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T. Boone Pickens has been in the news a lot lately pushing his so-called "Pickens Plan" which seeks to reduce America's reliance on foreign energy imports. Some aspects of the proposal are laudatory and actually quite brilliant, and some aspects are just downright stupid. But this post isn't about the merits of the idea; it's about what Pickens has to say when asked to reflect back on his role in bankrolling the insipid swift boat smear campaign against John Kerry. On this front, the billionaire oilman reveals his true, slimy colors. In this 60 Minutes profile, the cameras follow Pickens to the 2008 Democratic National Convention and capture his visibly uncomfortable encounter with the man he spent $3 million destroying.

60 Minutes:

"You spent $3 million funding an advertising campaign that, in some people’s mind, was representative of dirty politics, smear politics, character assassination, all of that. At this stage, do you have any regrets?" Rose asks.

"None," Pickens says.

Asked if he'd do it over again tomorrow, Pickens says, "What I knew then, I know that same thing now. And nothing has changed my mind."

SEE ALSO: Senator Kerry Confronts Swift Boat Funder

They only support the troops when it suits them...

The NRO had a glowing op-ed to Pat on 05/04/04: "Courage and Honor." Pat and his family were treated with none of these. Yesterday---only silence because the propaganda was exposed. I wonder if Derbyshire will write a piece that says Tillman acted strangely when he tried to warn his "mates' that he was an American when he got shot and Derby only hopes that he would have done it differently if he were there....

Powerline weighs in and predictable says that there was no cover up at all:

There is no question that the initial misreporting of the circumstances of Tillman's death was stupid and improper. The claim of a government conspiracy to cover up the facts, however, is ludicrous.

Does he mean the rapper? They also painted Kevin Tillman as “an antiwar activist who has posted on far-left web sites...Well there you have it....He posted on some websites. Didn't he actually fight in Iraq? I guess they must have missed a few stories about the excellent way the military handled Pat Tillman's death...

Mahablog catches Rick Moran carrying out a fraud against the left..Moran says:

If it was good enough for your daddy/granddaddy’s war it’s good enough for yours,” seems to be what the Pentagon is saying with regards to trying to hype the accomplishments of Pat Tillman - whose character assassination by the left continues to this day - and Jessica Lynch, the young woman whose convoy was ambushed resulting in severe injuries and her capture by the Iraqis.

Barbara debunks his myth by checking out the posts he uses and says: I know it’s as common as ticks in Arkansas, but whenever I see this kind of depraved dishonesty from rightie bloggers I am disgusted anew.

Glenn Greenwald follows through also: The Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch frauds

An instant classic...She attacks Jessica Valenti about taking a picture with a group of bloggers at a Bill Clinton luncheon some time ago and then flies into a rage (threatening to hang up) because it was brought up in the conversation by Garance Franke-Ruta of TAPped...She goes on and on after that about the meanies that attack HER...

Download | play Download | play (rough transcript)

Althouse: I know you know some of the people who are especially nasty to me----I don't accept your..WAIT a minute...WAIT a minute. I DON"T accept your saying that Jessica Valenti breast controversy. I consider that an insult...you know..I, I'm on the verge of hanging up with you, for, for bringing it up that way...it was nasty and character assassinating to talk about it that way...

Narcissistic much? Michael Berube has more...Lefarkins transcribes another interesting tidbit ...Orcinus transcribes the whole painful exchange

Update: TRex goes into the original story and it ain't pretty for Ann...

But maybe this is why the Right Wingers like you. You have perfected one of their favorite maneuvers, the Reverse Malkin, which is where you launch a vicious, factually challenged, hate-filled personal attack against someone and then when they push back, you stand to the side and screech, "Wait! I'm the victim, here!...read on

(H/t BloggingheadsTV)

Digby:

The NY Times has apparently had some kind of revelation about the fact that the Whitewater and subsequent scandals were ginned up by rich rightwing character assassins...

But it happened and it will happen again. They have learned nothing and feel they have nothing to answer for. Clinton's spokesman is right when he says “I think that history demonstrates that whoever the nominee is is going to engender opposition from the right, and we will certainly be prepared" but it is only part of the story. All Democrats will also engender reporting from a press corps that persists in seeing politics through the lens of the rightwing narrative that was set forth by Scaife and his various hitmen back in the 1990's...read on

Wampum reports that NPR has been drinking the same GOP Kool-Aid.

Ignorance can kill so don't listen to Laura Bush. Incompetence is just as deadly. Is character assassination the only thing the Bush administration knows how to do?

Not a blog, but definitely worth reading...A Nobel Prize-winning economist and a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce report on the Iraq War's stunning price tag --between $1 and $2 trillion.

Catch: One of the Wicked--Conrad Burns

Scrutiny Hooligans: 9/11 did not turn our nation into a belligerent monarchy, George Bush did.

Catch: One of the Wicked--Conrad Burns

Scrutiny Hooligans: 9/11 did not turn our nation into a belligerent monarchy, George Bush did.

Memo to Bill O'Reilly: Please Retire Now!

As I said in a post last night, Bill attacked Media Matters and CAP in as dishonest a way as he could think of. He proved yet again what a coward he is by refusing to address Media Matters in person. I think it is time for Bill to throw in the towel, go away, begone, skedaddle, vamoose, move on, and bid farewell. I'm only suggesting this because he mentioned it to Newsday himself, so I'll second that motion.

Download | play WMP low res.

Download | play -QT

NewsHounds has the transcripts and lists a couple of articles that Jacob Laksin and Todd Manzi wrote.

Sadly, No! says: O'Reilly to Retire? Oh Please, Lord, Make It So!

Think Progress writes: O’Reilly Says CAP Is “A Very Well-Oiled, Effective Character Assassination Machine...read on

In a move probably destined to lead to a hiring of a new analyst, Hannity and Colmes had a laughable "exclusive interview" with Armstrong Williams Friday night.

Video

Williams as you know shamefully took 240,000 dollars from the DOE to promote NCLB. Armstrong is probably begging people to interview him so he can get his face back on T.V. and of course FNC is all to happy to try and rehabilitate another fallen conservative voice.

Armstrong didn't appear all too cheerful, as Colmes did his part in saying:

Colmes: I congratulate you Armstrong, all I get paid by is Fox News. I wish I had your business model, I'd be wealthier.

Williams stammers his response: What you should do, you should try ownership.

Let me interpret: If you own your own business Alan, it will be easier to get paid by the government to promote their policy and hide it.

Then Alan kicked him in the nuts:(explanation: as far as Allan can go on the offensive.)

Colmes: Media Matters points out that you criticized this plan before you got paid to promote it. You criticized the No Child Left Behind plan in a column in May 16th, 2001...

Williams being outed as the fraud that he is said: What?...

Two things here. First, Allan Colmes finally took a Hannity like approach to a republican flunky and second; he used Media Matters as his source of information.

via Media Matters: In 2001, Armstrong Williams criticized aspect of plan he was later paid to promote.

As many of us know Bill O'Reilly is FNC's top rated show and he often attacks Media Matters with his usual panache:

O'Reilly to Media Matters: "[Y]ou character assassins. ... You guys really are despicable weasels"

So for Allan Colmes to use Media Matters as a source of information to debunk a lying liar on Fox News is a rallying point for MM to be even mentioned on FNC; and a slap in the face to O'Reilly.

Hannity tried to ease Williams pain by trying to guide him through his interview and "mistake" by using this idiotic excuse:

Hannity: You always supported it, you just didn't disclose....

Thanks for making our point for us Sean.