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Originally Posted by Tully Mars
What? Wait, so you're saying he wasn't right all the time? Well that completely changes my opinion of him.
Man I hope no one tries to hold me to this standard.
And yes Snowy I think he was a journalist.
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The responses describe him as a journalist...some posted that "he set the standard.....in his field", etc....etc.....I specifically responded to a post with that opinion. Where do you get your opinion that this can be separated into "Russert the person"? (Not a question directed to you, Tully.... you say Russert was a journalist.)
To his last day, Russert was president of NBC news, Washington. From April 20, until now, all of the broadcast networks intentionally blacked out the NY Times reporting that forced the 8000 page release of pentagon documents confirming the complicity of these network's executives and journalists in presenting these hand picked and briefed pentagon representatives, with no accompanying qualification of their conflicts of interests, as they relayed the pentagon line, on braodcast network news shows.
Russert maintained
a blackout of the NY Times and FOIA lawsuit, court ordered Pentagon disclosures, (disclosures that NBC failed to inform viewers of the conflicts of interests of the two retired generals often featured on NBC news as "military consultants") on his own show, and to the degree that he had authority as a news division executive, on the entire news network, as well....since April 20th.
I've presented Russert as I knew him. Challenge the things I've posted, if they are misleading or inaccurate, but can we tell the truth here, balance all of the positive assessments of Russert's contribution to distribution of the news and the questioning of the news makers?
People watched MTP and then thought doing so, made them "informed".
That is the travesty, the true outrage. In life, Russert was about what was best for Russert. I think he would understand. He read all of this...it was in plain sight, in the last few months, and years before that. It was indefensible....yet he did nothing to reform his part in the "charade" of "shaping" public opinion
Quote:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html
...BILL MOYERS: But they don't get on the Sunday talk shows.
TIM RUSSERT: No. I mean, they don't want to be, trust me. I mean, they can lose their jobs, and they know it. But they can provide information which can help in me challenging or trying to draw out sometimes their bosses and other public officials.
BILL MOYERS: What do you make of the fact that of the 414 Iraq stories broadcast on NBC, ABC and CBS nightly news, from September 2002 until February 2003, almost all the stories could be traced back to sources from the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department?
TIM RUSSERT: It's important that you have an opposition party. That's our system of government.
BILL MOYERS: So, it's not news unless there's somebody�
TIM RUSSERT: No, no, no. I didn't say that. But it's important to have an opposition party, your opposing views. ...
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Quote:
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2007_04_...82032898850946
Opposition Party
The line pushed by Timmeh and others is that the failure of journalism in the runup to the Iraq war is somehow the fault of Democrats. Now certainly plenty of Democrats - and the Democrats generally - can be blamed for many things in that period, but Timmeh's shitty show isn't one of them.
And plenty of Democrats did vote against the AUMF and were against the war, so I'll engage Timmeh on this and go over his guest list (Democratic members of Congress only) from the day the Senate passed the AUMF until Shock and Awe Day.
10/13/02 - No Dem member of Congress.
10/20 Schumer - voted for it (subject was gun control/DC Sniper).
10/27 No Dem member of Congress.
11/03 No Dem member of Congress.
11/10 Tom Daschle - voted for it
11/17 Landrieu - voted for it
11/24 Graham - voted against it
12/01 John Kerry - voted for it
12/08 John Lewis - voted against, but subject was John Lott Trent Lott..
12/15 Carl Levin - voted against.
12/22 no dem member of Congress. "Laura Bush, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Rudy Giuliani discuss the emotional, spiritual and philosophical lessons and challenges of the past year."
12/29 Biden - voted for it.
01/05 - Reid - voted for it.
01/12 - No Dem member of Congress
01/19 - Lieberman, voted for it.
01/26 - Dodd, voted for it.
02/03 - Bill Nelson, voted for it (show's subject was space shuttle disaster)
02/09 - No Dem member of Congress.
02/23 - Dennis Kucinich, voted against it. Debated Richard Perle. Richard Gephardt, voted for with extra gusto.
03/02 - No Democratic member of Congress.
03/09 - No Democratic member of Congress.
03/16 - No Democratic member of Congress.
There were war skeptics who weren't members of Congress - Al Sharpton, Mike Farrell, Madeleine Albright, Wes Clark.
So, in that 5 month period you had 9 appearances by pro-AUMF Dem senators, 2 appearances by senators who voted against. Two appearances by anti-AUMF House members, though only one discussed the topic, and one appearance by a pro-AUMF House member.
23 senators voted against the AUMF (Dems+Jeffords), and the majority of House Democrats.
-Atrios 12:59
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On the sunday immediately following the 2006 election, a dramatic, democratic sweep of the house and the senate.... GUESS WHO WERE SELECTED TO "MEET THE PRESS"?
Quote:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15637887/
MTP Transcript for Nov. 12
John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Maureen Dowd, David Gregory
updated 12:42 p.m. CT, Sun., Nov. 12, 2006
MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: The voters send a loud and clear message to the White House, and give the Democrats control of the House and the Senate for the first time in 12 years. What now for the Republicans? We’ll ask a man who is positioned to seek the GOP nomination for president in 2008: Senator John McCain of Arizona. What now for the Democrats? We’ll ask a man who lost a Democratic primary, but was just re-elected as an independent: Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.
Then, in our political roundtable, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is leaving. What does this mean for the war in Iraq? Joining us: Maureen Dowd of The New York Times and David Gregory of NBC News.
But first, joining us now, a man who criscrossed the nation on, on behalf of Republican candidates, 346 campaign events, he’s back on MEET THE PRESS.
Senator John McCain, welcome.
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): Thank you. Did a lot of good, didn’t it?....
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I "pulled" this post, to think about the reactions of onesnowyowl and of Jumpin Jesus before proceeding. I decided to post it, because:
My concern now is....if I don't post it on this thread, where would I post it, if at all? If I start a new thread in general discussion, around the post quoted above,in my last post, it will most likely be moved to the politics forum. If I post it in politics, the people who want to discuss politics, but not in the politics forum, won't participate.
Maybe jumpin' jesus is correct. Maybe it is best for people who were misled...by Russert...into thinking he did a "great job" as a jounralist and news show moderator and interviewer, should be left to their warm feelings and sadness over his passing.
It seems like such a huge disconnect, that the best time to inject a contrary opinion, is precisely when the eulogizing is taking place. I think people need to be exposed to evidence that they've been fooled, intentionally manipulated by the actions, decisions and policies of Russert, et al.
I am not trying to be popular. I am trying to post what I think, back up every word of it, and call it as I see it, in response to the opinions posted by others.