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Fox News host Brian Kilmeade wants to know if it's time to make all Muslims in the military pay for the alleged crimes of the Ft. Hood shooting suspect. "Do you think it's time for the military to have special debriefings of Muslim Army officers -- anybody enlisted? Because if I'm going to deployed in a foxhole, if I'm going to be sticking in an outpost I got to know the guy next to me is not going to want to kill me," Brian Kilmeade asked Geraldo Rivera.

To his credit, Rivera rejected the idea. "Isn't this the headline, Brian, that there are 4 or 5 million American Muslims and how scant and few and far between these horrifying incidents are?" asked Rivera.

"I want to ask this question another way," interrupted Gretchen Carlson. "Could it be that the military -- because our society, lets just face it, has become very politically correct -- could it be that the military was also exercising political correctness?" asked Carlson. "Even though he had a poor performance report and even though he spoke openly about being a radical being a radical muslim and had those supposed postings online. Could it be that the military was exercising political correctness in not approaching him as seriously as they would have had he not been a Muslim?"

"Yes is the short answer," relented Rivera. "Because the military is a government agency."

But Peter B. Johnson wasn't letting the idea of screenings go. "You won't countenance special screening for Muslims will you?"

"It's a hard step for me to take," said Rivera. "This is an American born person."

From Media Matters--Fox News' War:

New video from Media Matters shows network declared "war" on the White House long before Dunn's comments.

Washington, D.C. - Following Anita Dunn's description of Fox News as an "arm" of the Republican Party, Fox News personalities have suggested or claimed that the White House declared "war" on the network. In response, Media Matters for America has released a video showing the factually inaccurate smears, blatant political organizing, and explicit lobbying that Fox News has engaged in. Many of these activities have been occurring since January 20 and have only increased in frequency as time has passed.

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Countdown's Worst Persons for Sept. 10, 2009 with winner Sean Hannity. Runners up Lou Dobbs and the hosts at Fox & Friends.

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Oh boy. Anyone remember this incident from back in 2007?

From digby-- Tucker Carlson: He-man:

He's a he-man if you think telling completely unbelievable stories about how you used to beat up gay's for hitting on you to be "he-man" activity, which he apparently does.

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And from Media Matters-- Carlson claimed that after incident in a public bathroom, he assaulted the man who "bothered" him:

On the August 28 edition of MSNBC Live, hosted by MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams, Tucker Carlson, host of MSNBC's Tucker, asserted, "Having sex in a public men's room is outrageous. It's also really common. I've been bothered in men's rooms." Carlson continued, "I've been bothered in Georgetown Park," in Washington, D.C., "when I was in high school." When Abrams asked how Carlson responded to being "bothered," Carlson asserted, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and ... hit him against the stall with his head, actually."

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So who better to join Steve Doocy on Fox and Friends to discuss an elementary school curriculum that teaches children not to commit violence based on sexual orientation? Tucker would rather have everyone be afraid of "teh gay".

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Fox & Friends makes no attempt to disguise their disdain for health care reform but Peter B. Johnson Jr. took it to a new level Monday morning. The Fox morning show devoted 5 minutes to a rant designed to derail Democrats' attempts at reform.

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Yesterday on three separate reports Fox News, its various anchors and reporters told viewers that Rep. Eric Massa, talking with progressives last week at Netroots Nation, had told them he's "vote against the interests of his district" in order to support the single-payer option on health-care reform.

They were, of course, distorting. Massa did at first say he'd vote against his constituents' interests when what he clearly meant was that he'd vote against their popular opinion if that meant protecting their best interests. And he quickly corrected himself to say that.

What the Fox crew was counting on was their ability to confuse viewers over the difference between voting for the popular wishes of one's district and its actual wishes. What Massa said -- quite clearly -- was that he would vote for the public option even if his constituents had the opposite opinion, precisely because it would be in their best interests.

This meme actually originated in the Washington Times, which characterized it the same as Fox: "Rep. Massa: I will vote against the interests of my district."

But look at what Massa actually said:

MASSA: I will vote for the single payer bill.

PARTICIPANT: Even if it meant you were being voted out of office?

MASSA: I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful.

PARTICIPANT: You'd vote against their interests, or their opinion?

MASSA: I will vote against their opinion if I actually believe it will help them.

Digby posted about Massa's position the other day:

I was on a panel at Netroots Nation with Congressman Eric Massa. He was adamant about the public plan. There was no need to cajole him into supporting it, he had been there all along. He is also in a very tough swing district and his town halls have been horrific. It didn't move him, he stood and fought with his own constituents and came out even more committed because he realized just how important it was going to be to the very people who were so sadly misinformed.

That's called leadership and it deserves our support and thanks.

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August 07, 2009 FOX & Friends

Heather:

Fox and Friends edits down Robert Gibbs statement on whether the White House is "collecting names" into a sound byte where he says it's "to get misinformation". Geez these people take their audience for idiots since he was very obviously cut off mid-sentence.

Steve Benen's got more on this nonsense.

It's a shame yet another conspiracy theory reached the White House briefing room. ABC News' Jake Tapper reports this afternoon:

Asked about Cornyn's letter on Thursday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "nobody is collecting names."

The blog and tips email was because, Gibbs said, "we have seen, and as I've discussed from this podium, a lot of misinformation around health care reform. Some of it I think spread purposely. We have used on many occasions the Web site to debunk things that are simply not true. We ask people if they have questions about health care reform and about what they're hearing about its affects on them, to let us know and we'd provide them information to show that that wasn't true."

Continued Gibbs: "but nobody is collecting names."

Well, no, of course not. The very idea that the White House would be "collecting names" is about as legitimate as the idea that the president is a not a natural-born citizen. As nutty Republican conspiracy theories go, this was even more headache-inducing than most.

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I want to know why these right wingers and Fox News were never whipped into a frenzy when the Congress passed the Patriot Act, or when we found out the telecom companies were data mining everyone in the United States. It's somehow completely lost on Steve Doocy and his guests that George Bush already did this, but no one ever accused Doocy of being very bright.

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You know the opponents of health-care reform -- which obviously includes nearly every talking head who appears on Fox News -- are getting desperate when they start trying to scare elderly people by suggesting that President Obama's health-care plans will mean euthanization for old folks when they get hurt.

That's what the crew at Fox & Friends this morning did, led by "Fox News legal analyst" Peter Johnson Jr., and aided and abetted by Brian Kilmeade and Gretchen Carlson. First they played a snippet of Obama at a town-hall meeting on health care:

But what we can do is make sure that at least some of the waste that exists in the system that's not making anybody's mom better, that is loading up on additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not necessarily going to improve care, that at least we can let doctors know, and your mom know, that you know what, maybe this isn't going to help, maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller.

This became the launching pad:

Kilmeade: Dying?!! Sucking it up?!! And not having surgery?

Johnson: Too sick, too expensive.

Kilmeade: Well, that's what this whole trend is!

Johnson: Absolutely. And some people are saying, 'Well, this isn't health care reform,' and other people are saying -- maybe me -- that this is a subtle form of euthanasia. And when you start looking at the proposals, you say, 'God, what's happening?'

Of course, all they had to do was watch the entire set of remarks on this by Obama in their context to realize what's happening: that effective reform means cutting the waste created by a medical establishment that thrives on unnecessary procedures -- he wasn't suggesting that people be denied life-saving operations.

Obama made this clear up front:

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John McCain visited the set of Fox and Friends and showed us that Rush Limbaugh still rules the roost even with ex-Presidential candidates. He also claims that President Obama hasn't addressed Republicans concerns over the stimulus package even though he's given way more than George Bush would have ever thought about doing in an effort to appease them and making concessions on the bill. McCain and the rest of the GOP are going to obstruct and stomp their feet and say it's my way or the highway until the public has finally had a belly full of them and speaks up. After what we watched with Bill Clinton, did we expect anything less?

I'd like to know just how many times during Bush's term in office these hacks in the media ever talked about fiscal responsibility. I can think of none.

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Ed Schultz has had enough and he's not going to take it anymore! In an appearance with conservative talk show host Steve Malzberg on Friday's Fox & Friends, Schultz got fed up with the interruptions and distractions of Malzberg and abruptly walked off the set, leaving the flabbergasted F&F hosts nothing to do for two and a half minutes but to mock him.

Gretchen Carlson: "I think he just wants to be on YouTube."

This is one of those moments when the unexpected comes out of nowhere. Of all places FOX & Friends announced to Sen. McCain that Sen, Obama had led the way on asking to increase the FDIC program up to 250K and what was HE going to do....And it gets better....

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Q: Barack Obama already has a proposal to  revive negotiations. He wants to increase the amount of money guaranteed by the FDIC of 100 to 250K . What would Sen, John McCain do? Well let's ask him. Sen. McCain, your serve. Barack Obama has made a bold move.

(Silence and blinking from McCain) McCain: Uh, I, I uhhh talked with the President this morning....

He looked like he was not prepared for that. And then he was forced to admit that he did not save the day when he suspended his campaign last Thursday and went to DC to whip the Republicans to vote for the bail out. He was supposed to be the savior.

Q: So Senator are you saying that you went back to get more Republicans on board so then you are in favor of voting yes yesterday. And in essence then going back...

McCain: Oh, Absolutely.

Q: OK, well then going back last week---did not change enough Republicans minds.

McCain: No, it didn't change enough Republican minds. We're going to have to change enough Republican and Democrats minds...

So McCain is not in control of his party. I guess Newt Gingrich really is running things over there.

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reported this morning that conservatives may have been taking their marching orders from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who “was whipping against this up until the last minute” — despite issuing a statement supporting the bill as the vote was taking place...read on

That's very scary for a number of reasons...

  John McCain should realize he's in serious trouble when even the dupes at "Fox & Friends" are willing to admit that he messed up big time with his housing gaffe. Although Gretchen Carlson and the rest of the crew do their best to cover for McCain by saying, "You need to have gazillions to become president" and "You have to be an elitist to some extent to become president of our country," the overall consensus is that this will come back to haunt McCain.

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The Obama campaign could not have played this better. By injecting into the mainstream dialogue the idea that McCain is really the one out of touch with average Americans, he not only deflects that false characterization off of him, but he also gives the media a reason to make the connection and push the meme every time McCain acts "elitist" (e.g. $520 Ferragamo loafers, Cindy's private planes). The fact that the McCain campaign responded with the Ayers/Rezko/Wright/POW kitchen sink says a lot about how damaging they perceive this attack to be. Brilliant.

Download | play   Download | play   (h/t Bill W)

Some idiot got access to press credentials and got into an Obama campaign rally yesterday in Berea, Ohio and began heckling the candidate, demanding he say the pledge of allegiance. Obama handled it perfectly by quieting the crowd and calling the guy's bluff by leading the crowd in reciting the pledge.

A man sneaks into the press area at a presidential campaign event, interrupts him with heckling and attempts to make him look unpatriotic, and how does FOXNews frame the story? Obama SKIPPED the pledge of allegiance! He hates America, don't you know. 

Since when is the pledge of allegiance required to be recited before all campaign events? 

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Only on Fox & Friends. This morning they did a segment on the English language and that there are a lot of words that many people find difficult to spell correctly. I stopped on monkey. I'm including video to complement the comedic irony.

Steve Doocy says that another word many find difficult to spell is the word soldier, because the "i" throws people off. The former beauty queen then pipes up and says -- "Well, the D. There's no D in it." She follows that up by asking if they even make "hardcore" dictionaries anymore. Be sure to hang on (if you can make it) for the finale as Doocy decries:

"So many people are trying to dumb down America and the world! Just leave it the way it is! Study your books, people!"

Teh stupid...it hurts.... This is just screaming for a "Write Your Own Caption"

I've been doing a series for C&L about the myth that will overtake FOX news and other right wing outlets which will try to scare people into keeping both hands on their wallet.. Howie wrote a post called: Anatomy of a Right Wing Myth: Obama is the most liberal Democratic Senator.

Doocy: And in fact there's going to be a real choice because we've looked at the studies which suggest that Barack Obama could be the most liberal Senator, in the US Senate, and meanwhile while John McCain---more in the middle. Would you have a guy to the right or more in the middle?

Doocey screws up his question, but that's OK. You'll see phrases like "could be" and "it's quite possible" and "suggest that" he's the most liberal Senator in Congress. The only study I've seen is the very flawed National Journal one so I wonder Steve will reveal what other studies he has. Is it so hard for the media to tell the simple truth about his voting record. Here's Howie..

If only! Actually there are 39 Democrats with more liberal voting records, although Obama does at least beat perennial Bush rubber stamps Holy Joe Lieberman (CT), Ben Nelson (NE) and Mary Landrieu (LA). His voting record– however you slice it, however you dice it– points to a solidly mainstream centrist– and, to be honest, considerably less liberal than… sssshhhhhhh… Hillary.

So how do CNN, CBS, ABC and NBC all allow the paid GOP shills to get away with their Big Lie? Good question. There’s one cooked up National Journal “study” that these clowns keep referring to– yes the same cloddish National Journal that criticized its own ranking of John Kerry as “the most liberal senator” in 2004...read on