Subject:
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Newsweek (to touch on something I said in a n erlier post)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 27 May 2005 15:58:25 GMT
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Viewed:
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1810 times
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And the Teflon Prez...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/26/AR2005052601538.html
"
So it turns out that the FBI has documents showing that detainees at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, complained about the mistreatment of the Koran and that many said
they were severely beaten.
The documents specifically include an allegation from a prisoner that guards had
"flushed a Koran in the toilet."
"
and
"
The war on Newsweek shifted attention away from how the Guantanamo prisoners
have been treated, how that treatment has affected the battle against terrorism
and what American policies should be. Newsweek-bashing also furthered a
long-term and so far successful campaign by the administration and the
conservative movement to dismiss all negative reports about their side as the
product of some entity they call "the liberal media."
"
and my favourite bit--
"
But this particular anti-press campaign is not about Journalism 101. It is about
Power 101. It is a sophisticated effort to demolish the idea of a press
independent of political parties by way of discouraging scrutiny of conservative
politicians in power. By using bad documents, Dan Rather helped Bush, not John
Kerry, because Rather gave Bush's skilled lieutenants the chance to use the CBS
mistake to close off an entire line of inquiry about the president. In the case
of Guantanamo, the administration, for a while, cast its actions as less
important than Newsweek's.
Back when the press was investigating Bill Clinton, conservatives were eager to
believe every negative report about the incumbent. Some even pushed totally
false claims, including the loony allegation that Clinton aide Vince Foster was
somehow murdered by Clinton's apparatchiks when, in fact, Foster committed
suicide. Every journalist who went after Clinton was "courageous." Anyone who
opposed his impeachment or questioned even false allegations was "an apologist."
We now know that the conservatives' admiration for a crusading and investigative
press carried an expiration date of Jan. 20, 2001.
When the press fails, it should be called on the carpet. But when the press
confronts a politically motivated campaign of intimidation, its obligation is to
resist -- and to keep reporting.
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As I stated earlier--this administration takes no responsibility for anything.
It's like the magician's 'sleight of hand' -- "Hey look over there!" and when
we're distracted, the magician puts a rabbit in his hat to pull out later when
we look back.
This administration points to everything else--memos that spoke the truth but
were forged so that's the story. No WMD's but there's a supposed democracy so
that's the story. And now we have Newsweek. Well, I'm starting to think that
maybe the teflon's wearing off--this one has the potential to stick.
Clinton was impeached for a personal matter that was none of our business.
Dubya should be brought down, and brought down hard.
Dave K
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