Be aware: Cheneyites are trying to use Peppergate to indict the press

[BurtWorm]

The party line: Cheney didn't go to the press earlier because he knew he wouldn't get a fair shake. It's not Cheney who's the problem, the line goes; it's the media. And the media are vulnerable to the counterattack, thanks to years and years of flabbiness.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/02/16/BL2006021600632_pf.html

[MrBenchley]

1. Rotsa ruck with THAT one....

[niyad]

2. Codswallop

[avitali]

9. Is that...

...like saying "RUBBISH?"

Or "PISH-POSH AND TWADDLE?"

[sendero]

15. Yes..

... or piffle. Or poppycock. Or bullshit.

[BurtWorm]

16. What is? That the Cheneyites would do that, or that they'd succeed?

Read Jay Rosen of PressThink. It's not such bullshit on either score as one would think.

[sendero]

17. None of those..

... merely a recitation of prissy British synonyms for bullshit. :)

[Swamp Rat]

3. LOL!!! Despite what they blather about, Cheney is royally fucked!

:D

[maddiejoan]

4. I'm pretty sure Agnew tried that one too ---

---right before the end.

[Pirate Smile]

5. Attacking the Media.

Cheney Birdshot Peppers Media (Craig Crawford)



All this bunk about the White House Press Corps just being mad they got scooped on Dick Cheney's shooting accident is yet another prime example of Attack The Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against The Media. When I wrote the book I knew the hits would keep on coming, but never did I imagine that the Vice President would shoot somebody, keep it under wraps for 14 hours and then blame the media for asking tough questions. In his first interview about this, Cheney tried to make it sound like the press corps was just protecting its turf because he authorized a leak to the local paper the day after the incident.

But that's not what this week's stormy West Wing briefings were about. The press was focused on why it took so long even to notify the local Texas paper, as seen in the first question to Press Secretary Scott McLellan on Feb. 13: "Scott, do you think that the shooting accident involving the Vice President on Saturday should have been disclosed to the public on Saturday?"

Despite all the bluster and blame-shifting, including Cheney's sit-down interview, that's still the unanswered question. Cheney's claim that they were too worried about the victim's condition doesn't wash. They were back at the ranch having roast beef dinner on Saturday night, while hospital doctors attended to the injured man. Somebody there, or at the White House, could have and should have disclosed this matter that night. This isn't about the media being petty. It's about holding public officials accountable for informing the public moments -- not 14 hours -- after something like this happens.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086/

[NanceGreggs]

6. The GOP ...

... leaving no straw ungrasped.

[Ksec]

7. ITs that damn WH guy from NBC news

asking all those questions. Who the fk does he think he is?

[marions ghost]

8. pooey

:boring:

[Tactical Progressive]

10. Don't kid yourself - this tactic will work

Of course it isn't going to fool anyone with the seven functioning brain cells needed to recognize how the corporate media has assaulted Progressives over nothing and protected Conservatives from nearly everything for the past fifteen years.

But it will get the media to back down, make no mistake. And don't think that they aren't considering that maybe Repubicans don't feel like they're getting a fair shot, and that maybe it is partially the media's fault. Working the refs works. It has worked so well for Republicans for the past twenty years that for all intents and purposes the media cuddles them no matter what they do. So much so that when they increasingly rarely deign to criticize anything about Republicans, that criticism sticks out like a sore thumb, like now, and they get hit again.

Already last night I heard them twice getting ready to put this to bed after Cheney came out and 'took responsibility' (unbelievable). That was twice from the very little corporate news viewing left on my schedule. There are much more important things going on now, unlike when a Democrat has gotten a bj, or a girl that a Democrat knew is missing.

It's over to the DC clique, and they couldn't wait to pronounce it. If it hangs on for even a couple more days I'll be surprised. And it's not that I think it should hang around for a long time, it's just that if it were a Dem, you can bet it would be beaten to death for as long as they could play it.

[BurtWorm]

11. I'm not writing the strategy off.

It's not geared toward improving the poll numbers. It's geared toward getting the media to stop talking about Cheney and go back to examining their navels.

[BurtWorm]

13. Jay Rosen of Press Think believes the Bushists are benefiting

just from the fact that the media are paying attention to NOTHING ELSE! The media could very well be headed toward looking like the fools they actually are.

http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/2006/02/16/chn_ftz_p.html

“This is going to ricochet for days,” Kurtz said on Tuesday. The title of his column that day: Monumental Misfire. I’m not sure that’s right, either.

How does it hurt Bush if for three days this week reporters are pummeling Scott McClellan over the details of when they were informed about Cheney’s hunting accident? That’s three days this week they won’t be pummeling Scott McClellan over the details of this article from Foreign Affairs by Paul R. Pillar, the ex-CIA man who coordinated U.S. intelligence on the Middle East until last year.

Here’s what the article says: “During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq… the Bush administration disregarded the community’s expertise, politicized the intelligence process, and selected unrepresentative raw intelligence to make its public case.” Pillar was there; if anyone would know he would....

[bobbieinok]

12. RW spin heard today--shooting victim in ICU to 'protect him from reporters

I think it was Glen Beck who said this.....he was defending Cheney like mad: 'here's this guy grieving b/c he shot a friend and media is just hounding him'

'if media really thought this was a story, each cable and network channel would run Hume's interview with Cheney; they won't do this b/c the report would have to show FOX logo and people would realize if they want news they have to watch FOX (!!!!!!!!!)'

Boortz was spending all his time attacking BGumbel for 'racism' b/c he said there aren't enough blacks in the olympics....he was also on a real rant about some poor female U of Washington student who said the university shouldn't put up a monument to some WWII US marine; RW must really hunt for things to attack.....Boortz was just incredulous when a caller said that if all that people in an area heard were Hannity, Rush, et al, they were being brainwashed; Boortz seemed to find it unbelievable that someone would use such a word about Hannity et al

[BurtWorm]

14. Once the bots get on the same page, there will be only one message.

And it's not going to be calls for Cheney's head.

[rucky]

18. When you can't find a way to pin it on the liberals...

you blame the press.

And when that fails, you call for a congressional "hearing".