With Roberts Announcement, Bush Takes Media By The Horns

[JABBS]

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2005-07...

President Bush had no control over when Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor would step down. But announcing her successor — and when — was his call.

In doing so in prime time Tuesday, Bush took advantage of his bully pulpit and news media cycles to argue that appeals court Judge John Roberts is the right choice for the nation's highest court.

Analysts said the timing was also designed to take media focus away from the troubles facing Bush's embattled adviser, Karl Rove.

Meet the Press host Tim Russert told anchor Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News that every Republican he had talked to on Tuesday said, "Thank God the White House is changing the subject."

(snip)

[K8-EEE]

1. But It's A Criminal Investigation....

and it's not going away by "changing the subject," sorry GOP!

[Geoff R. Casavant]

2. Still a fumble

If you're going to change the subject, you need to really reach for the brass ring -- he should have nominated the most extreme, in your face Bible thumper he could have gotten, so everyone would froth at the mouth for a long while. Instead, we get a guy who, bottom line, might not be so bad after all. This will be the big news for today, then it will fade and we can get back to business.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Yes, He Is That Bad

He's the judge who gave Bush**ler a pass on military tribunals.

He is also a sure vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Would he overturn Griswold v. Connecticut? possibly.

Bye, bye birth control.

Would he overturn Lawrence v. Garner? Probably.

If gay marriage works so well as a wedge issue for the Rethuglicans,
imagine the traction they can get by putting gays in prison.

[merwin]

6. Not necessarily. Many of the things he was arguing against were when

he was a lawyer, not a judge. Lawyers get paid to take the stance that their client tells them to in order to win. I'm not saying that it's right, but it's reality.

[okieinpain]

27. after seeing the way the guy wife and kids were dressed in the

fifties style I'm afraid I'll have to agree with you. and the really funny thing is this guy is not the worst one.

[DS1]

3. It's good that at least the media is pointing out that he's trying to

shift focus.

Still, Cable News has certainly handed over their blunt horns

[skip fox]

5. Rove is masterminding his own demise!

Knowing he is either guilty of leaking, leading a conspiracy to leap, and masterminding a cover-up, not to mention perjury in the Plame case, or that he will be so damaged that he'll have to leave the administration, Rove is masterfully manipulating the story to do as little political damage as possible and to stay on as long as possible. Getting Roberts as a Supreme Court nominee on the front-burner as fast as he and W. did was a way to bury the story for a time. Unless other facts, memos, leaks about leaking come forward, the story won't re-emerge until the prosecutor's indictments or report. The Friday before that action, Rove can quietly clean out his drawers before the afternoon announcement.

Ironically, the methods that brought him to fame, too injudiciously applied brought him down. Now he uses them to prolong and fashion his departure.

What can change this? Little, it seems, without new facts coming to light.

[Dr Fate]

8. No one is stopping DEMs from continuing to talk about it when on TV.

So if the story dies, I'll blame DEMs with media access for allowing Bush/media to frame the issues.

[maddezmom]

7. not so sure CNN is doing a piece now on the CIA leak

[skip fox]

16. Hope you're right, but I'm fatalistic with these things.

There was some Republican on Fauz this a.m. and she even said flat out, "But it got Rove off the news. Ha, Ha!" They knew so well what they were doing, and we knew it, and they knew we knew it, and that we could not do a damn thing about it.

Boy, I hope theyr'e wrong.

[Straight Shooter]

9. Sorry, we refuse to give you permission to change the subject.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, back to Benedict Rove. Thank you.

[alcibiades_mystery]

10. A strange world where the media openly admits it is being manipulated

And fucking likes it, even celebrates it as some remarkable feat of gamesmanship.

"Oh, yes. We're totally being manipulated by the timing of all this. Bush would like us to take the heat off of Karl Rove. I know, let's take the heat off of Karl Rove and go along with it. Isn't it genius, how we're being manipulated? He's really taking the bull by the horns, or us by our short hairs! My, how admirable! How strong!"

I mean, are you kidding me? This is the storyline? Do these people have any pride or shame left whatsoever?

[JABBS]

12. not like they had a choice

It's not like they could say, "Nah, we won't report this."

[last_texas_dem]

18. Great post

Nothing more annoying than when the media whores celebrate just how big of whores they are!

[Enraged_Ape]

11. All Bush did was prove that he's as big an a$$hole...

as we knew he was yesterday morning. Now he's not only the President who allows treason to the United States in his office, but he's also the President who allows treason AND who wants to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

And that's a dog that don't hunt...with anyone but the most mentally diseased.

[AndyTiedye]

13. We Need to Ask How Roberts Stands on Gov't Officials Exposing CIA Agents

That is very, very relevent to the issues at hand, since they may well
end up being decided by the Supreme Court.

We can have it both ways.

[Zorra]

14. I hope Bu*h the "matador" loses the bullfight and gets his ass gored. n/t

[LittleWoman]

15. This headline reminds me of one of my Father's old sayings

"Take the bull by the tail and look the situation in the face" Nuff said.

[Miss Chybil]

17. Well, Media, don't get roped.

Do your job. You really can talk about two things at once. We can handle it. I promise.

[Strawman]

19. Alternate spin: now * has to fight on another front. We fight Roberts

and * appears even more embattled.

Sound like bullshit? No more so than the notion that we should let Roberts sail through and "focus" and preserve our "political capital" for Treasongate.

[gatorboy]

20. This is what makes me sick about these people.

Choosing a Supreme Court Judge should be one of the most important choices made by a President. And they treat it like fluff!

"Hey let's hurry this up, so we get that other crap out of the news!"

[Cha]

21. CHICKENSHITS! The little toadies

wanted some breathing room..TOUGH SHIT.

I'm waiting for Fitzgerald anyway! He's the one on the horse with the tomahawk coming up behind rover!



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[mandomom]

22. Why does the press play along like dolts?

Bush doesn't force their knotty fingers onto the keyboards to write only about Roberts, whose first hearing won't be held for at least another month. The MSM is spineless and lovin' it. Poor media, Bush made them do it and they gave up the story of the decade by allowing it to happen. Co-conspirators in duping America.

[Octafish]

25. "Co-conspirators in duping America."

Corporate McPravda.
The Presstitutes.
The Press Corpse.

Who owns them?
The same people who own Bush.

[IChing]

23. Does this picture discribe JR. taking the bull by the horns?

[damntexdem]

24. And even the Dallas Morning News reported it as:

the SCOTUS pick was announced so as to take Rove out of the news. Now, that is extraordinary.

[Berry Cool]

26. But isn't that sort of like saying

"the SCOTUS pick was announced so that people will stop thinking of an elephant"???

Every time the media play up the idea that the timing of this announcement was designed to put a damper on the Rove thing, they by definition once again bring UP "the Rove thing"...and make people think of it.

Please, give them some credit here. Not all of them are dumb.

And read Olbermann's new blog and watch Countdown tonight. John Dean will be on. No, he hasn't forgotten a thing.

[KansDem]

28. "Forget it, Jake...it's USAToday"

Remember, they're the ones who tried to tell us we weren't reading the DSM correctly, so they gave us a linguistics lesson and proceeded to translate British English into American English so we would understand what the minutes really said...

[oasis]

29. The American people want answers on the Rove/Plame issue. National

security concerns of the public won't conveniently waltz out off the door.

[deacon]

30. And this is honorable- him protecting the leakers? it's sick n/t

[IChing]

31. kick

[IndianaGreen]

32. Is Bush's control of the press reason to congratulate him for it?

Bush took advantage of his bully pulpit and news media cycles to argue that appeals court Judge John Roberts is the right choice for the nation's highest court.

The fact that Bush can manipulate and control the press in the same way he lords over the White House staff has now become an occasion to laud and congratulate Bush. Shame! I don't think this is what the authors of the First Amendment envisioned when they thought they were protecting the press from government control.

During the days of the Republic the words "bully pulpit" were used to described how a President could use the moral authority of his office to bring about a common good, such as when President Kennedy used his influence to end a steel strike. Now, in the early days of the Empire, "bully pulpit" has a more sinister meaning. The Anointed One manipulates a cowardly press to fool the public and to push for his extremist rightwing agenda for the country.

How sad to witness the end of the late, great United States of America!

[oasis]

33. To the Rove orchestrated corporate media: We ain't buying it.

[bleever]

34. "Bush Takes Media by the Horns ": USA Today

How many ways do I love this? Let me count the ways:

1. Bushco has had the media by the balls for lo these many years, and now they're reduced to grabbing the horns, when they can.

2. The mere fact that they have grabbed the horns is deemed News.

3. The News also points out that he has grabbed the horns in order to escape the massive kicking hooves (Rove/treason/liesforwar).

4. The News bets on the hooves.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050720...



ed: linky

[daleo]

35. He usually milks the media, like a horse. n/t

[bleever]

36. That was too funny, too fast.

Warn me next time.

[MisterP]

46. a male horse at that...

[TahitiNut]

37. That must be the same way he takes ...

... Laura.

[countmyvote4real]

38. The * pattern is to trample the Constitution.

and fuck the People.

[MO_Dem]

39. And media likes it....

they REALLY, REALLY like it.

[bleever]

40. If only we had the Flying Nun on our side.

She would have provided TRUE aerial evidence that Saddam was contained.

Sister Bertrille, America needs you...

[PurityOfEssence]

41. Damn good thing it's stump broke, ain't it?

If it weren't the poor little guy might have to actually work for the first time in his life.

[existentialist]

42. Bushes in the tabloids

It may be a sign of changing times.

I don't purchase the products of the tabloid press, but I can't help being assaulted by them when I'm in the checkout line at the grocery store. How many times have you noticed the most absurd attacks on the Clintons there? Such things as "Bill Clinton beaten up by Hillary's space alien boyfriend?"

And, until last week I had never seen an attack on the Bush family, and then all of a sudden there it was, "Bush family feud."

I didn't buy (or read) this story either, but, could it be a sign the times really are a changing?

[goforit]

43. USA Today is going down!!!

[shraby]

44. The media is taking him by the horns

tomorrow in the Washington Post, page A01.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20... >

[Carla in Ca]

45. I love the last part

Bush recognizes that this is one of the most important days of his presidency and that he will make this nominee every bit as central to his legacy as (the) war in Iraq, Social Security reform and everything else that is at the heart of what he has done," CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said. "His message is: This matters more than anything."

His legacy? Iraq and SS are winning issues? I guess we would expect to see Toobin bow to * when he sees him?

[upi402]

47. The media is guilty too! Traitors.

They are complicite in treason. Even if tacitly, for the purpose of career advancement or whatever. The 4th estate has a responsibility in our democracry! That or they're just entertainers and salespeople and should not be sheilded from prison.

[IndianaGreen]

48. And how is this good for the Republic?

Bush took advantage of his bully pulpit and news media cycles to argue that appeals court Judge John Roberts is the right choice for the nation's highest court.

The fact that Bush can manipulate and control the press in the same way he lords over the White House staff has now become an occasion to laud and congratulate Bush. Shame! I don't think this is what the authors of the First Amendment envisioned when they thought they were protecting the press from government control.

During the days of the Republic the words "bully pulpit" were used to described how a President could use the moral authority of his office to bring about a common good, such as when President Kennedy used his influence to end a steel strike. Now, in the early days of the Empire, "bully pulpit" has a more sinister meaning. The Anointed One manipulates a cowardly press to fool the public and to push for his extremist rightwing agenda for the country.

How sad to witness the end of the late, great United States of America!

[whatelseisnew]

49. How about these ways

...
Analysts said the timing was also designed to take media focus away from the troubles facing Bush's embattled adviser, Karl Rove.

Meet the Press host Tim Russer told anchor Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News that every republican he had talked to on Tuesday said, "Thank God the White House is changing the subject."
...