The American media have been slow to expose John McCain's devious campaign tactics, and some of his outright lies, but at least they've finally started to do that. When pressed about some of the utter falsehoods he has thrown at Barack Obama,
I watched Sean Hannity's interview with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin last night, but prudence suggested I wait for a transcript before offering thoughts about what I thought I had just witnessed. Now, having had a chance to read foxnews.com's rush transcript this morning, I can state, without fear of contradiction, that Hannity's "exclusive" interview with Palin was 100 percent pure infomercial.
Oh sure, the format was made to resemble a real TV talk show. But it was clear from Hannity's set-up questions and Palin's seemingly well-rehearsed answers -- many designed to derogate Barack Obama -- that the viewing audience was be treated to a political advertisement aimed at serving the interests of the Republican presidential ticket.
A sample:
HANNITY: "Is Senator Obama then using what happened on Wall Street this week? Is he using it for political gain? Is there a danger of a presidential candidate is saying to the world that America's situation of economic crisis is the worst that we've seen in decades-which was words [sic] that he was using yesterday—is there a danger in terms of the world hearing that?"
PALIN: "Well, there is a danger in allowing some obsessive partisanship to get into the issue that we're talking about today. And that's something that John McCain too, his track recordhe can surpass the partisanship that must surpassed to deal with an issue like this."
There's more like this. It doesn't keep me awake at night. But in my neighborhood, fair warning is fair play.
I just wish that before the Hannity-Palin infomerical got underway, Fox News had run a disclaimer warning that "the following program is a political advertisement."
The evening's biggest winner going away was the John McCain campaign. It didn't have to pay a cent for the prime-time ad that lasted almost a full hour -- and continues tonight.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/the_hannity-palin_infom...
For one brief moment, the press looked at the fantasist incompetence of the Republican establishment and did some actual reporting and vetting. Now, they seem cowed again by a bully like Steve Schmidt. For my part, I don't believe the lesson of the past eight years is that the press should not ask every single question - and get honest, prompt answers - when we are being told things that we have to take on trust. After the WMD fiasco, when we all but gave the president the benefit of the doubt in wartime to be truthful about the very basis of a war, we have a responsibility to keep probing, filtering, vetting, asking. It's our fricking duty. I learned my lesson not to take anything these people say on trust.
The McCain camp landed America and the world with someone who could technically be president of the US next February with close to no vetting and no real knowledge of who she is - and we are supposed to just accept the propaganda being peddled by people who once worked for Karl Rove.
Never again. Keep asking. Keep Googling. In so many ways, the Republican myth machine has finally met its match. It's not the "Washington establishment" for Pete's sake. They were busy sipping champagne and nibbling on truffles with Washington celebrity McCain at fabulous restaurants until very recently. It's you, ordinary citizens with modems and questions. That's who they're afraid of. That's who they want to intimidate.
Not this time.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/09/why-the-media-s....
@jrrydha ...goes both ways, but we are done WITH ALL YOUR 2 FACED, DOUBLE TALK !
13AJJONES 1 year ago 8
@Mewstor151 Dont you remember him saying things like marching around with tea bags hanging off their hats?
JawsJaws 1 year ago 8