AP: CBS Sports’ Feherty coming “under sharp criticism” for comments
May 10, 2009 10:15 am ET by Media Matters staff
From a May 9 Associated Press report:
Golf funnyman criticized over magazine article
By DOUG FERGUSON
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty came under sharp criticism Saturday for a joke he wrote in a Dallas magazine article that suggested American soldiers would be just as likely to knock off House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid as they would Osama bin Laden.
Feherty was among five Dallas residents who wrote for "D Magazine" on former President George W. Bush moving to Dallas, where the former Ryder Cup player from Northern Ireland has been living the last dozen years.
"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though," Feherty wrote toward the end of his column. "Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."
Feherty is among the most popular golf analysts on television for his glib humor. He writes a monthly column for Golf Magazine, and the last of the four books he has written was titled, "An Idiot for All Seasons."
CBS Sports quickly distanced itself from Feherty's writing.
"We want to be clear that this column for a Dallas magazine is an unacceptable attempt at humor and is not in any way condoned, endorsed or approved by CBS Sports," spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said.
CBS Sports is not televising the PGA Tour this week at The Players Championship, and Feherty did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
"David Feherty is an insightful and sometimes humorous commentator for CBS Sports' golf coverage," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "However, his attempt at humor in this instance went over the line, and his comments were clearly inappropriate. We hope he will use better judgment in the future."
Media Matters for America demanded an apology.
"Mr. Feherty's violent comments about Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid are disgusting," said Eric Burns, president of the watchdog group. "Suggesting that our troops would attack the leaders of the very democracy they've sworn to sacrifice their lives for is an insult to their integrity, honor, and professionalism. CBS Sports should demand it's golf analyst apologize to our soldiers."
Previously:
CBS Responds To The Growing Feherty Controversy
It wasn't a joke at all-- the guy was interjecting a serious note about what made him mad.
IF THE NEWS OUTLETS OF CBS,NBC AND CNN TOOK THEIR JOB FUNCTIONS
SERIOUSLY,THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN ANSWERS ON WHAT AND WHEN PELOSI
KNEW ABOUT WATERBOARDING AND WHY HER HUSBAND LANDED ALL HIS GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS.
OBAMA WOULD HAVE PRODUCED HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE, AND EXPLAINED WHO PROVIDED HIS $700 MILLION CAMPAIGN FUNDS.
THERE IS A TERRIBLE STENCH IN THE AIR AND THE NEWS NETWORKS ARE PROVIDING THE ODOR.
See, reasonable people don't joke about loyal soldiers becoming traitors and murdering the highest ranking politician in the US Congress. It's not funny. Feherty didn't "tell the truth about our political leaders." That's the first thing.
What and when Pelosi knew about waterboarding doesn't change the people that encouraged and okayed that torture and that egregious violation of US and International law. It doesn't give her any responsibility for the horrific and illegal decision that the Bush Administration made to twist the definition of torture to ignore what clearly was torture. The fact that she was informed about some EIT's doesn't mean she could do anything about it - it was a classified briefing, the details of which she couldn't share with anyone.
There's no evidence that Pelosi's husband has ever done anything wrong. But yeah, we know, people like you throw mud to see what might stick. Funny thing is, it's covering you instead. You're a pretty inept mud-thrower.
Obama cannot produce the original birth certificate. The State of Hawaii keeps that for their records. The State of Hawaii provided a Certificate of Live Birth that got its info from that stored original birth certificate. In Hawaii, you don't get a copy of your birth certificate. You get a "Certificate of Live Birth" that is filled with data directly from the stored copy of your birth certificate.
There was a birth announcement in a Hawaii paper when he was born. He was born there. For you to still think that there's any doubt that he's a native born American is a bad sign that you are incredibly bigoted, politically partisan, and ignorant to boot.
Go play with people of your own capabilities on some rightwing website. You are horribly outclassed here!
It wasn't a joke-- it was a screed buried within a sarcastic piece.