1. Ann Coulter Calls Out CBS's Smith on Fearing Obama Assassination
Appearing on Tuesday's CBS Early Show, author Ann Coulter promoted her new book, Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America, by demonstrating how co-host Harry Smith contributed to liberal victimhood when, in a January 29, 2008 interview, he asked Ted Kennedy about the possibility Obama might be assassinated because he's an "agent of change." Coulter recalled: "You kept saying things like I am thinking of a word and it begins with the letter 'A.' And Teddy Kennedy was refusing to understand what you were saying." Smith had asked the Massachusetts Senator: "When you see that enthusiasm, though, and when you see this generational change that seems to be taking place before our eyes, does it make you at all fearful?" Kennedy either did not get Smith's point or deliberately avoided addressing the obvious allusion to the assassination of two of Kennedy's brothers, leading Smith to reiterate his dire warning about how "sometimes agents of change end up being targets, as you well know. And that was why I was asking if you were at all fearful of that." In her book, Coulter remarked on Smith's interview: "Kennedy may be a drunken slob, but unlike CBS News anchors, he is not certifiably insane."

2. NBC's Today Show Replaces Bumped Ann Coulter with Rachel Maddow
Presumably a last minute replacement for a bumped Ann Coulter, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow appeared on Tuesday's Today show to drop invective about the Bush administration's "torture" policies. According to the Drudge Report, Coulter originally had been invited on to promote her new book Guilty, on the Today show but NBC News allegedly, reversed course, and bumped the conservative author and even considered a ban. So instead of the rousing bit of Barack Obama bashing and criticism of the fawning coverage of him by the liberal media that would've surely been delivered by Coulter, Today viewers were treated to the following slam of Bush policies via a Maddow defense of Obama's choice of Leon Panetta as CIA Director: "On Panetta that was an 'elections have consequences' moment. If you were in the Bush administration and which, with, with warrantless wiretapping and enhanced interrogation, torture. With rendition, with these other controversial policies in the intelligence community, that's not going to be a career asset."

3. ABC's David Wright Compares Burris to Capra's 'Mr. Smith'
ABC reporter David Wright on Tuesday appeared on Good Morning America and charitably compared Illinois Senator-designate Roland Burris to the title character of Frank Capra's classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. At the same time, Wright suggested that the Senate leadership, which plans on blocking the entry of Burris, might unfavorably be linked to Ronald Reagan's former Secretary of State, Al Haig. After asserting that the potential senator, appointed by scandal-ridden Governor Rod Blagojevich, "is being treated like a tourist," Wright made his movie analogy. He explained, "Not since Mr. Smith came to Washington in that old Frank Capra film has an idealistic senator appointed by a corrupt party boss been so unwelcome at the capitol. But at least Mr. Smith got his seat." He added that "the leadership clearly hopes Burris will come off as presumptuous, as Secretary of State Al Haig did after Ronald Reagan was shot."

4. Gupta Raises McCain's 'Substance Abuse,' Scolds Reagan on AIDS
Flashback: CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, whom President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly asked to take an administration post as Surgeon General and top health policy adviser, last year thought it noteworthy that the release of John McCain's medical records ignored the Senator's "mental health," any "mention of post-traumatic stress disorder" or of "substance abuse." Back in 2004, upon Ronald Reagan's passing, Gupta took to CNN to give legitimacy to claims of how throughout his presidency "many would accuse President Reagan of ignoring AIDS." Gupta falsely charged that "the first time President Reagan would utter the word AIDS in public would be well into his second term, six years after the virus was discovered." The jump would take Gupta full circle back to activist liberal politics and policy-making. "He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton," the Washington Post's Ceci Connolly and Howard Kurtz recalled in a story for Wednesday's paper which relayed that in addition to the Surgeon General slot "he has also been offered a top post in the new White House Office of Health Reform."

Ann Coulter Calls Out CBS's Smith on
Fearing Obama Assassination

     Appearing on Tuesday's CBS Early Show, author Ann Coulter promoted her new book, Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America, by demonstrating how co-host Harry Smith contributed to liberal victimhood when, in a January 29, 2008 interview, he asked Ted Kennedy about the possibility Obama might be assassinated because he's an "agent of change." Coulter recalled: "You kept saying things like I am thinking of a word and it begins with the letter 'A.' And Teddy Kennedy was refusing to understand what you were saying." Smith had asked the Massachusetts Senator: "When you see that enthusiasm, though, and when you see this generational change that seems to be taking place before our eyes, does it make you at all fearful?" Kennedy either did not get Smith's point or deliberately avoided addressing the obvious allusion to the assassination of two of Kennedy's brothers, leading Smith to reiterate his dire warning about how "sometimes agents of change end up being targets, as you well know. And that was why I was asking if you were at all fearful of that." In her book, Coulter remarked on Smith's interview: "Kennedy may be a drunken slob, but unlike CBS News anchors, he is not certifiably insane."

     See the January 30, 2008 CyberAlert for a full rundown of Smith with Kennedy: www.mrc.org

     [This item, by the MRC's Kyle Drennen, was posted Tuesday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     During the Tuesday exchange with Coulter, Smith defended asking the question: "A friend of mine who's a liberal -- who was a liberal talk show host in Denver was gunned down in his front yard. He was assassinated. I stood in front of the Murrah Federal Building. I have looked hate in the eye. I know that there are people in this country who would be interested in the death of not only Barack Obama but any president. That was a legitimate question to ask Ted Kennedy." Smith then asked Coulter: "You don't think as an African-American, that he was at some greater risk?"

     In response, Coulter pointed out: "I promise you George Bush is at greater risk. He has been physically attacked two weeks ago. There's a book fantasizing about George Bush's assassination. There's a movie -- a documentary fantasizing about George Bush's assassination....So maybe we can stop talking about the threat of right-wing violence in a country that is teeming with left-wing violence."

     Later, Smith challenged the idea of liberals promoting victimhood and instead accused Coulter of acting like a victim herself: "You talk about victims and victimhood in America, which I think is a serious problem. On the other hand, the more I listen to your complaints, the more I kept thinking, well, you're the whiner. You're the one who's claiming victimhood here. That you're the victim o this great left-wing conspiracy...if there was a real live left-wing conspiracy, how do you account for a Republican president being elected and then realizing it?" Smith later went so far as to say: "You should -- you should have a cross. You should put yourself up on a cross."

     At the very end of the interview, Smith took one final jab at Coulter: "And a final thought, and your dissolution of your relationship with the National Review, and the final discussion....And the editor who was offering an explanation, he said 'the deeper you get with Ann, the less sense she makes.'

     Here is the full transcript of the January 6 appearance:

     7:30AM TEASE:
     HARRY SMITH: Also ahead this morning, Julie, you're not going to believe this, talk about strangers in the night. We found out that Ann Coulter and Dave Price were classmates at Cornell.
     JULIE CHEN: Did they know each other?
     SMITH: Yeah.
     DAVE PRICE: No, Ann was popular.
     SMITH: Ann Coulter has a new book. She says nasty things about me in it. We're going to find out why in just a couple of minutes.
     MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: It's going to be good.

     7:31AM SEGMENT:
     HARRY SMITH: Conservative firebrand Ann Coulter is at it again, stirring up controversy, with her new book, 'Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America.' And Ann is with us live in the studio this morning. Good morning.
     ANN COULTER: Good morning.
     SMITH: You know what? You want to be taken seriously. I think -- I sense that. Right?
     COULTER: Yeah.
     SMITH: Don't you? Right?
     COULTER: Well, I make serious points, but often in a humorous way. For example, with you Harry, because today you are the most brilliant person in the mainstream media.
     SMITH: Right, right, right.
     COULTER: The most manly. And I am totally reconsidering my approach of attacking everyone in the media I then want to interview me for my books.
     SMITH: There you have it. Here's what -- because I took you seriously. I read 150 pages of your book last night.
     COULTER: You did! Wasn't it fun?
     SMITH: Well, it's not exactly -- here's my problem. Because you try to be funny, because you have this kind of sophomoric, sort of simplistic kind of view of so many things, the points that should be taken seriously, this whole section on single motherhood would be -- could -- should be part of the American conversation right now.
     COULTER: Yes.
     SMITH: Because you're so goofy, who's going to take you seriously?
     COULTER: Well, for one thing, I think any comedy writer will tell you sophomoric is New York Times code for funny. So I thank you for that. And I do think people take me seriously. If they're not reading the book, they're not taking -- they're not getting any of it seriously. And I'll use an example what we've all been joking about today or you've all been joking -- that line from the book that I -- where I quote you.
     SMITH: Right.
     COULTER: Which -- and it wasn't just you. I mean, everyone was saying it, but that is a serious point I'm making, which is everyone was talking about how -- oh, you want to read the quote? [ON SCREEN QUOTE: 'Kennedy may be a drunken slob, but unlike CBS News anchors, he is not certifiably insane.']
     SMITH: No, well here's the -- because here's the point is-
     COULTER: That is such a beautiful line. You see, that is my point.
     SMITH: Hang on, here's -- but here's what's serious about this. Alright? A friend of mine who's a liberal -- who was a liberal talk show host in Denver was gunned down in his front yard. He was assassinated. I stood in front of the Murrah Federal Building. I have looked hate in the eye. I know that there are people in this country who would be interested in the death of not only Barack Obama but any president. That was a legitimate question to ask Ted Kennedy-
     COULTER: No but the points I make in the book-
     SMITH: And Ted -- well, the point you make at my expense and at-
     COULTER: -I think is -- not at your expense, at everyone talking about as if Obama is at some unique risk for assassination. And as I go through in the book every presidential-
     SMITH: You don't think as an African-American, that he was at some greater risk?
     COULTER: No, I do not. Because every presidential assassin -- or attempted presidential assassin in the history of the nation has either been a liberal, a communist, an anarchist, someone on the left, or there were two who had no politics whatsoever unless you count John Hinckley, who is certifiably insane. So, you know, we have-
     SMITH: Which goes back -- which goes back to -- to your basic point that everything that's wrong with America is the left's fault.
     COULTER: No, I have -- I wouldn't have mentioned that all these presidential assassins were anarchists, communists, liberals, they were some form of, you know, basically Obama's base, other than the fact that everyone keeps talking about Obama being at some unique risk. Well, I'm sorry, Sean Hannity's at greater risk. Rush Limbaugh's at greater risk. I promise you George Bush is at greater risk. He has been physically attacked two weeks ago. There's a book fantasizing about George Bush's assassination. There's a movie -- a documentary fantasizing about George Bush's assassination. And there are more hits on going Google for Obama and assassination than Bush and assassination. So maybe we can stop talking about the threat of right-wing violence in a country that is teeming with left-wing violence. At the Democratic National Convention-
     SMITH: Take a breath. Take a breath. Take a breath. Take a breath.
     COULTER: -protestors -- I'm breathing fine.
     SMITH: Take a breath. Here's -- here's my other point-
     COULTER: They have protester after protester-
     SMITH: I actually did read your book-
     COULTER: At the Democratic National Convention with Molotov cocktails, with guns. You don't find conservative protestors like that at the Democratic National Convention. So, yes, you cite a few rare examples.
     SMITH: But that doesn't -- that doesn't-
     COULTER: That's why we look at statistics. You have a radio host-
     SMITH: Okay. But I made that point from a literal -- my own personal experience. Not from some-
     COULTER: You're not certifiably insane. I love you today, Harry Smith, but it was a very funny interview-
     SMITH: But here's -- here's-
     COULTER: -you must admit that because he was refusing to even understand what you were saying, and you kept saying things like I am thinking of a word and it begins with the letter 'A.' And Teddy Kennedy was refusing to understand what you were saying, so that's why I quoted it, it's a funny interview.
     SMITH: Here's -- here's my only other serious point. You talk about victims and victimhood in America, which I think is a serious problem. On the other hand, the more I listen to your complaints, the more I kept thinking, well, you're the whiner. You're the one who's claiming victimhood here. That you're the victim o this great left-wing conspiracy-
     COULTER: No, I'm not, but there are real victims.
     SMITH: -if there was a real live left-wing conspiracy, how do you account for a Republican president being elected and then realizing it?
     COULTER: It's amazing it happens because of the great wisdom of the American people. But the point is, I'm not saying I am the victim. I'm saying that by playing victim, real victims are created. You have millions of unborn babies. They are -- they are real victims. You have the Duke lacrosse players, real victims. You have George Bush, the most persecuted, attacked, and assassination movies and books, president I think since Richard Nixon, you have Joe McCarthy, you have Robert Bork, you have Tom Delay. Everyone was identified as an oppressor -- Sarah Palin-
     SMITH: Tom Delay is a victim? Tom Delay is a victim?
     COULTER: Yes and all the ones who are-
     SMITH: Of what?
     COULTER: -identified as oppressors-
     SMITH: Right-
     COULTER: -are always genuinely the victims and the ones who are the play victims are, in fact, the oppressors.
     SMITH: You should -- you should have a cross. You should put yourself up on a cross.
     COULTER: No, but I'm not citing me. I'm citing the real victims whom I'm defending and demanding that this perpetual motion machine of the liberal victimization machine playing victim while oppressing others, the millions of illegitimate children born every year, the people who are mugged by the millions of illegitimate children born every year -- they are genuine victims.
     SMITH: It's the liberals' fault, it's the liberals' fault.
     COULTER: Illegitimacy is certainly something that I document quite thoroughly has been promoted through the media, the courts, and federal government, as something that is celebrated and promoted by the left-wing in America. It was a plan, it wasn't an accident. And that's why the illegitimacy rate has gone up by 300% since 1970.
     SMITH: Right, right. And a final thought, and your dissolution of your relationship with 'The National Review,' and the final discussion.
     COULTER: Yes.
     SMITH: And the editor who was offering an explanation, he said 'the deeper you get with Ann, the less sense she makes.'
     COULTER: Yes, I do not have a lot of fans among conservative authors who don't sell as many books as I do.
     SMITH: There you go.

NBC's Today Show Replaces Bumped Ann
Coulter with Rachel Maddow

     Presumably a last minute replacement for a bumped Ann Coulter, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow appeared on Tuesday's Today show to drop invective about the Bush administration's "torture" policies. According to the Drudge Report, Coulter originally had been invited on to promote her new book Guilty, on the Today show but NBC News allegedly, reversed course, and bumped the conservative author and even considered a ban. So instead of the rousing bit of Barack Obama bashing and criticism of the fawning coverage of him by the liberal media that would've surely been delivered by Coulter, Today viewers were treated to the following slam of Bush policies via a Maddow defense of Obama's choice of Leon Panetta as CIA Director: "On Panetta that was an 'elections have consequences' moment. If you were in the Bush administration and which, with, with warrantless wiretapping and enhanced interrogation, torture. With rendition, with these other controversial policies in the intelligence community, that's not going to be a career asset."

     (Coulter did get a guest slot on Wednesday's [January 7] Today show.)

     [This item, by the MRC's Geoffrey Dickens, is based on an article originally posted Tuesday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     Maddow appeared during the 7am half-hour where, according to the Drudge Report, Coulter was originally scheduled to have been slotted before being bumped. The following is the full transcript of the Maddow segment as it was aired on the January 6 Today show:

     MEREDITH VIEIRA: Rachel Maddow is the host of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Rachel, good morning.
     RACHEL MADDOW: Hi Meredith.
     VIEIRA: Thanks for getting up early for us.
     MADDOW: Oh sure.
     VIEIRA: Like his daughters, it was really first day of school for Barack Obama yesterday. And by all appearances he seemed to be the most popular kid in the class but underneath, as Chuck pointed out, a lot of drama going on, some bumps along the way. How do you think he did?
     MADDOW: Well, I think that he made a bold choice in Leon Panetta, and we have seen from Barack Obama a lot of leadership by building consensus, by making people not disagree with him about important and hot-button issues. But on Panetta that was an, "elections have consequences" moment. If you were in the Bush administration and which, with, with warrantless wiretapping and enhanced interrogation, torture. With rendition, with these other controversial policies in the intelligence community, that's not going to be a career asset. And if you were a Democratic senator in an intelligence oversight role, while all these things were happening, your objections may not be the most important thing for this new president looking to make a clean break.
     VIEIRA: So, when they say some of these Democratic leaders that he does not have, Panetta does not have the intelligence experience, are they wrong?
     MADDOW: Well, when you look back at the past eight years, of the people who've been involved in the intelligence community, it appears that the Obama administration, the, the transition team looked at those people and said, "You know what, if you were there in the last eight years, we're gonna leapfrog over you and look to people who have different kinds of experience." You sort of can't find anybody who is more Washington mainstream than Leon Panetta, and he does have a lot of experience in national security and, and, and sensitive matters. He served on the Iraq study group and has been involved in the highest levels of government.
     VIEIRA: He's also another Clintonite though. That's what some people are saying.
     MADDOW: In a lot of ways, he is a very, very safe choice. The only pseudo controversial thing about him is he was not in the intelligence community during these last eight years. But anybody who was, has political problems now. And if they were in a senior role in the intelligence community, the elections have consequences. And with torture and warrantless wiretapping and rendition and these other things, those things are going to continue to resonate in your career for the rest of your life.
     VIEIRA: Let's talk about expectations, because right after he was elected, Barack Obama said he wanted this economic stimulus package, that he was pushing yesterday, on his desk for signing day one, January 20th. That is not gonna happen. Now he's saying, "End of January, beginning of February." Is that realistic, or is he gonna continue to lower expectations?
     MADDOW: Well, he's not lowering expectations about what the outcome is going to be ultimately, it's how fast it's going to get done. Unfortunately, in this economic climate, the reason there is going to be an economic stimulus package is because something needs to be done quickly. That's what all the economists say. So, the, the, this seems like the ambition on how to move forward in the, on the economic field may be being curtailed a little bit by the desire to make it appear that we are moving forward by consensus, to hope that there isn't a big acrimonious fight between Republicans and Democrats about this, about these things. It may be the Republicans' ball, ultimately to decide how big a fight this is gonna be.
     VIEIRA: Alright, let me give you two names, you tell me what's going to happen. Roland Burris, Al Franken.
     MADDOW: Roland Burris is going to continue to have the time of his life. He is enjoying this process very much. I interviewed him last night about that.
     VIEIRA: I saw, yes.
     MADDOW: And he's-
     VIEIRA: He's gonna go today and expect to be sworn in? He's gonna put on his nice suit and go.
     MADDOW: I do not think that he is so deluded that he should expect to be sworn in, but I think he's gonna do everything he can to try to get sworn in. He sees this as his moment. Doesn't matter to him that Blagojevich was the person who appointed him. The fact that, that matters very much to Senate Democrats will be a point of contention, but I think for him he's gonna ride this train as far as it goes.
     VIEIRA: And in the end, do you think he will be?
     MADDOW: In the end, I think that the Senate Democrats are going to put in such an awkward position that they will, they may delay, they may make it awkward, but it will be hard to imagine him not becoming senator in some way.
     VIEIRA: And Al Franken, will he be a senator Saturday night and every other night?
     MADDOW: Al Franken's fate is, again, partly in the hands of Republicans. Norm Coleman has to decide what sort of legal challenges he's gonna put the people of Minnesota through in waiting to get their new U.S. senator. Franken has been declared the winner. This one is gonna be fun to watch.
     VIEIRA: Alright Rachel Maddow. As always, a real pleasure to see you.
     MADDOW: Thanks Meredith.
     VIEIRA: And you can watch The Rachel Maddow Show, weeknights at 9 Eastern on MSNBC.

     To read the Drudge Report's story on the Coulter being bumped: www.drudgereportarchives.com

ABC's David Wright Compares Burris to
Capra's 'Mr. Smith'

     ABC reporter David Wright on Tuesday appeared on Good Morning America and charitably compared Illinois Senator-designate Roland Burris to the title character of Frank Capra's classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. At the same time, Wright suggested that the Senate leadership, which plans on blocking the entry of Burris, might unfavorably be linked to Ronald Reagan's former Secretary of State, Al Haig.

     After asserting that the potential senator, appointed by scandal-ridden Governor Rod Blagojevich, "is being treated like a tourist," Wright made his movie analogy. He explained, "Not since Mr. Smith came to Washington in that old Frank Capra film has an idealistic senator appointed by a corrupt party boss been so unwelcome at the capitol. But at least Mr. Smith got his seat." He added that "the leadership clearly hopes Burris will come off as presumptuous, as Secretary of State Al Haig did after Ronald Reagan was shot."

     [This item, by the MRC's Scott Whitlock, was posted Tuesday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     Wright was certainly critical of the senators for their attempts not to seat Burris. He even compared the situation to the racially themed film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," but never specifically identified that it is the Democrats who will be barring Burris from taking his seat.

     Instead, he used phrases such as "the leadership" and "his [Burris'] own party leadership." And while a text graphic identified Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as a Democrat, Wright avoided the D-word. He also referred to, simply, "Senator Dick Durbin," another Democrat in opposition.

     A transcript of the January 6 segment, which aired at 7:01am, follows:

     DIANE SAWYER: It's showdown at the Capitol. Will the Senate snub the man Governor Blagojevich sent to Washington?

     ROBIN ROBERTS: But we are going to going to begin this morning with two reports on both major stories developing on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers getting down to serious business to revive the nation's economy and the effort by Illinois Senate appointee Roland Burris to be seated by a Senate that vows not to let him in. That part of the story first from ABC's David Wright, who is on the hill. Good morning, David.
     DAVID WRIGHT: Good morning, Robin. The potential for embarrassment today is huge, as Roland Burris walks into this building, determined to take up the seat that he says is rightfully his. But his own party leadership, including his Senate colleague from Illinois, says he doesn't belong here because he was appointed by a tainted politician, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Well, Burris has made it crystal clear he plans to call their bluff. As he embarked at Chicago's Midway airport, he was defiant.
     ROLAND BURRIS: I am the magic man.
     WRIGHT: As he arrived at Baltimore-Washington International, defiant still.
     BURRIS: I am the United States senator from the state of Illinois. The governor has appointed and there's no way that my distinguished majority leader can say that I'm not the senator.
     WRIGHT: But Roland Burris knows the Senate won't be rolling out the red carpet.
     SENATOR HARRY REID (D-NV, majority leader): Roland Burris has not been certified by the state of Illinois. When that takes place, we'll, of course, review it.
     WRIGHT: Senator Dick Durbin says Burris is welcome to watch the swearing in of new senators from the comfort of Durbin's office couch. But he won't be admitted to the Senate floor. Nor will he be get to ride the members only elevator. Burris is being treated like a tourist.
     [Clip from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"]
     JIMMY STEWART: I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Barnes.
     WRIGHT: Not since Mr. Smith came to Washington in that old Frank Capra film has an idealistic senator appointed by a corrupt party boss been so unwelcome at the capitol. But at least Mr. Smith got his seat. The leadership clearly hopes Burris will come off as presumptuous, as Secretary of State Al Haig did after Ronald Reagan was shot.
     AL HAIG: As of now, I am in control here.
     WRIGHT: But it's also distinctly possible the scene will look more like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." The senators may seem out of touch if this overwhelmingly white group refuses to admit the one and only black man seeking to join their exclusive club. At this point, it does seem that Burris' only sin is that he was appointed by such a tainted politician. And Senate leaders are aware of that. They're discussing the possibility of making some accommodations that would allow him to become a senator, if not today, then sometime in the near future, provided, perhaps, that he serves only to 2010, Diane.
     SAWYER: My goodness. Talk about complications. Thank you, David.

Gupta Raises McCain's 'Substance Abuse,'
Scolds Reagan on AIDS

     Flashback: CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, whom President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly asked to take an administration post as Surgeon General and top health policy adviser, last year thought it noteworthy that the release of John McCain's medical records ignored the Senator's "mental health," any "mention of post-traumatic stress disorder" or of "substance abuse." Back in 2004, upon Ronald Reagan's passing, Gupta took to CNN to give legitimacy to claims of how throughout his presidency "many would accuse President Reagan of ignoring AIDS." Gupta falsely charged that "the first time President Reagan would utter the word AIDS in public would be well into his second term, six years after the virus was discovered."

     The jump would take Gupta full circle back to activist liberal politics and policy-making. "He was a White House fellow in the late 1990s, writing speeches and crafting policy for then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton," the Washington Post's Ceci Connolly and Howard Kurtz recalled in a story for Wednesday's paper ("Obama Picks TV's Gupta for Medical Post") which relayed that in addition to the Surgeon General slot "he has also been offered a top post in the new White House Office of Health Reform, twin duties that could make him the most influential Surgeon General in history." The Post article also noted that Gupta, who joined CNN in 2001 and has since also reported for CBS News, "met for more than two hours with Obama in Chicago on Nov. 25."

     January 7 Washington Post article: www.washingtonpost.com

     [This item, by the MRC's Brent Baker, was posted late Tuesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

     The May 27 CyberAlert item, "CBS: 'Substance Abuse'? People Think McCain War Injuries 'Funny'?" recounted:

The night after ABC's World News raised the possibility John McCain's POW ordeal caused "psychological damage," on Friday's CBS Evening News Dr. Sanjay Gupta thought it noteworthy that the release of McCain's medical records ignored the Senator's "mental health," any "mention of post-traumatic stress disorder" or of "substance abuse."...

From Fountain Hills, Arizona, CNN's Gupta, identified by Katie Couric as "a CBS News contributor" and on-screen as "contributing medical correspondent," marveled: "What I didn't see I thought was interesting, as well. There was hardly any mention of his mental health. There was no mention of depression. You know, this is man who had two admittedly weak suicide attempts when he was a prisoner of war. There was no mention of post-traumatic stress disorder or anything that may have been asked, or substance abuse, none of that was even mentioned."

     Full rundown: www.mrc.org

     Video of Gupta's take on McCain: newsbusters.org

     The June 10, 2004 MRC CyberAlert, "CNN's Cooper and Gupta Bemoan Reagan's Indifference to AIDS," reported:

On Tuesday night, CNN devoted a segment of Anderson Cooper 360 to how, as CNN's Dr, Sanjay Gupta put it, throughout his presidency "many would accuse President Reagan of ignoring AIDS," as if Reagan talking about it would have done more to prevent it than those in the homosexual community modifying their unsafe sex practices. Leading into a Reagan clip from 1987, Gupta complained that "the first time President Reagan would utter the word AIDS in public would be well into his second term, six years after the virus was discovered." In fact, Reagan talked about AIDS in 1985 and cited it repeatedly in his 1986 State of the Union address. Gupta relayed how one "AIDS activist" believes "the administration avoided AIDS all those years because of homophobia."

     Complete transcript: www.mediaresearch.org

     Deroy Murdock documented in National Review:

[A]s official White House papers cited by Steven Hayward, author of the multi-volume Age of Reagan show, the 40th president spoke of AIDS no later than September 17, 1985. Responding to a question on AIDS research, the president said: "[I]ncluding what we have in the budget for '86, it will amount to over a half a billion dollars that we have provided for research on AIDS in addition to what I'm sure other medical groups are doing. And we have $100 million in the budget this year; it'll be 126 million next year. So, this is a top priority with us. Yes, there's no question about the seriousness of this and the need to find an answer."

President Reagan's February 6, 1986 State of the Union address included this specific passage where he says the word "AIDS" five times: "We will continue, as a high priority, the fight against Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). An unprecedented research effort is underway to deal with this major epidemic public health threat. The number of AIDS cases is expected to increase. While there are hopes for drugs and vaccines against AIDS, none is immediately at hand. Consequently, efforts should focus on prevention, to inform and to lower risks of further transmission of the AIDS virus. To this end, I am asking the Surgeon General to prepare a report to the American people on AIDS."

     Murdock's 2004 piece: www.nationalreview.com

-- Brent Baker

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