Even Russia knows Americas "free press" is a joke

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/958/opinion/o_12156.htm

Yawns at Bush Quickly Depart Media's Radar

By Matt Bivens

David Letterman's late-night comedy show offered some hilarious footage this week: As President George W. Bush spoke from a podium in Florida, a 12-year-old struggled valiantly to stay awake. You can find the footage at www.local6.com/video/2968209/detail.html: A young man in khaki shorts, a black polo shirt and an orange baseball cap, standing behind the President, lets rip some jaw-unhinging yawns, lolls his head around, claps and yawns, claps and checks his watch, and yawns. Soon he resorts to desperate stay-awake exercises. He takes a knee for a time and finally falls asleep on his feet, only partially waking to smile and applaud.

Pretty amusing, right? Wrong!

There is no laughing at this president! CNN picked up the footage but soon labeled it fake, citing the White House. Letterman responded in outrage. CNN apologized - and then, oddly, also denied that it had ever heard from the White House. Letterman countered that "our source, a very good source, confirms the White House did call CNN." Of all the unlikely scenarios here, Letterman's seems most likely. Especially since CNN is looking more and more like a low-rent version of First Channel.

Last year, CNN - which already had theme music and snazzy graphics in the can to accompany its future war coverage - was refusing the tamest ads, even ads featuring clergy, that questioned the wisdom of invading Iraq, on grounds that "we do not accept international advocacy ads on regions in conflict." (What?) More recently, anchorman Wolf Blitzer has proven willing to smear White House critics. Reporting on former anti-terrorism tsar Richard Clarke, the administration's new nightmare, Blitzer cited unnamed government sources saying Clarke's "personal life" might have "some weird aspects."

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[indepat]

1. The WH spinmeisters can fool all the people some of the time, even some

of the people, including all their brain-washed, brain-dead ideologues, all the time, but they cannot fool all the people all the time.

[papau]

2. wave of relief sets in because Bush decided against punitive action

"A wave of relief sets in because the White House has decided against punitive action"

Now that is what I call a free press not controlled by right wing GOP threats - what a brave profession - worthy of respect.