Wash. Post, LA Times yet to highlight McCain's "wasted ... lives" comment; ABC's World News and GMA also ignored
As of March 2, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times have yet to publish articles noting that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), during an appearance on the February 28 edition of CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman in which he announced his presidential candidacy, claimed that "[w]e've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure [in Iraq], which is American lives." Media Matters for America noted that on March 1, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times all ignored McCain's claim in their articles reporting his announcement on the Late Show despite previously publishing stories highlighting similar comments made by Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to an Iowa audience on February 11. While both the Post and The New York Times had posted a separate March 1 AP report highlighting McCain's comments on their respective websites, of the three newspapers, only The New York Times published a March 2 article on McCain's claim.
Even though McCain issued a statement early in the afternoon on March 1, hours later on that evening's broadcast of ABC's World News, anchor Charles Gibson made no mention of McCain's comments on The Late Show or his statement of regret, despite airing a clip from McCain's appearance. By contrast, the February 12 edition of World News aired a report from ABC News senior national correspondent Jake Tapper highlighting Obama's February 11 comments, for which he later apologized.
Additionally, on the February 13 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts noted Obama's comments, reporting that "Obama now says that he regrets" the remarks and that he "misspoke," but the morning show has yet to cover McCain's "wasted ... lives" in Iraq claim.
From the March 1 edition of ABC's World News with Charles Gibson:
GIBSON: To politics next. Senator John McCain of Arizona has confirmed what everyone suspected. He's running for president.
All the candidates are looking for ways to make their announcement stand out. Senator McCain made his declaration on the David Letterman show last night.
[begin video clip]
MCCAIN: I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States.
LETTERMAN: Oh.
[...]
MCCAIN: Let me try that again.
PAUL SHAFFER (Late Show bandleader): Oh.
MCCAIN: Yeah. OK, OK.
LETTERMAN: So you're saying this was not the formal announcement?
MCCAIN: This is the announcement preceding the formal announcement.
LETTERMAN: But how do you think that makes me feel?
MCCAIN: You were first.
SHAFFER: He's doing the formal announcement on Leno.
[end video clip]
GIBSON: Such is the stuff of politics today.
From the February 12 edition of ABC's World News Tonight:
TAPPER: But it was also in Ames where Obama, new to presidential politics, stumbled, saying troops killed in Iraq died in vain.
OBAMA [video clip]: -- over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.
TAPPER: He later expressed regret for that remark.
From the February 13 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:
ROBERTS: And debate over the war is proving to be a stumbling block in the race for the White House. Senator Barack Obama now says that he regrets suggesting that U.S. lives are being wasted in Iraq. Instead, he says he misspoke, and really meant that their service has not been honored.
Why ask any man ever to apologize, when you would rather ask him to explain.
The Senator from Arizona has nothing to apologize for, unless he thinks he should have used a different word, in which case he explains his words further (which is better than an apology)...
But he seems to have meant it when he said those lives are being "wasted"...
His comments so far about that word, indicating no more, than he should have used a different word... which is a point of polite public speech, but not of feeling or belief or plan.
The broader aspect is just how does Mr. McCain feel about the loss of life in Iraq so far, and the prospect for more....
What more requisite National Security Opinion can you seek, than one from a candidate for the Presidency of the U.S.....
"Wasted?"... please explain further about how you feel about Iraq sir...
save the apologies for later maybe
This is a pretty weak post by MMFA, IMHO. Here's why: The coverage of Obama by the LA Times, with rare exceptions, has been nothing short of adulation and worship. The so-called "reporting" of Obama's remark by the LA Times was in a parenthetical (!) in the middle of an article one day on page A17. Big whoop.
You Dems can relax. Read this, for one. The LA Times absolutely LOVES Barack Obama.
but you agree that these other media outlets have ignored what mccain said? i didn't even hear it until i read it here. all your humble opinions don't change the fact that there is a different standard at work.
Wow, shoes. Two articles concerning Obama and McCain, and one wasn't on the front page.
At least link to a site that tries to be convincing. Newsbusters phones in the propaganda about as well as Hannity.
"yet to publish articles"... about McCain's comment
That's because his name isn't John Kerry or Jack Murtha... McCain supports the war (at least I think so... it's hard to tell what McCain means sometimes nowadays)... so he gets a pass for a verbal gaffe.
Talking about wasted lives, everybody needs to view the must read interview at http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030107K.shtml
by James Harris at Truthdig http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/
of LTC (ret.) Karen Kwiatkowski. of whom you've heard bits and pieces, but here is the full story.
This woman blew the whistle on the cooked intelligence back before the 2004 election. Yet, I'll bet that 90% of Americans have never heard of her. I wonder why? Why has she been ignored? I hope she gets to testify before Congress when they finally start to vivisect the corrupt Bush administration...assuming they ever get around to it.
here's the difference. obama: democrat. mccain: republican.
The reason is because they love McCain, he is the darling of the MSM.
Dem02020, the issue here isn't the apology. Personally, I don't think he or Obama have anything to apologize for. Both are right, in my humble opinion.
The issue is how two newspapers jumped on Obama's story and have, as of yet, ignored McCain's comments.
That's my sentiment exactly... it's about an unequal treatment of equal campaign news: A Senator and presidential candidate just said in public that American lives were being "wasted" in Iraq...
Me, I get it the unequal "media"... McCain's there horse.
But what the word itself, "wasted"?
Sen. McCain has said he had rather said "sacrifice"....
But does that mean he might think lives are being wasted in Iraq?
He's a presidential candidate, Mr. McCain is... he should further explain what he meant by "wasted"... and why the "media" isn't giving this the attention it deserves.
When will a politician have the guts to come forward and speak the truth without apologizing for it? Lives are being wasted in Iraq. The sooner we can admit it, the better.
I agree with you Nerzog.
Lives have been wasted in a war that was forged on lies and should never have been fought.
And until Congress forces Bush's hand lives will continue to be wasted...
Why do you hate the troops, Jeter?
Perhaps, HunnyBeachLeaves, you just can't handle the truth?
At times. That's when I have to be really facetious.
The Washington Post did not ignore this "lives wasted" comments by McCain. The newspaper published an AP article on March 1st addressing the issue:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/01/AR2007030100270.html
that's washingtonpost.com, running an associated press story. was it in the paper?