via Newshounds: Did you know that Fox News is a "private channel"? That's what Fox's London bureau chief, Scott Norvell said in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal Europe on May 20, 2005. He also wrote this: "Even we at Fox News manage to get some lefties on the air occasionally, and often let them finish their sentences before we club them to death and feed the scraps to Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly."
All right all you right wingers, mobilize. Its time to set the record straight. I'll help you this time. Let's get that Scott Norvell on the line and get a retraction. We can say that he was taken out of context. That always works. Email me with a strategy. Blogswarm maybe?
In yet another of a series of provocative acts, North Korea sentences those American journalists to a labor camp for unspecified "grave acts." In the meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is considering new sanctions against the nation, while North Korea promises any such move will be met with "extreme" measures:
TOKYO, June 8 -- A North Korean court sentenced two U.S. journalists to 12 years in a labor camp Monday, as the government of Kim Jong Il continued to ratchet up tension with the United States and its neighbors.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee, television reporters detained in March along North Korea's border with China, received harsher sentences than many outsiders had expected. But several experts in South Korea predicted that talks will begin soon to negotiate their release.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration signaled Sunday that it was seeking a way to interdict, possibly with China’s help, North Korean sea and air shipments suspected of carrying weapons or nuclear technology.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Friday in Washington with Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan of South Korea.
The administration also said it was examining whether there was a legal basis to reverse former President George W. Bush’s decision last year to remove the North from a list of states that sponsor terrorism.
The reference to interdictions — preferably at ports or airfields in countries like China, but possibly involving riskier confrontations on the high seas — was made by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. She was the highest-ranking official to talk publicly about such a potentially provocative step as a response to North Korea’s second nuclear test, conducted two weeks ago.
While Mrs. Clinton did not specifically mention assistance from China, other administration officials have been pressing Beijing to take such action under Chinese law.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Mrs. Clinton said the United States feared that if the test and other recent actions by North Korea did not lead to “strong action,” there was a risk of “an arms race in Northeast Asia” — an oblique reference to the concern that Japan would reverse its long-held ban against developing nuclear weapons.
So far it is not clear how far the Chinese are willing to go to aid the United States in stopping North Korea’s profitable trade in arms, the isolated country’s most profitable export. But the American focus on interdiction demonstrates a new and potentially far tougher approach to North Korea than both President Clinton and Mr. Bush, in his second term, took as they tried unsuccessfully to reach deals that would ultimately lead North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arsenal.
The Opinion Mill's Sunday Bookchat: 1968 revisited — "What journalists have forgotten about covering political conventions! What wingnuts need to learn about Winston Churchill! What George F. Will needs to learn about book reviewing!"
Daily Howler: Remember a key rule of "liberal" journalism — praise McCain's honesty and honor, especially while reporting his dishonesty and dishonorable conduct.
Lance Mannion: A key concept of liberalism explained in seven sentences (well, really five, but you'll see).
Guest roundup by Batocchio. That's it for me for now! Next up is Media Bloodhound. Please send your tips and suggestions to mediabloodhound at yahoo dot com. Thanks!
At his presser today President Bush was asked by CNN's Ed Henry whether he had mentioned the Saudi rape case at all during conversations with King Abdullah in the past few weeks.
Bush begins his answer with a supposedly heartfelt 'what if it was my daughter' explanation but then when pressed further says that he doesn't remember whether he ever brought the subject up or not but insists the Saudi King “knows our position loud and clear.”
Henry: On another issue of credibility in the Mid East -- At the Annapolis Summit you used your influence to get Saudi Arabia to the table but I wonder whether now you will use you influence to do something about the Saudi rape case that has gotten so much international attention? What goes through your mind when you hear about a 19 year old Saudi woman getting gang raped by seven men and basically a Saudi court blames the victim and sentences her to 200 lashes? You spoke to King Abdullah by telephone in the last couple of weeks. Did you press him on this case? If so what did you say and if not, are you giving him a pass?"
Bush: My first thoughts were these. What happens if this happened to my daughter? How would I react? And I would have been -- I would have been very emotional, of course. I’d have been angry at those who committed the crime, and I would be angry at the state that didn’t support the victim, and our opinions were expressed by Dana Perino from the podium.
Henry: Did you press King Abdullah about it personally?
Bush: I talked to King Abdullah about the Middle eastern peace. I don't remember if that subject came up.
Henry: If it was that important to you why wouldn't you at that level bring it directly up to King Abdullah?
Bush: There's plenty of time. He knows our position loud and clear.
Even after considering 'what if' the victim was his own daughter, apparently Bush decided it really wasn't important enough to even bring up after all.
ARRGH! Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, also known in the blogosphere as Link to Cap'n Dyke Day. Cap'n Dyke is the most worthy lesbian pirate queen that sails the blogosphere seas.
By the way, what does Anderson Cooper see when he looks in the mirror?
The Cato Institute lists a few sentences the President has inexplicably neglected to commute. (Link courtesy of the damnedest blog you've never read, Racrecir.)
Bad Attitudes: Even the Freepers know a criminal mob when they see one. (Also: he used to be the Decider. Now he's the Commuter of Scooter.)
A Tiny Revolution: Why are so many foreigners constitutionally incapable of appreciating American exceptionalism?
Cinemablend: Sign of the apocalypse: Texans in ten-gallon hats say "hell yeah" to Sicko.
Once a year, guest blogger Simbaud rents Land of the Dead so he can enjoy the pretty fireworks. Send your Yankee Doodle Links to: Simbaud AT gmail DOT com.
As Rick Perlstein noted, "The 'racism isn't a problem any more' trope is a perennial in America. Next time you hear it, send them the news from Jena, Louisiana."
In September 2006, a group of African American high school students in Jena, Louisiana, asked the school for permission to sit beneath a "whites only" shade tree. There was an unwritten rule that blacks couldn't sit beneath the tree. The school said they didn't care where students sat. The next day, students arrived at school to see three nooses (in school colors) hanging from the tree....
The boys who hung the nooses were suspended from school for a few days. The school administration chalked it up as a harmless prank, but Jena's black population didn't take it so lightly. Fights and unrest started breaking out at school. The District Attorney, Reed Walters, was called in to directly address black students at the school and told them all he could "end their life with a stroke of the pen."
Black students were assaulted at white parties. A white man drew a loaded rifle on three black teens at a local convenience store. (They wrestled it from him and ran away.) Someone tried to burn down the school, and on December 4th, a fight broke out that led to six black students being charged with attempted murder. To his word, the D.A. pushed for maximum charges, which carry sentences of eighty years. Four of the six are being tried as adults (ages 17 & 18) and two are juveniles....
[..]With this batch, Bush has issued 113 pardons and commuted three sentences in his nearly six years in the White House, according to spokesman Tony Fratto.
Pardons are an end-of-the-year presidential tradition, and Bush was not expected to issue any more this year. He last issued pardons in August.
[..]The list did not include former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, charged in the CIA leak case with perjury and obstruction. [..]Bush remains the stingiest of postwar presidents on pardons. President Clinton issued 457 in eight years in office. Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, issued 77 in four years. President Reagan issued 406 in eight years, and President Carter issued 563 in four years.
Bush makes false claim about Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda
Olbermann: "Who does the President think he's F'n kidding?" I know it's hard to believe Mr. President, but they have these things know that actually record what you say and are able to play back what they record. Even after a long period of time. Keith Olbermann and Countdown supply the evidence. Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT
Bush: "First-just if I might correct a misperception, I don't think we ever said, at least I know I didn't say that there was a direct connection between September 11th and Saddam Hussein."
In days gone by-SOTU-three years ago:
Bush: "Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al-Qaeda."
Now-anyone listening and watching his speech back then would make that connection easily enough since al-Qaeda was responsible for 9/11-don't you think? Keith analyzes it very nicely.
Olbermann: "Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda in the same sentence separated by seven words. Sept. 11th and Saddam Hussein -two sentences later, separated by six words. In a moment Craig Crawford joins me to discuss the fundamental remaining question. Who does the President think he's F'n kidding?
More weirdness from "Your World withNeil Cavuto." David Asman substituted for Neil today and the topic was "Mexico: Friend or Foe on Illegal Immigration?" At one point the guest Colin Hanna, talked about Vicente Fox's role in the immigration controversy. Asman said these next few sentences fairly measured, but this exchange is just plain odd.
Hanna said that while he wouldn't "put the finger of blame specifically on encouraging," Mexico's president, Vicente Fox, has "certainly" undertaken "a set of activities" which "amounts to tacit approval" of immigration. He said Fox and his government "should be there, trying their best to keep their people from leaving their country illegally." David Asman: "Well, if he's actually encouraging an invasion of our borders, I mean, that's grounds for warfare. Are you suggesting we actually go to war with Mexico? We haven't done that in about a hundred and fifty years."
Hanna: "Of course not, David."
Asman: "Well, remember the Alamo. That's what I was going to say to you."
I know it's hard to believe Mr. President, but they have these things know that actually record what you say and are able to play back what they record. Even after a long period of time. 
More weirdness from "Your World with Neil Cavuto." David Asman substituted for Neil today and the topic was "Mexico: Friend or Foe on Illegal Immigration?" At one point the guest Colin Hanna, talked about Vicente Fox's role in the immigration controversy. Asman said these next few sentences fairly measured, but this exchange is just plain odd.
