<I>This Week</i>: McCain vs. NY Times
By Nicole Belle Sunday Feb 24, 2008 8:34am
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The media that makes up the round table panel on This Week with George Stephanopoulos--George Will, Cokie Roberts, E.J. Dionne and Ron Brownstein--are eager to defend their ever available for an appearance or quote buddy, John McCain, from charges of corruption by the mean old New York Times. Don't let the fact that other press have come out and independently confirmed much of the report dissuade you that it's just the NY Times exercising their liberal bias. It's amusing to see them dance around to land on an alibi that will stick, from Cokie Roberts' all but Alzheimer's defense ("it's entirely possible that legitimately he doesn't remember, and uh, it was a while ago") to Brownstein's "Americans don't care about infidelity" (because that ridiculously expensive witchhunt that impeached Clinton didn't matter either). Cokie posits a rather astounding rationalization that St. McCain flew all around the country in corporate jets, but didn't really "like it." Oy.
The discussion moves on to public financing, and the panel manages to acknowledge yet minimize the trouble McCain is having with the FEC, especially Cokie Roberts, who feels this is much worse for Barack Obama. It's beyond ridiculous. You have to wonder what it will take for them to not forgive McCain or try to turn it around as a negative for Obama.
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The GOP will use any opportunity to attack the times.
Pentagon Papers anyone?
I agree the substance of the story is at the worst outright corruption, less than that it pierces the bubble of McCain's claims he is anti-lobbyist.
However, when I read the story I was surprised they printed allegations, sorry, not even allegations, but rather an assumption of an affair based on some people thinking he may have had one. Seems like the Times shot themselves in the foot. If they had left out the sex angle they'd be on solid ground.
If they believe it is a non-story, why are they talking about it? If their honored boy didn't do any of these things, and he has denied it, why do they feel they must defend him? Pretty soon someone will try to pass a law against saying anything negative about McCain. And they talk about Obama being portrayed as the second coming, seems McCain is after that title with a little help from his "friends"
Drudge has a photo up of Obama and he says it is being circulated by a Clinton staffer. If it's true and it was a Clinton staffer who got it out there, Clinton has some firing to do today, and fast too.
May I share the best source for discussion of issues ...Diane Rehm on NPR.
Biden interview was interesting as well on this show. He seemed to support Obama's foreign policy...
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Biden_agrees_with_Obama_s_approach_to_...
Doesn't matter what they do or think. They are dinosaurs and out of touch with reality. I think even many traditionally Republican voters are tired of the GOP bullshit too.
McCain ain't winning this election... unless they are planning some Diebold trickery.
McCain has made it clear now that he's going to ignore the law, and keep on spending as if he's legally outside the public financing committment..
The media should jump ahead and analyze what, if any, implications and penalties this would pose for Mccain.
His brazen F-you attitude suggests that violating the law would put him at risk for meaningless penalties.
If that is the case, then I guess there is no story-- it's the equivalent of a speeding ticket.
And Obama never made a pledge....yet somehow, this keeps getting put forth as fact.
This is why Senators Clinton and Obama need to team up and go whole hog after McCain. They are being handed an opportunity with the lobbyist scandal and the way McCain is financing his campaign.
Shouldn't that be the FEC, not the FCC, in the last paragraph?
pissed off patricia @ 3:
Ya, I saw that too. The more desperate HRC gets, the worst it'll get for her imo. Best part was the editor helpfully showed other politicians in local dress, including HRC herself.
Still tho, I agree, the McCain story IS a story. The Times just blew it by sexing it up.
I can't even stand to watch the Sunday morning talking head shows anymore. They all spew such useless blather (+ a lot of lies) and then repeat it ad infinitum. I've certainly learned that I do not need them to help me "understand" what some politician said after I just heard the words come out straight of his mouth.
The guy up @#6 seems to think there's no way McCain can win, aside from some fiddling with the election results. Duh! How do you think we got Bush for 8 years?!
How do you think McCain even got this far in the primary cycle?
Sue @ 4:
Second that.
She has great questions and great panelists.
Cokie Roberts should have been put out to pasture years ago. Hell, decades ago. I haven't heard a sensible comment out of her mouth in 20 years or more, yet she's considered to be a "respected" political pundit.
Speaking of sex, it sure seems like they do a lot of McCain dick sucking on these shows.
New GOP mantra: Anyone but the c**t or the n****r.
Doesn't Brownstein's wife work for McCain's campaign?
gummitch @ 13:
I think all those plastic surguries are starting to stretch Cokie's brain.
Infidelity and Finance corruption aren't nearly as upsetting to the rightwing as the horrors of a black baby I guess. Now that Karl Rove had a severe liberal bias hatcheting McCain with that charge!
Why are all the right wing pundit women so skullified lookin'? Condi looks like a re-enlarged shrunken head. Roberts looks like something from the waiting room in Beetlejuice. Man Coulter and the freekin' shreekin' harpy Malkin....
... 'nuff said.
Cokehead Roberts is my favorite media whore. Always takes the side of the elite and fascists in the media and government. Not the main reason that I no longer contribute to NPR, but way up there.
> Cokie posits a rather astounding rationalization that St. McCain flew all around the country in corporate jets, but didn’t really “like it.”
What's not to like?
What would Zeus do? @ 20:
I guess Bill Clinton should have said, "Yeah...she blew me...but I didn't really like it". That makes it allll better.
"I started the war...but I didn't really like it".
"I fondled that page, but I didn't really like it."
"I sucked off that undercover agent in the men's room, but I didn't really like it."
"I embezzled millions in pension funds, but I didn't reallly like it."
"I tied my dog to the roof of my car, but I didn't really like it."
Delicious irony
According to a post on Yahoo news today, McCain can only get out of his agreement with the FEC for public funding by a formal decision of the FEC. However, because of the impasse over the nomination of watsisname the gerrymanderer, Bush will only propose new members to the FEC if he gets to stuff it with his poodle. So the FEC is down to two members and a quorum is four. Which means that Mc Cain can't get his get out of jail free card unless Bush withdraws the guys nomination.
This would apparently leave Mc cain with only $5mm to spend between now and September.
Sorry I can't remeber the guys name right now
The asshole is Spakosvsky.
had to do a google search.
:-)
NPR runs Cokie Roberts every Monday morning because she is such a "moderate & reasoned" politcal observer. Every time she just dishes up Republican talking points and shits on any suggestion that what progressives and Democrats want has any merit to it at all.
That's our public dollars being spent and I for one want equal time (at the very least) for progressives point of view on NPR. (or at the very least to get them to stop running Republican commentary under the guise of politcal newsthink)
As far as the sex story/non-story....I have yet to hear McCain say he did not have sex with the woman in the story. To me that sounds like a non-denial denial.
I've often had a theory about Republicans and their politicians that basically goes like this -a Republican politician could shoot their own mother, in the head, in front of a crowd, in broad daylight, and on national TV, live in prime time, and the conservatives in this country will try to either justify it or deny it even happened. The thing that's even more sad is that there would be a percentage of the population that will ignore what they saw and go along with the justification or denial.
Well, the Nyt's deserves to be jeered for publishing a sex scandal with no sex in it.
But it's funny to watch the Obamaniacs get their panties in a bunch because Obama is being treated like a Democrat.
At least George Will bothered to point out the issue of McCain's ultra-cosy relationship with lobbyists. I wonder if the other panelists would ever have got to that if Will wasn't there to bring it up.
What would Zeus do? @ 20:
She's become pure random entertainment - something akin to "Wife Swap".
this group is rediculous, it's like saying
hannible lecter(sp) only cannibalized people
that needed it.
Cokey Roberts and George Will have been bashing Democrats from their Ivory tower for many years.
Why ABC keeps them on the air is beyond me. ABC seems to be balanced but sometimes I wonder.
Limbaugh and Hannity are carried on ABC radio here is Chi. NPR has been infiltrated for sure.
DHavok @ 26:
Hey, come on, they're just letting off a little steam! That's all.
Rules, ethics, decency... that's for the great unwashed.
The worst crime from an authoritarian's perspective is to publish something critical of them, particularly when it is true, as this story is. John McCain should have learned better than mouth-foot disease.
"he has gamed this system brilliantly." and thats not illegal?
Look all these talking heads are republicans they will do and say anything to keep those tax cuts so they can keep there new summer homes that they bought dirt cheap from the for-closer market
So let me get this straight, they are commending McCain for cheating and utilizing illegal practices to fund his campaign? Or in the words of this jackass...."He has gamed the system beautifully." These people make me sick. And did Cokie Roberts really say, maybe he just doesn't remember. It's been a long time???? How would you forget trading sexual favors (cringes) for campaign funding. You would think that would be something that would stick in ones mind.
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