Thomas claimed Dems held back on discussing attorney firings during '06 campaign, when most had not yet happened
SUMMARY: On Fox News Watch, Cal Thomas asserted that questions surrounding the Bush administration's firing of eight U.S. attorneys "didn't surface in October [2006]" because "the left in the media -- but I repeat myself -- had enough scandal going with Mark Foley and a bunch of other stuff, they didn't need this." In fact, by October 2006, only one of the U.S. attorneys had been dismissed; the other seven were not dismissed until December 7, 2006, a month after the November midterm elections.
On the March 17 edition of Fox News Watch, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas asserted that questions surrounding the Bush administration's firing of eight U.S. attorneys "didn't surface in October [2006]" because "the left in the media -- but I repeat myself -- had enough scandal going with [former Rep.] Mark Foley [R-FL] and a bunch of other stuff, they didn't need this." Asked by host Eric Burns if he was "suggesting the media have all these scandals that they can throw in against the right, and they're just timing them," Thomas responded: "Absolutely. Just like those pills you take for sinuses. They go on a 24-hour period. Whenever you need it, it's there." In fact, contrary to Thomas's suggestion that the "left in the media" chose not to pursue the U.S. attorney story before the election -- because, Thomas said, they didn't "need this" scandal -- by October 2006, only one of the U.S. attorneys had been dismissed; the other seven dismissals did not occur until December 7, 2006, a month after the November midterm elections.
According to a March 6 Washington Post article, the head of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, Michael A. Battle, "called seven U.S. attorneys on Dec. 7 and notified them that they were being asked to leave. He notified then-Arkansas U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins of his dismissal in June." Cummins ultimately resigned in October 2006.
Thomas also maintained that "the media are dominated by left-wing pinkos."
From the March 17 edition of Fox News Watch, which also featured regular panelists Jane Hall, an American University professor, and media critic Neal Gabler:
THOMAS: To stick with the media angle that you brought up, the reason it didn't surface in October is that the left in the media -- but I repeat myself -- had enough scandal going with Mark Foley and a bunch of other stuff, they didn't need this.
Now that we're into the 2008 election cycle, you have Tim Russert on the Today show on Friday morning virtually saying, "Yes, this is illegal, this is -- needs to be investigated." The investigation machine has been turned up. You're going to have a situation similar to the veterans and Walter Reed that we've discussed in previous weeks on the show.
It's not going to be the infraction. It's going to be the cover-up and who knew about it and didn't do anything. And that'll be the media story.
BURNS: But aren't you being a little overly conspiratorial? You're suggesting the media have all these scandals that they can throw in against the right, and they're just timing them?
THOMAS: Absolutely. Just like those pills you take for sinuses. They go on a 24-hour period. Whenever you need it, it's there.
HALL: How about an administration that provides this?
GABLER: How about an administration that provides one scandal after another?
THOMAS: That's true. That's another issue, yes.
[...]
BURNS: OK. The larger point: the Democrats pulling out because of their perception of this network's conservative bias. Cal.
THOMAS: Yeah.
BURNS: Good move for them?
THOMAS: Well, sure. I mean, look, the left has been looking for a media bogeyman for years. The right has had the corner on this: The media are dominated by left-wing pinkos, which I happen to agree with. Nevertheless, it made its case. So now the Democrats have figured they're going to get beat up on Fox.
It started in earnest with Bill Clinton's interview on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. And the Democrats had a meeting after that and said, "Hey, this is a pretty good tactic." And now they use this joke as an excuse to get out of a debate.
And I thought Cal was a good Christian! I guess Jeeeezzzzzuuussssss don't mind lying...as long as it's for the GOP.
Did Grandpa Munster seriously use the term "left-wing pinkos"? What year is this?
What a dope Cal is...
Everybody knows the correct term is: Liberal Pinko Commies.
Or so says Archie Bunker ;-)
or better yet 'commie-pinko-f*gs-livin-in-a-commune' all in one breath, thank you Spiro T.(Mafia bagman) Agnew!
psychic network meets the fox network.
Just a point of information. Al Lewis aka "Grandpa Munster" was a beloved lefty here in NY. He had a radio show on WBAI, our local Pacifica station. I believe he even ran for Governor on the Green Party ticket. Cal Thomas is no Grandpa Munster. I would call him the Crypt Keeper but that wouldn't be fair to the Crypt Keeper.
CHRONOLOGY
1. An arrangement of events in time.
2. A record of events in the order of their occurrence.
3. The determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events.
Princeton online dictionary.
Why is it that people who earn their living stringing words together, don't seem to know, or to care what the words mean?
Does anyone know if Rush Limbaugh is using this talking point yet? I'll be surprised if he doesn't.
This is one of the first times I've heard someone make an accusation of a party politicizing damning information about an opponent by holding it until after an election. If this had occured during the election cycle, I'm sure Cal would have had no problem with it. At least Thomas seems to be tacitly conceding that his party is so corrupt that the Democrats didn't need to add this to the mix. In a garbage dump, who notices one extra piece of refuse more-or-less?
Actually, this is not the 1st time. Didn't we hear the same talking point not too long ago about Dem's withholding the page scandal until after the election or something like that?
And the Democrats had a meeting after that and said, "Hey, this is a pretty good tactic." And now they use this joke as an excuse to get out of a debate.
Where was this meeting? Why wasn't I invited? :(
Yeah, how come they only call me during supper time and ask for more money? I wanna go to some of these top secret conspiracy meetings. I have a lot of good ideas for conspiracies!
Who cares about the fact that the republican administration is continuously p*ssing on the competition, and upholding a level of ethical behavior that would make the Enron guy's blush. The real story is that the liberal media chooses to inform the public about the scandals so that the democrats can capitalize on the blatant ineptitude of the republican'ts. This isn't even worth posting on this site. Even the average inbred fox viewer can see through this surely.
I wouldn't bet on it.
constitution sorry, they are pissing on the constitution
Maybe right the first time, the GOP may consider the Constitution the competition.
Thomas is all wet here - despite the "inside the beltway" mindset that we are already in the 2008 election cycle, thankfully, we are not. We are still nearly a year from any primary. I realize all the candidates need their ducks in a row now, but the public is about as invested in the 2008 presidential race as they are in this fall's World Series.
And since when is there some conspiratorial meeting of the minds of the media to hold off reporting any scandal? That is absurd.
"All Wet" Tommy? You're going almost as retro as Cal with his "lefty pinko" riff. Outtasight!
Perhaps I'm missing something but:
1. Why would the Democrats not want to point out a potential scandal involving the White House and DOJ just before the 2006 election?
2. It seems that if anything it was the White House and DOJ that played politics with the dates by waiting until after the election to have the remaining 7 USA's fired.
D'oh
Let us not forget that President Bush lied about keeping Rummy as SoD. The week before the election it was a sure thing he was staying. Just after the election Rummy was gone - and President Bush admitted he "had" to lie about it!
This joker is as fake as the colour of his hair. A bad dye job on a bad liar.
I guess the Foxperts don't have to follow any logic with their theories, as long as they throw in "pinko".The viewers eyes just glaze over and the drooling starts.
Here's my idea for a conspiracy: Start off every statement with "Why does [fill in the blank] hate Amurrica so much?" Oh, sorry, that is already taken.
"
BURNS: But aren't you being a little overly conspiratorial? You're suggesting the media have all these scandals that they can throw in against the right, and they're just timing them?
THOMAS: Absolutely. Just like those pills you take for sinuses. They go on a 24-hour period. Whenever you need it, it's there."
Yeah, the news outlets don't care who get's a scoop.No competition amongst the news media for scoops. They have a secret agreement to trade off who get's to claim the scoop, even though they all have access to the Pinko database of Scandal Knowledge.
You know, most of the right-wing talking points are absurd, but they structure them so that it will take at least a compound sentance to refute them. The benefit being that easily confused citizens will become, well, confused.
This one is just flat stupid.
And from that, I must infer that Cal Thomas is a flat idiot.
Is it my imagination or are the commentators on FOX becoming increasingly nervous about the absurdity of their arguments? The other day I happened to catch Brit Hume mounting a defense of the Administration against the testimony of Valerie Plame. He looked like he was about to have an apopleptic fit! Now here's Cal Thomas trying a different tack: with his new prop, either a bad wig or a worse dye job, he opts to play the jester! Are the right-wing pundits now trying to compete against the Stewarts and Colberts? If so, we're in for a fun season of FOX entertainent!
I'm enjoying it- the arrogance of the righty media at the beginning of Prez Chimp's reign is being replaced by much more nervous forced laughter, stammering, and just good old fashioned made-in -the-USA crazy desperate B*llsh*t and smoke bombs.
I'm stocking up on popcorn, and watching the Trog train wreck in slow motion.
Consider the source on this one. At least he didn't pull out the standard "well Clinton fired the attorneys too" line.
I stopped watching Fox News regularly a long time ago. I do tune in but then I have to take another dose of my blood pressure medicine.
Pundits is just STUPID with a "n" added. The N is code for nitwits.