Glenn Greenwald catches Ross Douthat inventing a false claim for "balance" on cable news.

In his New York Times column today, Ross Douthat laments the lack of real political debates on cable news shows, and writes this:

What might work, instead, is a cable news network devoted to actual debate. For all the red-faced shouting, debate isn’t really what you get on Fox and MSNBC. Hannity has ditched Colmes, and conservatives are only invited on Rachel Maddow’s show when they have something nasty to say about Republicans.

Here we find two of the most common pundit afflictions: (1) a compulsion to assert equivalencies even when they don't exist, and (2) a willingness to spout anything without doing the slightest work to find out if it's true. Douthat's claim about Maddow -- that "conservatives are only invited on [her] show when they have something nasty to say about Republicans" -- is completely false.

The real problem is not that Maddow fails to invite conservatives on her show; she does exactly that relentlessly. The problem is that most leading conservatives refuse to be interviewed by anyone -- such as Maddow -- who will conduct adversarial interviews. They thus restrict themselves to the friendly confines of Fox News or to television interview shows where the hosts refuse to question them aggressively due to a fear of being perceived as something other than "neutral." Indeed, as I noted before, after Maddow had interviewed GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty (who said nothing "nasty about Republicans"): Maddow is constantly attempting to lure right-wing and other Republican guests to her show, but they almost always refuse. As she put it after the Pawlenty interview:

Governor Pawlenty represents Minnesota and I will just say -- we ask a lot of Republicans to be on the show and they almost always say no. So, I am particularly grateful whenever anybody says yes. And to any Republicans out there who we ask -- see -- I'm not so bad...read on

I've often said that it's not a bad idea to let right wingers come on TV and enter into a heated debate on the issues because then their crazy views would be exposed to the world instead of covered up or softened up. You do need a skillful person like Rachel Maddow to be there to expose the lunacy because talkers like say a Bill O'Reilly are very talented at framing and controlling the debate. I guess they recognize Maddow's grasp of the facts and it must scare them.

The fact that War hawks like Dick Cheney are too afraid to go on Maddow's show is quite revealing. Also what's very disturbing is that the Villagers always draw these false equivalances between the right and left. What are they afraid of?

UPDATE: Douthat's reply is here. I actually agree with the overall point of his column -- that cable news is basically a wasteland, even when it purports to present "debates," and that it could benefit greatly from much more substantive and meaningful discussions among those who disagree. But the claims he made to rope Maddow into that point --- all in order to present her as the liberal counter-example to Sean Hannity -- are simply inaccurate. He also ought to print a correction in his next column.

Taibblog: The country’s first WWE politician — a cartoon combatant who inspires stadiums full of frustrated middle American followers who will cheer for her against whichever villain they trot out.

The Political Carnival: 1,500 uninsured Arkansans line up for free health care clinic...Bill Clinton too chicken sh*t to attend

Alan Colmes' Liberaland: Colorado billboard paints Obama as a Muslim jihadist

The Reality-Based Community: Madison's Revenge

The Aristocrats: Sandy gets a peek at the Palin family 'baby name ' book

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: The Guantanamo Lawyers, Capitol Weekly, Carolina Parrothead, ScoopDaily

Thom Hartmann: Dear President Obama

Booman Tribune: But did they get overtime pay?

The Washington Independent: How the CIA can fudge on torture effectiveness

They gave us a republic: Nightowl Newswrap

Zaius Nation: We must save Hitler's brain!

The Plum Line: New ad targets Palin's Facebook supporters, tells them she's a liar

I think there should be an amendment to the old adage "There are only two things that are certain: death and taxes" to read "The only certainties in life are death, taxes and Sarah Palin will make a convoluted word salad in lieu of a lucid speech."

I admit, I can't get more than three or four minutes in to one of her speeches before my eyes glaze over because she uses so many words and takes so much time to say absolutely nothing at all. Poor CSpanJunkie did the hard work and recorded her "Goodbye, Cruel World" speech:

Part 2 is here.

Apparently, Alan Colmes has a better ability to sit through such bizarre ramblings than I do (no doubt the practice he got from years sitting next to Sean Hannity):

In her bizarre farewell speech as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin fed red meat to the right-wing, invoking patriotism and the military in her first sentence. It was unclear to whom she was referring when she talked about those who are “tearing down our nation”, “American apologetics” and unmentioned forces “suggesting that our best days were yesterdays.” How can that be, she pleaded, when there are volunteers willing to fight for our freedoms.

Next it was on to criticizing the press, lecturing them that soldiers “are willing to die for you,” so “quit making things up!” And the new governor, Sean Parnell, has a nice family too, “so leave his kids alone!”

After what sounded like a campaign speech for re-election, it was time to defend gun rights, and warn that “You’re going to see anti-hunting, anti-Second Amendment circuses from Hollywood.” This will be done by using “delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlets” who will “use Alaska as a fund raising tool for their anti-Second Amendment causes.” Luckily, “patriots will protect our individual guaranteed right to bear arms.” And “Hollywood needs to know we eat, therefore we hunt.”

Can you blame me for not be able to get through the speech? My buddy Jon Perr has come up with his own personal list of Palin's greatest hits, and that--in combination with her incredible popularity amongst the GOP-- makes me doubt Darwin.

Frankly, I wish that I could say this is the last we'll hear from Sarah Palin, but given how inexplicably popular Palin remains, I don't think we'll be so lucky.

GOP 12: Sanford cheated on his wife and taxpayers

Alan Colmes’ Liberaland: Here's another jiveass "conservative."  Texas secession-promoter, Rick Perry, turned down stimulus $, now wants a loan

Stinque: Leader of GOP womanizers' Jesunazi sex cult is spiritual guru to Hillary Clinton

Nixon's Ghosts: Documents from the Archives: Pat Buchanan was for Affirmative Action before he was against it

Mondoweiss: Olmert tries to resuscitate one of the all-time great lies in the Oslo peace process

Mock, Paper, Scissors: Anatomy of a column

I can't believe I had to make that statement. I thought it was a pain to have to remove your shoes and dump your baby's bottle to get through the security checkpoint. Now this?

A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation. [..]

Hamlin, 37, said she was trying to board a flight from Lubbock to Dallas on Feb. 24 when she was scanned by a Transportation Security Administration agent after passing through a larger metal detector without problems.

The female TSA agent used a handheld detector that beeped when it passed in front of Hamlin's chest, the Dallas-area resident said.

Hamlin said she told the woman she was wearing nipple piercings. The agent then called over her male colleagues, one of whom said she would have to remove the jewelry, Hamlin said.

Hamlin said she could not remove them and asked whether she could instead display her pierced breasts in private to the female agent. But several other male officers told her she could not board her flight until the jewelry was out, she said.
She was taken behind a curtain and managed to remove one bar-shaped piercing but had trouble with the second, a ring.

"Still crying, she informed the TSA officer that she could not remove it without the help of pliers, and the officer gave a pair to her," said Hamlin's attorney, Gloria Allred, reading from a letter she sent Thursday to the director of the TSA's Office of Civil Rights and Liberties. [..]

She said she heard male TSA agents snickering as she took out the ring. She was scanned again and was allowed to board even though she still was wearing a belly button ring.

Okay, this is just stupid. The belly button ring stays, but the nipple piercings have to go? Does anyone feel safer knowing the skies are free of some body piercings? What is the fear? That she'll rub up against the plane with her chest and scratch the fuselage? Alan Colmes has the pictures of the confiscated hardware. (h/t Tim in Japan)

Rep. Tom Tancredo held fast to his recent statements about Miami on Hannity and Colmes Friday night. He called it a "Third World"country"---stood by that statement and admitted that Jeb Bush called him a "nut."---snap!

Download | play -WMP Download | play -QT

Rove won't let him step foot inside the White House either.

Third World T tried to give a speech at Michigan State U. about immigration, but protesters disrupted his stay there. Here's a few of Tom's friends that have helped support him.: "

Congressman addresses hate group"

FAUX NEWS ALERT(not a real one)

John O’Neal, leader of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was just hired as a political analyst for Fox News.

Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, Fox News Network, in a brief statement said today:

"We are ecstatic at hiring one of the bright new voices in the political world today. His reputation is outstanding and he brings a unique sense of honesty into the FNC stable of fair and balanced reporting."

An insider said they they may build a 30 minute show around Mr. O'Neal, where he will have an open forum to continually bash Senator John Kerry for the remainder of his life.

For now you can see John O'Neal weekly on the "Hannity and Colmes Show."

Video Clip Special

Talk Left's Jeralyn Merritt was on Hannity & Colmes last night discussing the Scott Peterson verdict.

Video

Many props to Jeralyn's fine blog Talk Left

The clip is edited down to highlight her segments. Viewed better on Windows XP. Soon we will have a much increased bandwidth, that we allow us to offer better quality video since the files are so large!

Another Scam
On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "biological laboratories." He declared, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction." The claim, repeated by top administration officials for months afterward, was hailed at the time as a vindication of the decision to go to war. But even as Bush spoke, U.S. intelligence officials possessed powerful evidence that it was not true....read on"

Unbelievable! Is there nothing they won't fabricate?

(I'll be on the Alan Colmes Radio Show at 9:00PM PST)