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1. Couric to Blair: 'Do You Regret...Support' of Bush 'and War?' CBS News and Katie Couric put repenting before the looking to the future and solutions as producers chose this question, from Couric to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to tease at the top of Thursday's CBS Evening News: "Do you regret what many perceive as your unwavering support of this President and this war?" In the subsequent interview, Couric, who the night before called Iraq a "nightmare," pressed Blair about himself and President George W. Bush "acknowledging failures." Referring to their joint press conference, Couric queried: "The President seemed determined as ever to stay on track. Do you think he, or for that matter you, are capable of acknowledging failures in this policy and changing gears when and if necessary?" Couric's follow-up displayed her frustration with Bush: "But he's been very insistent for months now that the U.S. policy is correct and while he's accepted there may have to be a slight change, he's really dug his heels in." 2. Brokaw: U.S. Had 'No Allies' in Iraq, Lauer: Blair 'War Ally' It seems Matt Lauer and Tom Brokaw can't get their story straight. On Thursday's Today show Brokaw falsely stated the U.S. went to war in Iraq without allies but apparently this was news to Matt Lauer as he opened the show by identifying British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a "war ally." Appearing live from Pearl Harbor, Brokaw comparing World War II to the current action in Iraq, declared: "The irony of course is that we're trying to get out of one war in which we had no allies..." But in the same hour Today host Lauer opened the program: "Good morning the study is finished, now comes the test. President Bush meets this morning with his war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a day after that scathing report from the Iraq Study Group." Interestingly enough Lauer, who appeared with Brokaw in his segment, didn't bother to correct the elder sage of NBC News. 3. Kathy Griffin: Conservatives 'Banging Kids,' Catholicism 'Crap' Appearing on Tuesday's Larry King Live on CNN, comedienne Kathy Griffin repeated her usual claim to be so liberal that she refers to herself as a Sandinista and not a Democrat. She also took delight in the downfall of Christian evangelical leader Ted Haggard, using it as a chance to ridicule conservatives: "I love it. I think it's hysterical because it's always, like, the ultra-right-wing conservatives that are banging the kids and the prostitutes and doing the crystal meth. Foley, delicious. Did you read those e-mails?" When she explained how her parents regularly attend Catholic mass, but she's "a fallen Catholic," King wondered: "Why did you fall off the wayside?" Griffin responded by denigrating Catholicism/Christianity: "I don't know. I just don't believe in any of that crap. I mean I think when you're a comedian, you kind of can't have those sensors and boundaries." Couric to Blair: 'Do You Regret...Support' of Bush 'and War?' CBS News and Katie Couric put repenting before the looking to the future and solutions as producers chose this question, from Couric to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to tease at the top of Thursday's CBS Evening News: "Do you regret what many perceive as your unwavering support of this President and this war?" In the subsequent interview, Couric, who the night before called Iraq a "nightmare" (see December 7 CyberAlert item #2), pressed Blair about himself and President George W. Bush "acknowledging failures." Referring to their joint press conference, Couric queried: "The President seemed determined as ever to stay on track. Do you think he, or for that matter you, are capable of acknowledging failures in this policy and changing gears when and if necessary?" Couric's follow-up displayed her frustration with Bush: "But he's been very insistent for months now that the U.S. policy is correct and while he's accepted there may have to be a slight change, he's really dug his heels in." In contrast, on ABC's World News, George Stephanopoulos avoided such psychological speculation and calls for regret as he stuck to questioning Blair about the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. For instance, Stephanopoulos wondered: "Senator McCain said today that this report is 'a recipe for defeat' because it doesn't include massive increases in troops in Baghdad to secure Baghdad. Do you agree?" (NBC did not get a sit-down with Blair.) [This item was posted Thursday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]
Couric teased: "I'll have a rare one-on-one interview with America's number one ally." Couric's session with Blair, as edited for airing on the December 7 CBS Evening News:
Katie Couric: "The man who has stood by the President, Prime Minister Tony Blair, spoke with me this afternoon about his unwavering support for a war that's been increasingly criticized."
Brokaw: U.S. Had 'No Allies' in Iraq, Lauer: Blair 'War Ally' It seems Matt Lauer and Tom Brokaw can't get their story straight. On Thursday's Today show Brokaw falsely stated the U.S. went to war in Iraq without allies but apparently this was news to Matt Lauer as he opened the show by identifying British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a "war ally." Appearing live from Pearl Harbor, Brokaw comparing World War II to the current action in Iraq, declared: "The irony of course is that we're trying to get out of one war in which we had no allies..." But in the same hour Today host Lauer opened the program: "Good morning the study is finished, now comes the test. President Bush meets this morning with his war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a day after that scathing report from the Iraq Study Group." Interestingly enough Lauer, who appeared with Brokaw in his segment, didn't bother to correct the elder sage of NBC News. [This item, by Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Thursday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] The following discussion came after a Brokaw report on veterans commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor, during the 7am half hour of the December 7 Today show:
Matt Lauer: "Tom I have just about 30 seconds left. The Iraq Study Group, let me just ask you, I mean nine months in the making, so much anticipation, so many high hopes. What did you make of the report that you've seen so far?" Later on during her 9am news update, Natalie Morales did Lauer one better as she called Blair a "steadfast ally." Natalie Morales: "A meeting today between President Bush and his steadfast ally in the Iraq War, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The White House visit comes a day after the Iraq Study Group issued blunt recommendations on how to move forward in Iraq saying time is running out. Blair who was interviewed by the group is pushing for its recommendations on Iraq to be put into place as early as January." So for the record Brokaw just got outvoted 2 to 1, on his own network, on the question of whether or not the U.S. has allies in the Iraq war. I wonder if the former NBC Nightly News anchor will issue a retraction any time soon?
Kathy Griffin: Conservatives 'Banging Kids,' Catholicism 'Crap' Appearing on Tuesday's Larry King Live on CNN, comedienne Kathy Griffin repeated her usual claim to be so liberal that she refers to herself as a Sandinista and not a Democrat. She also took delight in the downfall of Christian evangelical leader Ted Haggard, using it as a chance to ridicule conservatives: "I love it. I think it's hysterical because it's always, like, the ultra-right-wing conservatives that are banging the kids and the prostitutes and doing the crystal meth. Foley, delicious. Did you read those e-mails?" When she explained how her parents regularly attend Catholic mass, but she's "a fallen Catholic," King wondered: "Why did you fall off the wayside?" Griffin responded by denigrating Catholicism/Christianity: "I don't know. I just don't believe in any of that crap. I mean I think when you're a comedian, you kind of can't have those sensors and boundaries." [This item is adopted by a Thursday posting, by Scott Whitlock, on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Some highlights from the December 6 Larry King Live on CNN:
-- Larry King: "Before we talk about your folks and freebies, what do you make of Ted Haggard, the minister and the choir boy?" -- Responding to King's questioning about a U.S. Marine that she's friendly with, Griffin used an old line to describe her liberalism:
King: "How does he feel about your being opposed to the war?" -- Finally, the basic cable comedienne gleefully described how she makes fun of her Catholic parents:
King: "Now what about your parents and freebies?" King, a grand member of the mainstream media, didn't even flinch when Griffin referred to Christianity as "crap." Replace that with Islam, homosexuality, or an ethnic group and what would be the result? Does anyone believe that the CNN anchor would react with such blitheness?
Griffin's December 5 appearance on Larry King was actually tame for her. On September 10, 2005, she appeared on Comedy Central's Weekends at the DL and frothed at the mouth with this venomous, anti-conservative rant: That was a finalist in the MRC's 2005 DisHonors Awards. For video of it, go to: www.mrc.org For more about her appearance, check the September 12, 2005 CyberAlert: www.mrc.org
-- Brent Baker
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