PLAYING HARDBALL WITH MAUREEN DOWD

Heres a great article making my point about Dowd that I stated the other day.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/Commentary/blog_3_1_05_1432.html


PLAYING HARDBALL WITH MAUREEN DOWD: Maureen Dowd's column on Sunday was full of the usual hyperbole and ridiculousness, but one phrase in particular stood out:

"This White House seems to prefer softball questions from a self-advertised male escort with a fake name to hardball questions from journalists with real names..."

I'm confused. Every day Scott McLellan steps into a room filled with big-name journalists - some, like the now-retired Helen Thomas, with political leanings every bit as far to the left as Gannon's were to the right - who ask their "hardball questions." It may be a bit of an overstatement to say the White House press room is a hostile environment, but it certainly isn't a Bush-friendly one.

Dowd's remark brought to mind a recent observation made by Thomas Sowell that "media bias does not consist in having liberal or conservative opinions but in how you do your job -- or don't do it."

Sowell went on to outline the most egregious case of softball journalism we've seen in a while (of which Ms. Dowd and her well-respected paper played a big part): the pass given to John Kerry for not fully releasing his military records.

Here is how the game of softball has been played. In April of last year, Tim Russert asked Senator Kerry about releasing his military records:

MR. RUSSERT: Would you agree to release all your military records?
SEN. KERRY: I have. I've shown them--they're available to you to come and look at.
MR. RUSSERT: But you'll make all your records public.
SEN. KERRY: They are. People can come and see them at headquarters and take a look at them.

Both of these responses were demonstrably untrue. Yet Kerry was never called to account on these falsehoods by members of the press, nor was he pressured into signing Form 180 (the document that gives the government permission to release all military records to the public) even after the Swift Boat Veterans raised questions about about Kerry's service later in the year.

On January 30, 2005 Kerry pledged on national television he would sign Form 180:

MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180?
SEN. KERRY: But everything, Tim...
MR. RUSSERT: Would you sign Form 180?
SEN. KERRY: Yes, I will. But everything that we put in it, Tim--everything we put in--I mean, everything that was out was a full documentation of all of the medical records, all of the fitness reports. And I'd call on those who have challenged me, let's see their records. I want to see the records of each of those people who have put up a challenge, because some of them have some serious questions in them, and it hasn't been appropriate..
MR. RUSSERT: So they should sign Form 180s for themselves as well?
SEN. KERRY: You bet.

What you didn't see reported by the "journalists with real names" is that the day after Kerry appeared on Meet the Press and called for "those who have challenged me" to release their records, John O'Neill executed a Form 180 and released it to the media authorizing the "total voluntary release of all records to anyone interested" (click here to enlarge image):



Jerome Corsi, the co-author of Unfit For Command, did not serve in the military and thus has no records to release. Senator Kerry's office didn't return phone calls asking for the names of other people Kerry would like to see release records.

But the point is moot. On February 7 Senator Kerry not only repeated his pledge to sign Form 180, he said he would do so irrespective of whether others released their records. "I'll sign it anyway" Kerry told radio show host Don Imus.

Kerry has been stalling for more than a month now, using the canard that he needs extra time to get things "clarified with the military." Not a single "journalist" has thought to question this patently bogus excuse. Executing Form 180 is so simple even a witless columnist from the New York Times could do it in less than 10 minutes.

What conclusions can we draw from all of this? First, Kerry's unwillingness to sign Form 180 means it most likely contains damaging and/or embarrassing information. Second, it is inconceivable that the mainstream press would stand for such behavior if John Kerry was a Republican. Anyone who can't admit that is fool or a liar (or both). And last but not least, we can safely conclude that Maureen Dowd doesn't know the difference between hardball and softball. - T. Bevan

What's the moral? All our politicians are corrupt SOBs? And lying ones at that?

Lets vote Nader.

The moral is that democrat politicians can get away with murder. If he had been a republican the media's witch-hunt would have been ruthless.

Furthermore, this posts relates to arguments made previously about Dowd and Kerry.

Right, like Bush has been hard pressed on cocaine use, before or after college. Sure the issue was mentioned, more than once, just like Kerry's issue being mentioned, more than once, but look at the result.

And I'm sure there are far better examples than just the cocaine which may or may not have been properly resolved, or ended whether true or not regardless of conclusion.

Stop being so one sided.

You cannot be credible as such, no one can, this is why media and every source of information tends to be a problem, there is always room for spin, whether or not its the actual media that does the spinning.

There always seems at least two sets of facts, which means someone is lying or our system is shit, and probably both. But of course thats just paranoid speak and everything is just dandy, as long as you live in the Republican world and listen to and believe what all (or most or whatever your claim) say and do.

My God you are a blathering idiot. Bush wasn't pressed? It was mentioned so many times it was disgusting and it was all done in the context that NO ONE HAD COME FORWARD AND ACCUSED HIM! NO ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess you think rumors are news worthy - of course you do - you are a conspiratorialist.

The point of this article was the hypocrisy of the liberal media and their butt buddies in politics. You have anything to say about the material mentioned or do you just plan on changing the subject? Kerry said he would sign the 180 - numerous times - he never did - doesn't that get your conspiracy-filled mind wondering? Or are you just being too one sided?

"NO ONE HAD COME FORWARD AND ACCUSED HIM! NO ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Yet more than once, more than in Kelly's book have people actually accused Bush, off the record. The main cited reason was because they didn't want him to get in trouble for stuff they were doing too, especially during an election campaign. Said they had first hand knowledge of him dealing coke in college.

And yet he still won't say No, I didn't do it.

My point was both situations current outcomes, nothing.

Right, no right wing butt buddies in the media, you schmuck. The hypocricy is yours friend, I know both parties have crooks, its you who are one sided, that's not a subject change, just an ever present theme that everyone but you sees, so I keep mentioning it.

Sure Kerry could be the scum of the earth too, great, just like cousin and fellow skull and bonesmen Bush.

You still just sit and bitch at one side, you still just blow me off, boy, any chance of you doing anything wrong, ever?

You know republicans aren't so saintly yet still, when you speak, its as if their shit don't stink, fancy that. You are such a tool.

But still instead of even acknowledging your hypocricy you attempt to blame me of it. Yep, the article sounds fishy to me, sounds like Kerry might be hiding something, oh, same with Bush, boy, I must really be lost if I think both sides might be bad or wrong.

But don't you see how your concern over the issue to begin with is based on conspiratorial assumptions? Indeed, he is either hiding something or doesn't care enough to bother, I'd love to know, but thats because I'm a conspiracy nut, uh oh, if you want to know too, what does that make you?

And I bet it made you sick to your stomache every time you heard Bush and cocaine mentioned, but you just lapped up any dirt on Kerry, when will you accept that you are hypocritical in your blatant bias.

"people actually accused Bush, off the record."

You know this how? And you trust this why? As a conspiracist I am amazed that you didn't naturally assume that it was people from the opposition camp planting these accusations 'off the record'.

LMAO

"My point was both situations current outcomes, nothing."

Wrong. Bush said that as a young man he did things he is not proud of but refused to answer any question past that. Since it is impossible to charge Bush for any crime as the time limits had expired his position was clearly reasonable and not pertinent for a man that had been a teetotaler since age 40.

Whereas Kerry said that he had released all documents which was a LIE and then said he would sign the 180 form which was a LIE and to this date he still hasn't signed the form even though the people he berated into signing it actually did.

Now the point is that powerful democrats get a pass when they tell such blatant lies while Bush is investigated ad infinitum over rumors from 30 years ago. And people like you are foolish enough to fall for their propaganda.

"And I bet it made you sick to your stomache every time you heard Bush and cocaine mentioned, but you just lapped up any dirt on Kerry, when will you accept that you are hypocritical in your blatant bias."

No not at all - I know that in truth it actually helps Bush and the Republican party because most people, myself included, could care less if Bush snorted coke as a young man. Most people saw the hypocrisy in the witch hunt and respect the man for having the integrity to not sink to their level while knowing that the man stopped all partying at age 40.

What made me sick was when I heard Kerry say repeatedly that he had released all military docs and promised he would sign the 180 and then watched as not a single serious journalist held him accountable. Such hypocrisy and double-standards are sickening - I guess except for you.