carry a special responsibility. I've broken the marble ceiling. This Congress is steeped in tradition and history. It's very hard for a woman to succeed to the level that I have, and I think it sends a message to all women that if this can happen, anything can happen."

Olbermann Pushes New Democratic Congress
to Issue Subpoenas

     On Wednesday's Countdown, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, while interviewing E.J. Dionne of the Washinton Post, seemed to fret about whether Democrats would sufficiently investigate and rein in the Bush administration on issues such as habeas corpus and the Military Commissions Act. After wondering if Democrats "ignore at their peril the wing of their party that donated and campaigned on the promise of intensive oversight, of hearing subpoenas," Olbermann moved on to his concerns about habeas corpus as he wondered if Democrats would either "dismantle" the Military Commissions Act or if they would otherwise be able to "keep that monster under the bed." Olbermann: "Of particular concern here in terms of what the Democrats will do unto the Senators recoiled in horror at its passage and anybody who remembers good old habeas corpus. The Military Commissions Act, do the Democrats have a plan to dismantle that or is their presence in power enough by itself to keep that monster under the bed?"

     [This item, by Brad Wilmouth, was posted Thursday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     At one point, Dionne compared congressional Republicans who investigated the Clinton administration to an "Inspector Clousseau" who was "investigating paper clips stolen from the White House." Dionne: "I think the Democrats are going to try to figure out a way to have serious oversight which really didn't happen much under the Republican Congress with Bush, without looking like they're Inspector Clousseau or something investigating paper clips stolen from the White House, which is what the Republicans used to do with Bill Clinton."

     Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the interview with E.J. Dionne from the November 8 Countdown:

     Keith Olbermann: "It's hard to imagine that Americans voted a Republican Congress out purely out of a hunger to have a different party that will still agree with the President. Do the Democrats ignore at their peril the wing of their party that donated and campaigned on the promise of intensive oversight, of hearing subpoenas, at least some oversight idea?"
     E.J. Dionne, Washington Post: "You can do a lot of things at the same time. I mean, I think, on the one hand, to say that if the President's willing to move toward a better policy in Iraq, there's no reason not to encourage him. At the same time, I am sure there are going to be lots of hearings on all sorts of things from Halliburton to the drug companies to how we got into the war. And I think the Democrats are going to try to figure out a way to have serious oversight which really didn't happen much under the Republican Congress with Bush, without looking like they're Inspector Clousseau or something investigating paper clips stolen from the White House, which is what the Republicans used to do with Bill Clinton."
     Olbermann: "Of particular concern here in terms of what the Democrats will do unto the Senators recoiled in horror at its passage and anybody who remembers good old habeas corpus. The Military Commissions Act, do the Democrats have a plan to dismantle that or is their presence in power enough by itself to keep that monster under the bed?"
     Dionne: "You know, I don't think they have a plan to dismantle it. I think that one of the most underused mechanisms Congress has, one of the most underused in recent years, is the hearing and discussions that say, 'Wait a minute, we think there's a problem. Let us demonstrate to you that this is a problem and that we got to move in another direction.' And I think this is an issue where, with some serious work overtime, they could persuade a lot of Americans that this is not a good idea and that we should move in a different direction, and I think on some issues you can act quickly, like the minimum wage. On other issues, you can use the power you now have to move the country in your direction, and I think this is one of those where they could do that."
     Olbermann: "Maybe keeping the subpoenas under the bed might be the easiest way to get a little juice going on those things."
     Dionne: "Yeah, well, you need some, yes. Well, subpoenas, I think we're going to see a lot more of those issued under the Democrats than we did in the last few years. They'll make a nice chart on your show."
     Olbermann: "Yeah, I can't wait. E.J. Dionne, the Washington Post columnist, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, great thanks as always for your time."

Chris Matthews Presses Howard Dean for
Iraq Withdrawal

     Howard Dean not anti-war enough for Chris Matthews? During MSNBC's election night coverage, Matthews challenged Dean from the left on how soon to pull troops out of Iraq, asking the DNC chairman how he could "justify the loss of another American life or another Iraqi life in a mission that doesn't seem to make any sense at this point? Why stay in Iraq just to make it look good so you'll look like a centrist party?" Although Matthews' questions on Iraq also challenged Dean on the Democratic Party's lack of a clear plan of their own on how to handle Iraq, Matthews did not voice any concerns about whether Democrats might pressure a withdrawal too soon.

     [This item, by Brad Wilmouth, was posted Wednesday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     Matthews began to push Dean from the left after the DNC chairman answered a question from Matthews about what voters could expect to get out of voting for Democrats regarding Iraq. Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of Matthews' interview with Dean which aired about 8:40pm EST on MSNBC:

     Matthews: "You're used to talking to moderates about this and trying to sell the Democratic Party as the party of the center, but let me ask you a question coming from the left. How can you, Governor, a man who's opposed this war from the beginning, justify the loss of another American life or another Iraqi life in a mission that doesn't seem to make any sense at this point? Why stay in Iraq just to make it look good so you'll look like a centrist party?"
     Howard Dean: "I don't, that's, you know, I don't think anybody's talking about that, Chris. I think you got to be responsible-"
     Matthews: "What's a good reason for staying in Iraq? Let me hear one."
     Dean: "Because if you pull your troops out immediately, you do get chaos. Look, the President's made a terrible mistake-"
     Matthews interrupted: "What do we have now?"
     Dean: "There is an opportunity to do some stabilization in Iraq, and we should take that opportunity. Look, I was one of the few people early on who said this was a mistake. I still believe it was a mistake, and I don't think the President was truthful to the American people when he got us in there, and I don't think he served our brave troops well by sending them over there without listening to the military first. Having said that and establishing that I think I probably have as much credibility on this issue as anybody in the country, I personally believe that you have to be responsible and thoughtful as you get out. The issue is not 'Do we want one more American troop that's not necessary to die?' Of course we don't want that."
     Matthews: "Right."
     Dean: "But there is a mission. The mission is not to stay the course, as the President said. The mission is to figure out how to get us out of a very bad situation that the President has created without making it worse."
     Matthews: "Would you be saying that if you weren't chairman of the party? If you were just former Governor Dean-"
     Dean: "Of course I'd be saying what I believed. Not only would I be saying that-"
     Matthews: "You believe we should stay in Iraq? Howard Dean believes we should stay in Iraq?"
     Dean: "No, Chris, let's not be putting words in my mouth. I believe we ought to get out of Iraq, but we have to do it very carefully and thoughtfully."
     Matthews: "Okay, a year from now, two years from now, give me an outside. How long would you keep us in the outside?"
     Dean: "No, I'm not going to play that game."
     Matthews: "It's not a game."
     Dean: "I'm certainly not going to play it with you on election night. We don't even have a majority yet."
     Matthews: "It's a policy question. I think the American people want to hear from the Democrats some sense of your party's position on this war besides 'We're not going to bug out, we're not going to cut and run.' What will you do?"
     Dean: "Chris, I think they'll be hearing from us as soon as we get the majority, but we don't have that majority yet, and I don't believe I'm going to do a lot of policy questions tonight."
     Matthews: "Well, please come on this show as soon as you can tell us the Democratic Party position on Iraq because 100 million people voted today to try to have some influence on policy, and we still don't hear from you a policy."
     Dean, overlapping: "I just told you what the Democratic Party position was on Iraq. The Democratic position is we shouldn't be there and we need to find a way out. That's the Democratic position."
     Matthews: "Okay, 'We need to find a way out as soon as possible.' I see."

Bill Maher: 'War Hero' Kerry Should Call
out 'Draft Dodger' Bush

     Appearing on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday night, comedian Bill Maher, while discussing the recent John Kerry gaffe interpreted by many as an attack on the intelligence of American troops, wondered why Americans would believe a "true war hero" like Kerry would be "against the troops." Ignoring Kerry's history in the 1970s of giving testimony before Congress accusing American troops of committing war crimes, Maher contended that Kerry should have "called out" President Bush, referring to the President as a "draft dodger."

     [This item, by Brad Wilmouth, was posted Thursday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     Below is a brief transcript of Maher's comments from the November 8 Larry King Live:

     Larry King: "Why would anyone, though, think that he'd be against the troops since he went twice himself?"
     Bill Maher: "Why did they vote in 2004 on that basis? Why was Karl Rove and his Swift Boat proxies able to convince America, at least some of America, enough of America, that the true war hero, was actually a coward or a denigrator of the troops, and the draft dodger? And yes, as I've said on this show before, Bush is a draft dodger, anyone in the Vietnam era who figured a way not to go to Vietnam draft-dodged the war. How come he was the hero? Well, you know, you can fool some of the people some of the time. You can't do it forever."
     King: "But John Kerry should have, that was-"
     Maher: "He should have called him out. Exactly."

With Rumsfeld Out Media Losing a Favorite
Punching Bag

     With Donald Rumsfeld now on his way out as Secretary of Defense, some liberal media types are undoubtedly grinning from ear to ear, for they have made their antipathy to Rumsfeld very well known. Just on Monday, for example, CNN's Jack Cafferty blasted Rumsfeld as "an obnoxious jerk and a war criminal." Back in August, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann slammed Rumsfeld as a fascist and a "quack."

     [This item, by Rich Noyes, was posted Wednesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     But reporters have been distressed by Rumsfeld since before the war in Iraq. A few examples of the liberal media's anti-Rumsfeld attitude:

     # Upset by Talk of Old Europe. "Secretary Rumsfeld...has dismissively referred to France and Germany as 'Old Europe,' and today, Secretary Powell, who warned France not to be ‘afraid' of its responsibilities. Is that the rhetoric of a great power, and is that really the most effective way of building alliances?"
     "Is it possible that the attitude which emanates not from the press, but from the administration, of 'you're with us or you're against us,' kind of dismissive superiority to some of the oldest American allies, is contributing to the problems in forging a common front against Iraq?" -- ABC White House correspondent Terry Moran's questions to Ari Fleischer at the February 19, 2003 White House briefing shown live on the cable networks.

     # A Neo-Nazi Character. Fred Francis: "In the Arab street and much of the world, outrage has produced a consensus: Rumsfeld must go. In Egypt, Marabat Molson [ph.], considered a moderate journalist, says Arabs reject the Rumsfeld apology that still seemed more arrogant than contrite."
     Marabat Molson: "He is reminding me of a sort of neo-Nazi character who's coming back to life and anything which is not American is wrong."
     Francis: "In Cairo, anti-U.S. sentiment is so strong many here see no difference here between the actions of Saddam Hussein and George Bush....One Arab businessman [said], 'That is not Jeffersonian democracy. It's more like a lesson from Hitler's book, Mein Kampf.'" -- Story on the May 10, 2004 NBC Nightly News.

     # Bush's Biggest Incompetent. "What he [President Bush] is doing is shutting down any kind of dissent, any kind of opposing views. I mean, Condi Rice will go and do what she does best which is to parrot the administration line....Incompetence is so rewarded. I mean, Condi Rice didn't see terrorism coming, she went out and really lied about what she knew....[But] Colin Powell is out and Donald Rumsfeld, who to me is the biggest incompetent in this administration the way he's handled this war, gets to keep his job. This administration doesn't admit mistakes and rewards incompetence." -- Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, Nov. 20, 2004 McLaughlin Group.

     # Time for Him to Go. "It's clear that there were some miscalculations going into this war, General....Clearly the way we would be greeted hasn't turned out to be the reality....So when it comes again to military commanders and troops, do you feel that they may be frustrated knowing that back home in Washington no one's lost their job over this?"
     "And, again, these military people live by a code, among other things, of accountability, so do you think they want someone like Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld or someone else to be held accountable?"
     "You've heard the drumbeat for awhile now and it seems to be intensifying again surrounding Secretary Rumsfeld. You think he's gonna hold on to his job?" -- Co-host Matt Lauer's questions to retired General Barry McCaffrey on NBC's Today, December 7, 2005.

     # A Quack and a Fascist. "The man who sees absolutes, where all other men see nuances and shades of meaning, is either a prophet, or a quack. Donald H. Rumsfeld is not a prophet....The confusion is about whether this Secretary of Defense, and this administration, are in fact now accomplishing what they claim the terrorists seek: The destruction of our freedoms....And about Mr. Rumsfeld's other main assertion, that this country faces a 'new type of fascism.' As he was correct to remind us how a government that knew everything could get everything wrong, so too was he right when he said that -- though probably not in the way he thought he meant it. This country faces a new type of fascism -- indeed." -- MSNBC's Keith Olbermann in part of a six-minute commentary on Countdown, August 30, 2006. Rumsfeld urged people respond to journalists who have created "myths and distortions" about the troops and asserted "America's not what's wrong with the world."

     # Get Rid of the War Criminal. "'The time has come, Mr. President, to face the hard, bruising truth. Donald Rumsfeld must go.' That is a quote from an editorial in this week's ‘Military Times' newspapers. The independent publications owned by Gannett, include 'The Army Times,' 'The Navy Times,' 'Air Force Times,' and 'Marine Corps Times.' The piece goes on to say, quote, 'Rumsfeld has lost credibility with the uniformed leadership, with the troops, with Congress and with the public at large. His strategy has failed, and his ability to lead is compromised. And although the blame for our failures in Iraq rests with the Secretary, it will be the troops who bear its brunt.' They didn't even mention that he's also an obnoxious jerk and a war criminal." -- CNN's Jack Cafferty on The Situation Room, November 6, 2006.

Flashback: CBS Used Innuendo to Smear
Gates with Iran-Contra Link

     The MRC's Rich Noyes reminded me of how the CBS Evening News smeared Robert Gates, nominated Wednesday by President George W. Bush to replace Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense, when President George H.W. Bush nominated him to become CIA Director in 1991. A short item in the June, 1991 MediaWatch, a monthly newsletter the MRC published at the time, recounted:
     SPOOKING CBS. President Bush's May 14 selection of Robert Gates to head the CIA was well received by leaders of both parties, but you'd never know that from watching CBS reporter Eric Engberg. Instead, he linked Gates to the Iran-Contra affair through tabloid-style innuendo: "During the time when William Casey was secretly overseeing the sale of arms to the Iranians and aid to the Contras, as laws were broken and money flowed, his loyal number two at the CIA was Robert Gates." Engberg put on Tom Blanton of the (unlabeled) leftist National Security Archive (NSA) to proclaim: "The worst case is that Bob Gates participated in a coverup. The best case is that Bob Gates is a hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil bureaucrat who watched all this information come through his office and looked the other way."

     [This item was posted Wednesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     The brief article, in the "NewsBites" section of MediaWatch, continued:
     On the next day's CBS This Morning, Engberg brought on another NSA Contra-basher, former Washington Post reporter Scott Armstrong, identifying him on screen as an "Iran-Contra Scholar." The irony is even Iran-Contra inquisitor Sen. Daniel Inouye supports Gates. As Inouye told Knight-Ridder: "We investigated the allegations against him very carefully. I'm convinced he's qualified and he'll do a good job."

Hume Highlights Hotel Owner Who Removed
CNN Over Terrorist Video

     "CNN's decision to show video of Iraqi insurgent snipers targeting U.S. troops," FNC's Brit Hume relayed in his Wednesday "Grapevine" segment, "has gotten it kicked out of one Midwestern hotel chain." Hume reported how James Thompson, owner of the Stoney Creek Inns in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, "has dropped CNN and Headline News from the cable lineup in his ten hotels" because "he made a quote, 'judgment of conscience' after seeing the sniper video, which he calls an 'obscenity' that was quote, 'personally offensive and shocking.' He says his company 'will not be a party to propaganda for terrorists.'"

     [This item was posted Wednesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     Home page for Stoney Creek Inns: www.stoneycreekinn.com

     October 24 CyberAlert item on Congressman Duncan Hunter scolding CNN for airing the video from the point of view of snipers shooting U.S. soldiers and Marines: www.mrc.org

     For MRC President Brent Bozell's October 25 column, "CNN, Stenographer to Terror," go to: www.mrc.org

     Hume's item in full on the November 8 Special Report with Brit Hume:
     CNN's decision to show video of Iraqi insurgent snipers targeting U.S. troops has gotten it kicked out of one Midwestern hotel chain. James Thompson -- who owns Stoney Creek Hospitality Corporation -- has dropped CNN and Headline News from the cable lineup in his ten hotels in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. Thompson tells Fox News he made a quote, 'judgment of conscience' after seeing the sniper video, which he calls an 'obscenity' that was quote, 'personally offensive and shocking.' He says his company 'will not be a party to propaganda for terrorists.'"

     A Wednesday news story in Wisconsin's Wausau Daily Herald, "Inn owner: Decision to pull CNN based solely on terrorist tape," began:

The owner the Stoney Creek Inn in Rothschild said today that his decision to pull the cable news channel CNN from the inn's guest rooms was based solely on the network's airing of a terrorist propaganda tape.

James Thompson, president of the Des Moines, Iowa-based Stoney Creek Hospitality Corp., said the move was not meant as a political statement regarding coverage of the war in Iraq or as a protest of CNN in general. Rather, he said, it was his personal stance against the network's apparent willingness to support terrorists by broadcasting footage of U.S. soldiers being assassinated in Iraq.

"I am repulsed by that judgment, and I made a decision of conscience for myself," said Thompson, whose company operates 10 hotels in the Midwest. "There comes a time when you either stay silent or speak out, and this was wrong."

     END of Excerpt

     For the news article in full: ttp://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/WDH0101/61108126

"Top Ten Reasons Donald Rumsfeld is Resigning"

     From the November 8 Late Show with David Letterman, the "Top Ten Reasons Donald Rumsfeld is Resigning." Late Show home page: www.cbs.com

10. Wants to try to salvage his marriage to Britney

9. Ordering the illegal torture of detainees is more of a young man's game

8. Offered Bob Barker's job on the Price is Right

7. Wants to try screwing up the world in the private sector

6. Just demonstrating his exit strategy

5. For a complete list of reasons send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Bob Woodward

4. Congress wouldn't fund his new weapons system: Monkeys with jet packs

3. No point in trying to be the most evil guy in the room when you work with Dick Cheney

2. Wanted to go out while he was on top

1. Plans to become Secretary of Sitting on His Ass

-- Brent Baker

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