Am I the only DUer who didn't realize CBS's Bob Schieffer's Connections to bu$h?

[mod mom]

:blush: EXPLAINS QUITE A BIT!

Schieffer Brothers' New Jobs Won't Strain Bonds, They Say

By JACQUES STEINBERG and DAVID E. SANGER

Published: February 18, 2005

Bob Schieffer likes to say that he is more than just a sibling to his younger brother, Tom. "Hell, I raised him," Mr. Schieffer said in a recent interview, his eyes watering as he recalled the years immediately after their father's sudden death, which left a 20-year-old Bob and his mother to care for a 10-year-old Tom.

But the bonds, and bounds, of that familial intimacy are about to come into play as never before. Tom Schieffer was recently nominated by President Bush - his friend and former business partner in the Texas Rangers baseball team - to be ambassador to Japan, and Bob Schieffer, the longtime host of "Face the Nation" on CBS, will soon become interim anchor of "CBS Evening News."

What would Bob do if he had to introduce a segment on the evening news about how Japan and the United States are confronting North Korea? And how would Tom respond to CBS inquiries about classified data concerning not only North Korea's suspected nuclear arsenal but also American economic strategy in Asia?

No problem, both of them say

-snip
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/18/business/media/18CBS.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

May 06, 2008

Bob Schieffer, Company Man


Posted by Brad Jacobson

Bob Schieffer's coverage during the George W. Bush years, weighed against his hushed compromising relationship with the president, belies the CBS newsman's projected image as an unimpeachably principled journalist and typifies the way our media class operates.

In a Sunday post on Crooks and Liars, under the headline "Schieffer Wakes Up to Life in the Bush Administration," Nicole Belle wrote: "I don’t know where Bob Schieffer’s been these last seven years, but he thinks that the White House might have an credibility problem." She was reacting to Schieffer's Face the Nation commentary on the Lurita Doan scandal:

SCHIEFFER: I saw a story in the Washington Post the other day, where a reporter granted a government official anonymity in order as the newspaper put it, ‘for the government official to speak more candidly.’ Well, that made me wonder. Do we no longer expect government officials to tell the whole story if they must take responsibility for what they say? Even worse, do we believe that is acceptable?

For sure, the White House won no prize for candor last week; it gave the outgoing head of the General Services Administration, Lurita Doan, a big send off by thanking her for making government buildings more energy-efficient or some such, when in truth, she was forced out. She was the object of multiple investigations, suspicious dealings on government contracts, and asking government employees what they could do to help political candidates, which is, of course, against the law. Even the government’s watchdog agency recommended she be disciplined to the fullest extent. Yet the White House spokesman declined to say if her resignation had anything to do with any of that. From the White House came only thanks and confirmation she was gone. The government saw no obligation to say why, which leads me to this: have decades of secrecy, spin and stonewalling conditioned us to accept less than the whole story from the government? Is telling the whole truth no longer a given? Frankly, I’m not sure. What I do know is more and more people seem skeptical of everything the government says and does. What we saw last week may be one reason why.

Belle then pointed out the underlying absurdity:

The Lurita Doan scandal is such a minor one relative to all the other lies, spin, incompetence and outright negligence of the Bush administration that it’s tragically laughable that this is the one that Schieffer thinks exemplifies why the American people are skeptical to what comes out of the White House.

This also epitomizes Schieffer's reporting on the administration, which has treaded between muted criticism and outright fawning. It's no wonder after Dan Rather's departure from CBS Evening News, President Bush gladly granted Schieffer an exclusive interview. Something he never afforded Rather.

-snip

http://www.atlargely.com/2008/05/bob-schieffer-c.html

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. Been known for years on DU but thanks for bringing it up again

to remind everybody! Kick nominated.

[mod mom]

4. Oops I forgot to credit Karynnj who posted it on another thread.

For as much time as I spend here, I never encountered it.

[benddem]

2. every day

I am so glad I no longer watch the corporate media. I'd be throwing things at the TV.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. I read Schieffer's biography

He is a Democrat. The only thing he said in that whole bio I disagreed with was he thought Ford did the right thing when he pardoned Nixon.

He didn't have anything nice to say about the Bush family.

[gateley]

5. I remember a segment not too long ago where he was shredding his Republican guest. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I don't watch him often enough to comment on his show

But his bio is wonderful. I would highly recommend it.

[gateley]

8. Okay - it's on my list! nt

[Faygo Kid]

7. I liked him on CBS Evening News. A thousand times better than Katie "Some people say . . ." Couric.

Of course, being a thousand times better than Katie isn't really that much of an accomplishment.

[arcadian]

9. I didn't know any of this.

Thanks for posting it.

[Larkspur]

10. Neither did I

[napi21]

11. I didn't know that either. I've been listening to Bob for years, and

I never found him biased at all...until last week! I was really shocked when he struck out at Clark with that "Obama never flew a fighter plane or was shot down" remark. I sensed a bit of anger in Bob's tone. I don't know if that's because he doesn't like Barack, or if he's jumped on the "straight Talk Plane" like the rest of the media!

I usually don't damn anyone for the activities and statements of a relative. Remember the Bennet brothers Bob & Bill? Both lawyers, but one was Clinton's personal lawyer and one was working for the Pubs! Both were on talk shows constantly, but they couldn't have had any more different opinions!

[Diane R]

12. He 'threw' that 3rd debate to Bush when he asked soft ball religious questions.

Bush did terrible in all three debates (even the ones where he was fed answers by wire). The last debate was moderated by Scheiffer, and at the very end he sent Bush a perfect soft ball pitch asking him to describe what his religion meant to him.

Bush got all gooey, and misty eyed talking about the Lord, and the Evangelicals ran right back into the fold. I knew right then it was all planned by Rove, and Scheiffer played along.

[seabeyond]

13. Am I the only DUer who didn't realize ............ ya. wink. lol n/t

[lib2DaBone]

14. Wow......what a story.

I never knew that? I am one of the last to find out. Then again, I just found out the Gov Charley Crist of Florida is gay and that he married a woman just to get the McCain V.P. nod. It's all happening so fast.... lol

[nashville_brook]

15. i thought it was fairly obvious to anyone awake, Clark was tarred with Schieffer's words.

I'm confused and dismayed that the media coverage of the kerfuffle spun it on Wesley Clark. I'm more confused that Clark hasn't vigorously pointed this out. Seems like everyone was spun on this.

And no, didn't know that Schieffer was so intimate with the Bushies. It explains a lot.