You've Got to See it to Believe It...

John McCain on August 1, 2008



This is just sad. No further comment is necessary.

Hat tip to the Jed Report...

--WS

Pushback

When caught, the White House attempts to change the subject to what's wrong with the media, instead of what's wrong with their own analogy:

The White House on Monday called on NBC News to set the record straight on "deceitful" editing of an interview with President Bush, in which correspondent Richard Engel asks whether comments about the president of Iran were directed at Barack Obama.

Bush aides were angered by how the president's answer was portrayed when Engel questioned him about his condemnation of "the false comfort of appeasement" in an address last week to the Israeli Knesset. NBC stood by its treatment of the interview Monday.

Bush had mentioned the president of Iran in his speech, and said: "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along."

Obama's campaign considered that statement an attack on him, which the White House has denied.

Engel asked Bush if he was referring to Obama in his speech.

As it appeared on "Nightly News" Sunday and the "Today" show Monday, Bush's response was: "You know, my policies haven't changed, but evidently the political calendar has ... And when, you know, a leader of Iran says that they want to destroy Israel, you've got to take those words seriously."

But the White House said NBC edited out these words that Bush said between those two sentences: "People need to read the speech. You didn't get it exactly right, either. What I said was that we need to take the words of people seriously."

Bush counsel Ed Gillespie, in a letter to NBC News President Steve Capus, said that "this deceitful editing to further a media-manufactured storyline is utterly misleading and irresponsible." He asked that the network air Bush's response in full on the two programs.

Apparently, no one in the White House has ever--ever--watched Fox News.

College drop-out Sean Hannity added global warming to the growing list of subjects on which he is a self-proclaimed expert Friday night (10/26/07) on Hannity & Colmes. As “proof” of his contention that global warming “by no means should be considered accepted science,” he presented an unbalanced segment that skewed public and scientific opinion and also conflated a CNN special with the climate-change issue, itself. Hannity is obsessed with global warming and seems willing to go to any lengths to discredit any such concerns – any length, that is, except having an honest and fair debate on the subject.

[SNIP]

UPDATE: After this post went up, News Hounds was contacted by two students from the panel discussion, each of whom felt he had been misrepresented by selective editing. It was also alleged that the general consensus of the panel was "neutral to positive" and had also been distorted by FOX News.

There are numerous examples--that is just one out of several dozen that could have been chosen to illustrate the ridiculous charge of "selective editing." The President and the Vice President do not regularly make themselves available for news conferences or live television appearances. On the President's most recent trip abroad, he left the press traveling with him out of the loop.

The White House has never liked seeing the "truth" about anything published anywhere. They will ruin the lives of covert spies if they think they can get away with it. It is laughable to think that their idea of pushback even matters. It's like the boy who cried wolf for the hundredth time--and there is still no wolf.

Gillespie brought up some other grievances, too, including NBC News coverage of the Iraq war and the nation's economic woes. The White House was not happy when NBC News decided to call the situation in Iraq a civil war and called attention to its decision.

And that wasn't all.

The White House didn't just send its letter of complaint to NBC. It blasted it out to every reporter who receives White House press releases and posted it prominently on the White House Web site.

At least they care to try to spin things nowadays. Is anyone paying attention anymore? Is there a single American, outside of the blind 26% or so who will never accept reality, who believes anything these people say?

Have I mentioned lately that I really HATE aWol?

Warning! Hormonal rant ahead!

Skip this post if you are easily offended, or think aWol Bush has any redeeming qualities at all!

Listening to George Bush talk about how congress has wasted time and the taxpayers money takes me back to high school. Some of us remember the asshole upperclassmen who would take Freshmen girls out on Friday nights after the football game, give them what was likely their first beer, take them parking out in the country, tell them "fuck or walk" (now we call that date rape) - then spend Monday telling all their buddies what little sluts their victims were.

This particular quip from the drooling fucktard during his press conference today made me wish I believed in and knew something about the dark arts, that I might cast an evil spell: ''It's an antagonistic world from some people's point of view,'' the president said. ''I try to make it less that way and to focus on high priorities.'' I know that there is no God, because the motherfucker didn't burst into flames right there on the spot when those words tumbled from his fetid maw.

In spite of his ridiculous assertion that he tried to be anti-antagonistic (guffaw/spit-take/snort - and btw, I'm sorry, but I just can not make myself type a sentence that implies that piece of shit who should get ass cancer and die is protagonistic) he went on to launch into a laundry list of things that are the fault of the Democrats in Congress:

He pissed and moaned about Congress sending him an omnibus spending bill instead of individual spending bills. ''When Congress wastes so much time and leaves its work to the final days before Christmas, it is not a responsible way to run this government.'' Last year, the exiting Republicans didn't pass a budget at all, instead leaving the entire Government to be run on continuing resolutions all year, and Resident Evil™ didn't whine like a little bitch. But hey - IOKIYAR.

He also sniveled that congress hadn't passed his domestic spying wet-dream that would embarrass Big Brother himself and give retroactive immunity to the big telecoms who were all too eager to help him spy on you and me.

He refused to talk about the CIA destroying the tapes that we can only presume would have shown the torture of terrorism suspects in CIA custody. He insists he knew nothing (finally the fuckwit said something that I could agree with!) about the destruction of the tapes before hand, even though four White House lawyers were involved in the decision.

He tread carefully when asked about Time Magazine's selection of Vladimir Putin as their Person of the Year for 2007. ''I presume they put him on there because he was a consequential leader,'' Bush said. ''And the fundamental question is, consequential to what end? What will the country look like 10 years from now? My hope, of course, is that Russia is a country that understands there needs to be checks and balances.'' (Funny - America doesn't look anything like it did seven years ago.)

He did a bit of hand-wringing about the waning support for the mission in Afghanistan among America's NATO allies. ''My biggest concern is that people say, 'Well, we're kind of tired of Afghanistan and, therefore, we think we're going to leave,''' Bush said. (I keep forgetting that it was our allies that took their eye off the ball to go charging into Iraq half-cocked. I gotta get that straight - it'll be my New Years Resolution. I promise...)

He ended on a humorous note (and we know what a comedic talent he is, cracking up absolutely everyone looking for WMD's under his desk) by predicting a Republican resurgence and White House victory next year, in spite of the fact that the Republican slate would lose in a landslide to "None of the Above."

I didn't know that Rahm Emanuel had it in him to be a pussified wimp, but by golly, he sure does. ''President Bush's veto pen prevented the kind of significant change our country needs,'' Emanuel pouted. And at that point I started yelling at my computer screen. "You feckless, complicit fuckers should have made him veto everything! Page after page after page!" And I continued to rant about wanting Democrats who know how to put a knee to his groin, kick him in the throat when he goes over, and keep kicking him once he is on the ground until he is spitting teeth.

But that's just me, and I am probably PMSin' real hard right now, because I really, really want my pound of flesh today - and not just that - after I collect that pound of flesh, I want to dump a box of salt in the wound.

What if they staged a presser and no one even bothered to mock it?

So, the verbally-challenged nincompoop held a press conference this morning. Fox didn't even air the whole thing, cutting away to regularly scheduled programming about half-way through.

He stood up there, totally devoid of intellect, sentience and the ability to reason and put his pathetic version out there. At one point, he actually asserted that the pressure he has been applying to Iran recently - is why they stopped their weapons program in 2003!!!

Who knew that Mr. Peabody and his Wayback machine were serving in the Bush (mal)administration?

It amounted to a half hour of insisting that Iran is "still dangerous" and a "threat to peace" and can't be allowed the "knowledge" to make a noo-kyu-ler weapon. It was a fucking embarrassment.

They simply can't admit that they are wrong about anything.

And blogtopia™, (Yes! skippy coined that phrase!) didn't even show up to mock him.

Since our pathetic congressional Democrats don't have the political courage, nor the intestinal fortitude to impeach these lying, warmongering, pathetic excuses for Americans - will someone just escort them off the stage, dose, 'em with Haldol, and fast-forward the clock to January 2009?

Live-Blogging the Presser

The incumbent has called a press conference for this morning.

I am expecting petulance in spades and that shrill tone his every utterance has taken on of late, as well as "that look" - you know the one I mean - the annoyed one...

The press is waiting in the Brady Briefing Room.

Here come the topics...

"Tomorrow Congress will attempt to override my SCHIP veto." And he wants FISA to be expanded and the overreaches made permanent. He wants the intel community to be able to spy on you and me unencumbered. They need to pass the remaining spending bills one at a time. (Why is he suddenly so pissy about omnibus bills?) Education and housing are also on his radar...ditto trade. "Congress needs to get moving on trade agreements..." Veterans issues and the VA appropriations bill. "I ask congress to send me a 'clean bill' without unnecessary spending." And the Mukasey nomination...

He sure knows what Congress needs to do....When did he serve in the legislative branch again?

Jeebus I hate agreeing with this petulant fucking worm on anything...but Congress does need to shut up already about the Turks and Armenians...

First question is about the Turks pursuing PKK terrorists across the border into Iraq, where they have safe haven.

Why is he sticking a thumb in China's eye by giving the Dalai Lama an award. About the only thing that made sense in his answer was "I like going to the gold medal ceremonies."

David Gregory wants him to say something about the apparent Israeli-Syria episode, but he ain't commenting...

Now, Putin in Iran, talking tough...What does he think? "Sure there will be a nice picture to send a good message...he wants to talk to Pooty-Poot and see what went on..." He has no answers for this one. Sad to watch, sadder to listen to...

North Korea - he isn't elaborating. "Diplomacy only works when there are consequences if the diplomacy fails..." Consequences, consequences, consequences...Without a trace of irony...

He dissed Martha, and my husband shook his head and called him a "mother fucker."

Iraq..."Can't be won militarily." (No foolin'?) Should the U.S. be prepared for a significant troop presence in Iraq after his term of office expires? He gave a non-answer..."That will be determined by the commanders."

I just gotta rant a sec...I don't give a rat's ass if anyone has a new-que-lar weapon, seein' as how there is no such god-damned thing. I can not take seriously anything he says about nuclear matters when he can't even fucking pronounce it! That verbal affectation is not charming...it's humiliating.

He is droning on about "isolating Iran" while the Russians and Caspian states are cozying up...Sooo...How's that workin' for ya there, George? Iran doesn't look too damned isolated to a whole bunch of us...

How would he assess himself on dealings with the Democrats? We are finding common ground on Iraq, because the Petraeus Promenade was successful...telecoms need immunity for violating our civil liberties...But it's the fault of the Democrats that bills aren't moving.

Now he is lying about SCHIP. Still repeating the $83,000 lie.

Sanchez just came up..."I admire [him], I appreciate his service, the situation...has changed...so I am pleased with the progress we are making and I admire the fact that he served." What a pussified non-answer....

On to Blackwater...They provide a vital service...They have saved lives...(iow: Mercenaries are really good guys! Just misunderstood!)

"What is your definition of 'Torture'?" Glossed over..."That is defined in U.S. law, and we don't torture."

He insists he isn't an irrelevant lame duck, he has never been more vital...

Back to SCHIP and still with the lying. Please, Congress, override this petulant asshole tomorrow...