Despite extensive coverage of Medal of Honor ceremony by CNN and MSNBC, O'Reilly said they "are not going to report stories that reflect well on the American military"
SUMMARY: Bill O'Reilly asserted that "some television news organizations ignored the Medal of Honor awarded to Lieutenant Michael Murphy"-- a Navy SEAL who was killed during a rescue mission in Afghanistan -- claiming that "CNN and MSNBC just said no to Lieutenant Michael Murphy" on their prime-time newscasts, finally concluding, "The hard truth is that MSNBC and CNN are not going to report stories that reflect well on the American military." In fact, though CNN and MSNBC did not cover the story during the 8-11 p.m. ET prime-time period, both provided extensive coverage of the Medal of Honor ceremony earlier in the day: MSNBC reported on Murphy at least five times, including carrying the award ceremony live, and CNN covered the Murphy story on at least seven distinct occasions.
On the October 23 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly teased his nightly "Talking Points Memo" segment by asserting, "Stunningly, some television news organizations ignored the Medal of Honor awarded to Lieutenant Michael Murphy" -- a Navy SEAL who was killed during a rescue mission in Afghanistan that is chronicled in the book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (Little, Brown and Co., June 2007) by Murphy's fellow SEAL, Marcus Luttrell -- and telling his audience: "We'll tell you who did and who did not cover this story." During the segment, O'Reilly said that "apparently Lieutenant Murphy was not ready for prime time on our cable competition" and later claimed: "On their prime-time broadcast last night, CNN and MSNBC just said no to Lieutenant Michael Murphy and his proud family." O'Reilly added, "The hard truth is that MSNBC and CNN are not going to report stories that reflect well on the American military because those people over there despise the Bush administration and believe anything positive like American heroes in war zones, detract from their negative assessment of the administration." In fact, on October 22, while they did not cover the story during the 8-11 p.m. ET prime-time period, both MSNBC and CNN provided extensive coverage of the Medal of Honor ceremony: MSNBC reported on Murphy at least five times, including carrying the award ceremony live, and CNN covered the Murphy story on at least seven distinct occasions.
On the 2 p.m. ET segment of CNN Newsroom, anchor Don Lemon introduced a report on Murphy by CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr by asserting, "The ultimate sacrifice, the highest honor, a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan, he makes history [as the first to receive the Medal of Honor from the war in Afghanistan]," a report that also aired on the 7 p.m. ET segment of The Situation Room. CNN also noted the award on the 6 a.m., 7 a.m., and 8 a.m. ET segments of American Morning, as well as the 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET segments of CNN Newsroom.
On the 11 a.m. edition of MSNBC Live, anchor Contessa Brewer questioned MSNBC military analyst Jack Jacobs, a retired Army colonel and himself a Medal of Honor recipient, about Murphy's award. The 2 p.m. edition of MSNBC Live aired live coverage of more than 11 minutes of the award ceremony, including the entirety of President Bush's speech, which ran more than seven minutes.
Murphy's award was also reported on the 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. ET editions of MSNBC Live.
O'Reilly suggested that the military has become "a casualty of a committed left ideology that is in play on our competition" and asserted, "I don't want to hear CNN or NBC News say they support the troops. I don't ever want to hear that."
Later in the segment, O'Reilly went further and suggested that CNN and MSNBC ignored Murphy altogether, asserting, "CNN and NBC News can't get enough of negative war zone stories. They run them all day long. And really, how many heroes are there these days? And you ignore, ignore a Medal of Honor winner? Awful."
From the October 23 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Stunningly, some television news organizations ignored the Medal of Honor awarded to Lieutenant Michael Murphy. We'll tell you who did and who did not cover this story.
[...]
O'REILLY: Last night, our lead story on the Factor was the Medal of Honor awarded to Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael Murphy who was killed in Afghanistan trying to save his unit. Lieutenant Murphy's bravery is chronicled in the best-selling book, Lone Survivor, and it is truly an incredible saga.
Why, then, did CNN and MSNBC fail to report the Medal of Honor story in prime time last night? Easy question, disturbing answer. Katie Couric on CBS News gave Lieutenant Murphy more than three minutes; Charles Gibson on ABC News more than two minutes; Brian Williams didn't report the ceremony although he did cover the story last week.
But, apparently, Lieutenant Murphy was not ready for prime-time on our cable competition even though they had hours to get any mention of it on the air. The hard truth is that MSNBC and CNN are not going to report stories that reflect well on the American military because those people over there despise the Bush administration and believe anything positive like American heroes in war zones detract from their negative assessment of the administration.
Thus, the military becomes a casualty of a committed left ideology that is in play on our competition. There's no question about it. And it is ideology that's driving those people, not which stories are worthy or an effective business plan.
Here's the proof: Over the first three weeks of October, this month, the Fox News Channel has doubled CNN and tripled MSNBC in the ratings at 8 p.m. The Factor beats those two combined with about a million viewers to spare. Nobody wins that big in television.
So ignoring great stories like Lieutenant Murphy can't be based on news value or business. It is just stupid ideology.
Now, I don't want to hear CNN or NBC News say they support the troops. I don't ever want to hear that.
Lieutenant Murphy is the only person to receive the Medal of Honor for action in Afghanistan, a war zone that is directly dealing with Al Qaeda and their Taliban enablers.
Don't insult the American people by saying you are behind the troops when you ignore their heroism. CNN and NBC News can't get enough of negative war zone stories. They run them all day long. And really, how many heroes are there these days? And you ignore, ignore a Medal of Honor winner? Awful.
"Talking Points" has said this before. There is no accountability for the media in America -- no election, no oversights. Only you, the folks, can hold them responsible.
On their prime-time broadcast last night, CNN and MSNBC just said no to Lieutenant Michael Murphy and his proud family. There is no excuse.
From the 10 a.m. ET hour of the October 22 edition of MSNBC Live:
MIKA BRZEZINSKI (anchor): Well, nearly six years after the war in Afghanistan began, a soldier from that fight will receive the Medal of Honor for the first time. The parents of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy will receive the award from the president today. Lieutenant Murphy was killed in 2005 as his Navy SEAL team hunted for Al Qaeda in the Afghan mountains. He managed to call for help despite being wounded twice resulting in the rescue of one of his fellow SEALs.
From the 11 a.m. ET hour of the October 22 edition of MSNBC Live:
BREWER: In just a couple hours, President Bush will posthumously award the country's highest award, the Medal of Honor, to Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy. Murphy was killed in Afghanistan in June 2005, as his SEAL team hunted for Al Qaeda. He managed to call for help despite being wounded twice, which led to the safe rescue of one of his fellow SEALs. This is his picture. Let's talk to MSNBC military analyst, Colonel Jack Jacobs, also a Medal of Honor winner.
JACOBS: Recip- -- recipient --
BREWER: Colonel, nice to talk to you.
JACOBS: -- 'cause you didn't win it, they --
BREWER: Receive it.
JACOBS: -- and you represent all the people who did great things but didn't receive anything.
BREWER: Thank you for the correction. When you get it posthumously, is it still a comfort to the families? Do you think it's still going to relieve them of some of the pain?
JACOBS: I think it does, actually. You know, the large majority of Medals of Honor have been awarded posthumously in history, and so, this is the rule, not the exception. It's unusual to have a live recipient. I think it does alleviate a lot of the pain in the loss of a service member, because it demonstrates that he is representative of all those brave men and women who are still out there, and those who did things that were not recognized. It has a very good effect on the family.
BREWER: You mentioned the people who are also out there doing brave things and never receive this kind of recognition for their bravery. What does it take to get the attention of the people who decide --
JACOBS: Well, it's a very interesting question. Somebody once asked Bob Kerrey, who used to be a senator and a governor from Nebraska, who was also a Medal of Honor recipient -- he was also a SEAL when he lost his leg in Vietnam: What does it take to receive the Medal of Honor? He says, "Well, you've got to do something. People have to see it. They have to be able to write. And they can't hate you." In other words, there are lots of people who do lots of things, and it doesn't get seen. Somebody sees it, and they themselves are killed. They don't write it up. There are lots of brave actions that take place all the time that don't get recognized, and we have to remember that --
BREWER: Thirty-five members --
JACOBS: -- in situations like this.
BREWER: Thirty-five members of the Taliban killed in this particular firefight. It seems like he accomplished a lot.
JACOBS: Yes, he did. He -- there was one other -- there was one lone SEAL who managed to survive, and it was because of Lieutenant Murphy. Lieutenant Murphy knew what the odds were, knew that they weren't good, and he exposed himself anyway to hostile -- a lot of hostile fire from more than 100 Taliban in order to communicate with the higher headquarters and eventually saved the life of one of his fellow SEALs.
BREWER: The fourth Navy SEAL to receive this award. The first since the Vietnam War.
JACOBS: Yes, and the only one in Afghanistan, too.
BREWER: Colonel, thank you for your time.
From the 1 p.m. ET hour of the October 22 edition of MSNBC Live:
TAMRON HALL (anchor): Well, just a short time from now, President Bush will award the first Medal of Honor for combat in Afghanistan to the parents of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy. He was killed in June 2005 as his SEAL team hunted for Al Qaeda members. He managed to call for help despite being wounded twice, which led to the safe rescue of one of his fellow SEALs.
From the 2 p.m. ET hour of the October 22 edition of MSNBC Live:
MONICA NOVOTNY (anchor): I want to take you now to Washington where President Bush is about to award the first Medal of Honor for combat in Afghanistan posthumously to the parents of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, who was killed back in June 2005 as his SEAL team hunted for Al Qaeda. Let's listen to the President.
[...]
NOVOTNY: An extraordinary story of heroism as President Bush awards the first Medal of Honor for combat in Afghanistan posthumously to the parents of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy. An incredible honor for Lieutenant Murphy and for his family. You can see his mom taking a few moments to gather her emotions there. Quite a moment.
Over the next few months, MSNBC will be searching for heroes of another kind: unsung civilian heroes. The Above & Beyond Awards will be hosted by NBC's Brian Williams and will air on MSNBC next March and we're looking for you help in finding fellow citizens deserving of the nation's most prestigious civilian award. The awards will be presented by the living Medal of Honor recipients, so to nominate someone for our Above & Beyond Award, just log onto AboveandBeyond365.com.
From the 3 p.m. ET hour of the October 22 edition of MSNBC Live:
NORAH O'DONNELL (chief Washington correspondent): In other news, the first Medal of Honor for combat in Afghanistan was awarded to the family of a Navy SEAL just a short time ago. And here's part of the ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
BUSH [video clip]: Today, we add Lieutenant Michael Murphy's name to the list of recipients who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, this brave officer gave his life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs.
O'DONNELL: NBC's Jeannie Ohm is at the White House -- and Jeannie, of course, we're talking about Lieutenant Murphy in Afghanistan. And remind everybody about how heroic he was there.
OHM: Hi there, Norah. It was quite an emotional ceremony here at the White House. At one point, the president reached out to steady and comfort the mother of Michael Murphy. Now, his parents describe him as someone who was very focused and intense at a very young age. They say even as a child growing up on Long Island, he was always looking out for others and always knew right from wrong. Well, the president in his remarks this afternoon said that Murphy was born to be a Navy SEAL and now he becomes the first service member to be awarded the military's highest honor for combat in Afghanistan.
Now, on June 28th, in 2005, Murphy was leading a Navy SEALs team when he left his protective cover to make a phone call so that they could get backup. Now, unfortunately, the helicopter that was responding to that call crashed, killing all 16 on board. But Murphy and his team were able to engage enemy fighters for about a two-hour firefight and they were able to kill dozens of enemy fighters before Murphy himself was killed -- Norah.
O'DONNELL: Yeah, Jeannie, we're watching pictures of what you described when Lieutenant Murphy's mother just really broke down there and the president put his arm around her. I understand that they came to the White House with a gift for President Bush. What was it?
OHM: Norah, apparently there was a very touching moment before that public ceremony. In a private meeting, the parents gave the president a gold dog tag. Now, on one side, it had the date June 28th, 2005. On the other, there was actually a picture of Lieutenant Murphy. And they say the president immediately put on that gold dog tag, put it under his shirt and he wore it throughout the ceremony. And they say the president afterwards told them that it gave him comfort to have Michael close to his chest; it inspired him and it was something the parents were very grateful for that the president did.
O'DONNELL: All right, Jeannie Ohm. Thanks so much.
From the 7 p.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:
BLITZER: President Bush today presented the nation's highest combat award, the Medal of Honor, to the family of a Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Michael Murphy, two years after he was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan. The president said the medal is acknowledgment for a debt that can never be repaid. Once again, our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara?
STARR: Wolf, three Navy SEALs were killed on that mountain, as well as 16 other commandos who tried to rescue them. Their helicopter was shot down. It became the worst day ever for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
[begin video clip]
STARR: June 2005, in the 10,000-foot mountain peaks of Afghanistan's Hindu Kush, Lieutenant Michael Murphy led his four-man Navy SEAL team on a mission they knew could turn deadly.
DAN MURPHY (Murphy's father): He was an incredible person. Honest, kind, caring, probably the antithesis of what you'd consider a warrior.
MAUREEN MURPHY (Murphy's mother): He was, like, very protective of other people, and he always stuck up for the underdog.
STARR: Dan and Maureen Murray and Michael's brother, John, now more than two years later, are receiving Michael's Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor and combat; 29-year-old Michael and two teammates would be killed.
LUTTRELL: He was my best friend, you know, he was a good man. He's, you know -- I mean, everybody loved him.
STARR: Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell was the only man on the team to make it out. The SEALs were searching for a wanted terrorist, but they were spotted. A massive firefight broke out. It was four SEALs against more than 40 insurgents. Michael kept the men together.
LUTTRELL: He was in a horrible position. He left himself open so he could move back and forth to each individual guy. We were hurting bad. We were -- we were out of ammo.
STARR: All four men were shot. Then Michael walked into the open to try to radio for help, exposing himself to enemy fire.
LUTTRELL: When I looked back up at Mikey, and he took two rounds to the back and sat back up, hung up the phone and finished the transmission -- hung up the phone and then he flanked left again, and that was the last time I saw him.
[end video clip]
STARR: Michael Murphy's parents say they always supported their son's desire to join the U.S. military, but Dan Murphy had his worries about his son. Dan was badly wounded on a mountain in Vietnam when he served in 1970. Wolf?
BLITZER: All right. Barbara, thank you. What a hero. Barbara Starr reporting. Let's go to Jack Cafferty in New York. You know, those stories of those heroes, this guy, Murphy in Afghanistan, you know, it's painful to have to hear that, but these are the guys who are doing the work out there, the heavy lifting.
JACK CAFFERTY (CNN correspondent): Yeah, and you just wonder what it's all for, don't you, sometimes, what exactly we're accomplishing over there, as these young people like that young man, their lives get cut short in the pursuit of what I'm not exactly sure.
From the 2 p.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN Newsroom:
LEMON: The ultimate sacrifice, the highest honor, a Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan, he makes history.
BUSH [video clip]: Today we add Lieutenant Michael Murphy's name to the list of recipients who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan this brave officer gave his life in defense of his fellow Navy SEALs. Two years later the story of his sacrifice humbles and inspires all who hear it.
By presenting Michael Murphy's family with the Medal of Honor that he earned, a grateful nation remembers the courage of this proud Navy SEAL.
LEMON: We're more than six years into the war in Afghanistan. A U.S. Navy SEAL who fought and died there receives a Medal of Honor. The presentation ceremony just wrapped up at the White House, and the Medal of Honor is America's highest combat award. Lieutenant Michael Murphy is the first G.I. from the Afghan war to receive it. He and two other SEALs were killed in an ambush in 2005, as were 16 troops sent to rescue them. CNN's Barbara Starr has their story.
[begin video clip]
STARR: June 2005, in the 10,000-foot mountain peaks of Afghanistan's Hindu Kush, Lieutenant Michael Murphy led his four-man Navy SEAL team on a mission they knew could turn deadly.
DAN MURPHY (Murphy's father): He was an incredible person. Honest, kind, caring, probably the antithesis of what you'd consider a warrior.
MAUREEN MURPHY (Murphy's mother): He was, like, very protective of other people, and he always stuck up for the underdog.
STARR: Dan and Maureen Murray and Michael's brother, John, now more than two years later, are receiving Michael's Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor and combat; 29-year-old Michael and two teammates would be killed.
LUTTRELL: He was my best friend, you know, he was a good man. He's, you know -- I mean, everybody loved him.
STARR: Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell was the only man on the team to make it out. The SEALs were searching for a wanted terrorist, but they were spotted. A massive firefight broke out. It was four SEALs against more than 40 insurgents. Michael kept the men together.
LUTTRELL: He was in a horrible position. He left himself open so he could move back and forth to each individual guy. We were hurting bad. We were -- we were out of ammo.
STARR: All four men were shot. Then Michael walked into the open to try to radio for help, exposing himself to enemy fire.
LUTTRELL: When I looked back up at Mikey, and he took two rounds to the back and sat back up, hung up the phone and finished the transmission -- hung up the phone and then he flanked left again, and that was the last time I saw him.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
[photo montage of Michael Murphy]
From the 12 p.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN Newsroom:
LEMON: Navy SEAL Michael P. Murphy was part of a unit tracking terrorists in the mountains of Afghanistan in June of 2005. The unit was ambushed and outnumbered nearly 10 to one. What he did next trying to save his fellow troops cost him his life. Later on in the CNN Newsroom, the president will present the Medal of Honor to his family.
Congratulations to him. Sorry it had to be such a sad note. And you'll hear a survivor's firsthand account of that as well.
From the 10 a.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN Newsroom:
HEIDI COLLINS (anchor): Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN Newsroom. Honoring a fallen warrior.
LUTTRELL [video clip]: He was in a horrible position. He left himself open so he could move back and forth to each individual guy. We were hurting bad. We were -- we were out of ammo.
COLLINS: A Navy SEAL. He laid his life on the line for his men and his country. And today the president honors Lieutenant Michael Murphy.
From the 8 a.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN's American Morning:
KIRAN CHETRY (co-host): Also new this morning, the nation's highest honor for a man who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. President Bush today will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy. The Navy SEAL gave himself up to try to save his four-man team during a fierce firefight with the Taliban back in 2005. Only one of them made it out alive.
LUTTRELL: He was in a horrible position. He left himself open so he could move back and forth to each individual guy. We were hurting bad. We were -- we were out of ammo. When I looked back up at Mikey, and he took two rounds to the back and sat back up, hung up the phone and finished the transmission -- hung up the phone and then he flanked left again, and that was the last time I saw him.
CHETRY: The Long Island native's family will be accepting that medal from the commander in chief, 2:15 in the White House Rose Garden. CNN will have that live.
From the 7 a.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN's American Morning:
CHETRY: President Bush awards the Medal of Honor today to Lieutenant Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan. Murphy sacrificed his life trying to save his four-man team during a fierce firefight with the Taliban back in 2005.
From the 6 a.m. ET segment of the October 22 edition of CNN's American Morning:
JOHN ROBERTS (co-host): New this morning, the nation's highest honor for a man who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. President Bush today will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy. The Navy SEAL gave himself up to try and save his four-man team during a fierce firefight with the Taliban back in 2005. Only one of that team made it out alive. The Long Island native's family will accept the medal from the commander in chief at 2:15 in the White House Rose Garden. CNN will have it live. Murphy's story is told in a recent book by that surviving SEAL team member, Marcus Luttrell, the book titled Lone Survivor.
Once again, O'Reilly's Usual M. O.
Open mouth
Insert foot
Chew.
Make that "feet"
MMFA makes a good point about Bill O.
Instead of making comments about MSNBC and CNN, Bill should have asked why Hillary Clinton thought it was so much more important to be out campaigning in California with the usual show biz types than to be at the Medal of Honor Ceremony where Michael Murphy's parents were given the honor they deserved for their son's brave sacrifice.
I guess HRC was just too "busy", the way she was when she missed all those 9.11 funerals for the police and firemen who gave their lives in an effort to save other citizens of NY city.
How shameful!
And Bill O. should have commented on how the New York Times did not think that it was newsworthy when the announcement of the award was made for Michael Murphy.
Again, how shameful!
anyways, let's give MMFA some credit for showing how Bill O. missed a golden opportunity.
Biiliybob, you may be beating Dick Morris in the awkward ,ham-fisted change the topic to the Clintons dept.
How many hours a day do you spend fantasizing about being Monica Lewinsky?
HBL - let's be honest. You're the one who swallowed everything from the Clinton White House, right?
Be honest you really are competing for the most ignorant human alive arent you? Better watch that Hannity he is your only real compitition
Solon he's already there. Granted I haven't been around here for a long time posting wise but he is hands down the stooooooooopidest poster on here he makes all the others look down right smart.
Well dad gum!!
I had no ideer you folks in Deer Creek Falls Cornwall could make such clever funnies!
BJ, I actually never voted for Clinton, and have spent my life very differently than you have spent yours;I don't swallow anything from the White House or the media, whereas those seem to be staples of your diet.
I do like Clinton a lot more now, but my judgment has been skewed by the embarrassment you've helped to put in office for two terms.
(BTW, Surrendermonkey, I'm just playing along. Most of us here have figured out you're a liberal trying to make conservatives look bad.You messed up by spelling pretty well,making complete sentences, and providing links that actually go somewhere.)
billiybob, just the same old trolling new name every month idiot.
NY Times coverage:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/us/22medal.html?ref=nyregion
Hilary attends service naming a Post Office after Michael Murphy along with his family members:
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=265099
Thanks for supporting my assertion that HRC was too "busy" to be at the Medal of Honor Ceremony..
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 22, 2007 STATEMENT OF SENATOR HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
RECOGNIZING THE HEROISM OF LIEUTENANT MICHAEL P. MURPHY, RECIPIENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
Nation’s Highest Military Honor Is Awarded to Patchogue Native Who Sacrificed His Life During Combat Mission In Afghanistan
“Today, the President of the United States presented the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for combat heroism, to the family of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy during a ceremony in the White House.
Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, 29 years old, was serving in Afghanistan, OPERATION Enduring Freedom during the summer of 2005. A member of the elite U.S. Navy SEALs, Lieutenant Murphy was killed in action on June 28, 2005 during a reconnaissance mission in support of OPERATION Red Wings, Kunar Province, Afghanistan in search of Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents. After coming under attack from a large insurgent force, Lieutenant Murphy selflessly exposed himself to enemy gunfire in an attempt to save the lives of his fellow team members who were greatly outnumbered by a determined and heavily armed enemy.
The action taken that day by Lieutenant Murphy, while extraordinary in character and deed, is no less than what people had come to expect from this Patchogue native. Lieutenant Murphy’s acts of heroism are the personification of a SEALs duty to his country and his team, and I can think of no person who deserves this honor more today. While we can never fully repay the sacrifice that Lieutenant Murphy made that day in Afghanistan, it is my sincere hope that the Medal of Honor will forever remind people of the young man who served with honor and distinction on and off of the battlefield.
Today, as their son is honored for his selfless sacrifice, I want to send my thoughts and prayers to the Murphy family, to the brave men and women of our armed forces, and to the loved ones they have left behind.”
BilliyBobJesus: Why weren't YOU at the medal ceremony? It seems to me that every red-blooded, flag pin-wearing, patriotic American should have been there, right? I guess you're just another fraud then...big talk no action. BTW, when was the last time you killed someone for your country?
She didn't just attend the ceremony, she was actually the one who INTRODUCED the legislation to name the post office after him in the Senate (Congressman Bishop introduced it into the House).
[link to www.nydailynews.com]
As for those who will pillory her for not being at the ceremony today, you can't be everywhere at once.
Besides, Guiliani skipped out on 9/11 COMMISSION meetings to give speeches--in my book that (i.e. failing to show up to give important information that could educate the nation about preparing for/preventing another terrorist attack) qualifies as more egregious than being unable to attend a largely symbolic (although very meaningful) ceremony, especially when one has already devoted a great deal of time and effort to that cause.
I was trying to think about why HRC would not attend the Medal Of Honor Ceremony for Michael Murphy. I mean, showing up for that kind of event is a no-brainer. Why didn't Bill Clinton phone or fax HRC and let her know that she needed to attend.
And then I thought about it and it suddenly occurred to me - maybe Bill Clinton did not want HRC to go to the ceremony.
Think about it! This event was going to honor a true American hero who answered the call to duty and showed courage and bravery. If HRC starts thinking about truly brave and honorable men who DON"T cheat on their wives, may HRC might just wise up and kick Bill C. out on his butt. After all, Hillary is married to a cheat, a liar, and a draft dodging, yellow coward.
So I'll bet that Bill C. probably didn't want HRC to attend the ceremony. It might hurt her image, but Bill C. has a lot to worry about
Everyone here can see how ignorant you are. You will always be too stupid for words. Your obsession with the Clintons however might be treatable with the right medication. Your lack of higher brain function is something you will have to live with
Maybe some day Jerry Lewis can have a telethon to find a cure for whatever ailment has afflicted billiybobjones7678.
Until that day, we have to go on the assumption that it's ignorance, stupidity, and hatred. Common ingredients in many conservatives.
I suspect that if BJ claims to be a christian, this is the kind of christian he'd be.
WZ sadly there is no cure for terminal stupidity available yet. As far as I know the only cure for even mild stupidity is picking up a book or newspaper and reading but I don't think we have to worry about BilliyJoeJimBob doing any of that as that requires at least 2 working braincells.
So Clinton is to be dragged through the mud because he evaded a war he didn't support.
Your heroes evaded Vietnam, yet they were all for others fighting and dying in their place.
Bill O'Reilly - taught school to get a deferment and when the draft stopped, so did Bill's teaching career.
Rush Limbaugh - had a cyst on his ass which got him a medical deferment.
Dick Cheney - was given five different deferments. and admitted that he had other priorities during Vietnam.
George W.Bush - joined National Guard
Tom DeLay - claimed he wanted to serve, but because of all of the minorities fighting in Vietnam, there was no room for "patriotic folk" such as him and Dan Quayle.
George Allen - supported both the war and Nixon, but didn't serve.
Exactly.
Hey BBJ: If you're gonna trash Bill Clinton for his 'war evasion' then you damn well better trash all of those chickenhawks on your side too for the same thing. Remember what Fox News bills itself - fair and balanced.
Follow Fox's example, son.
I think BillyBob IS following Fox's example.
Distort the liberal view, put up strawmen, and ignore, ignore, ignore ANY references that might make republicans look stupid. (which, ironically, only makes the republicans look more stupid)
I see that point clearly but I was specifically referring to the 'fair and balanced' trash that Fox likes to spew. The point I was making is that BBJ's argument can only be 'fair and balanced' if he trashes those on the Right who have evaded military service as well, not just Clinton.
Of course... BBJ will NEVER do that because... well, that's how wingnuts are.
Worrier you forgot Ashcroft and his 7, count em, 7 deferments for teaching at the local state college at that time here in the town I live in. He's just so damn patriotic he couldn't serve so he could teach business to other kids.
"And then I thought about it and it suddenly occurred to me..."
Me, too, BilliyBobJesus...and it suddenly occurred to me that you are totally without any morals or integrity to tarnish the memory of a brave American soldier who died for his country by turning a solemn ceremony honoring his memory into fodder for cheap political shots at someone for whom you harbor a pathological hatred. You are beneath contempt, BillyBobJesus. Your momma obviously didn't raise you right.
"...married to a cheat, a liar, and a draft dodging, yellow coward."--billybob
Leave Giuliani's wife out of this!
If Redstate can boot all Ron Paulites, can't MMFA ban this idiotite? Bring something of substance or go back to Malkin's site where you belong.
Unlike Redstate, MMFA has a commitment to allowing all voices to be heard, and we're not afraid of differing opinions. After all, if it weren't for Billiy, Rino, and WC4ME, et al, who would let us demonstrate our superior ability to research & reason?
You may, however, wish to lodge a complaint that his posts are becoming increasingly off-topic and distracting, but neither idiocy nor pigheadedness is cause for banning.
Billy Boy Jones ...
I have some choice names for you too! I think I will just pass on it though.
It's going to be interesting to see what names you call Bill when him and Hillary are back in the White House. I wish more conservatives here would stoop down to your level. There's some great comments here by Conservatives and most are very respectable.
I understand your desparation and frustrations. You've lost the House, the Senate and soon you will lose the big one. First lady president of all time. Or it could be Al Gore.
Gee ... how many soldier's funerals has * attended?
You are a worthless ignorant troll. Just antagonizing, any reason to attack any Democrat. Your ignorance is appalling. You are the most worthless troll on this site. You are a waste of precious oxygen
BilliyBobJesus:
You ask why Hillary Clinton wasn't present at the Medal of Honor award ceremony.
I ask:
Was Hillary Clinton invited?
How many Republican Presidential candidates were present?
Isn't it inappropraite to politicize the award ceremony anyway by the presence of politicians running for office?
Why weren't Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh present?
Why are you such an idiot?
IRONY:
You've nailed it. BilliyBob wakes up every morning with ONE AGENDA, and that is to SMEAR HILLARY, no matter the issue.
BillO, Billiy's soulmate, has the same drive, but he extends it to smearing "his competition", no matter what the issue OR the actual facts.
One soldier (technically a sailor) receives a medal. What is the Republican and Bush record on the troops?
To start with, thanks to the Swift Boat Vets, NO MEDAL can ever be trusted. After all, they claim Kerry received medals that WERE NOT DESERVED. If we believe the Swifties, we can never again honor ANY medal, because we have been assured that medals are often FRAUDULENTLY ISSUED, the record of heroism a "fiction". Why would this be true for Kerry, bo no body else? The SYSTEM is the same; it can either be corrupted, or not. The Swifties say it CAN and DOES get corrupted.
Bush has attended ZERO funerals for returned casualties.
The Administration let soldiers die for MONTHS without providing them with the proper armor for their vehicles or body armor. The military tracked those who were killed and sustained injuries AS A DIRECT RESULT of the lack of this armor (which, if prioritized, could have been available immediately).
Bush, Cheney, and the rest of the chickenhawk NeoCons had an opportunity to serve in combat, but opted out.
Limbaugh, Hannity, ditto.
Bush, Limbaugh, and others in the rightwing assure us that we are either WITH Bush's military policy, or we are AGAINST AMERICA. If we disagree with Bush's WAR actions, we are enemies of America, we are WITH the terrorists, we give aid and comfort to our foes. This includes ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIERS who dare speak against this war effort, criticizing its civilian leadership and/or its goals. Thus, SOLDIERS (and Sailors) are routinely portrayed as TRAITORS by Billiy and his rightwing cohorts.
SO, this medal ceremony was not about America, or about the sailor being honored, or about anything else EXCEPT Hillary. That's Billiy's "mind" at work ... and it's transparent.
This THREAD is about BillO and his "news" tendency to say provocatively how his competition has an agenda of NOT COVERING GOOD NEWS about the military ... and it's instantly provable that the very outlets he NAMES have in fact given lots of coverage to this very story.
Billiy's JOB is to take every issue and turn it into an attack on Hillary. Is he being successful? The longer Billiy posts, the Higher Hillary goes up in the polls. It must be frustrating to have an effect the OPPOSITE of the one you wish for.
Tex, you make a good point about the attacks on Hillary Clinton lifting her standing. I am sure there are many people who sense that if Hillary Clinton is the target of such insane right wing bile then there must be something goog about her. I am not a particular fan of Hillary Clinton but she is miles above whatever the Republicans have to offer...and if we can survive two terms of George W. Bush then a Hillary Clinton prsidency will be a cake walk.
"goog..."? Sorry, that should be good.
>>I guess HRC was just too "busy", the way she was when she missed all those 9.11 funerals for the police and firemen who gave their lives in an effort to save other citizens of NY city.
Actually she attend several 9/11 funerals as Franken documented.
She's attended more funerals that George W. Bush has.....
That should read "...more funerals THAN George W. Bhsu has"
I wish MMFA had a edit feature so you could go back and fix your typos.....
An edit feature might help, but typos can be fun. Like the "bush" typo above :-)
Why wasn't Mutt Romney or Rudy the RedSox fan at the ceremony? Where was inSean vannity or Drugbaugh? Where were all these [fake] patriots on the reich-wing?
Billy Bob, Hillary Clinton did attend 9/11 funerals.
[link to mediamatters.org]
Oh by the way Billo, look at this. [link to www.mediaresearch.org] NBC first to praise Michael Murphy.
Was John McCain there? Romney? Giuliani? Paul? Huckabee? Thompson?
The hiveminders have been told by RUSH that she didnt. They have their instructions about what to believe. REALITY never enters into the picture. Its all about believing what is useful for rightwing propaganda, truth, FACTS, those things are sooo quaint
[link to mediamatters.org] Hillary did attend 9/11 funerals
MMFA makes a good point about Bill O. Instead of making comments about MSNBC and CNN, Bill should have asked why Hillary Clinton thought it was so much more important to be out campaigning in California with the usual show biz types than to be at the Medal of Honor Ceremony where Michael Murphy's parents were given the honor they deserved for their son's brave sacrifice.
Were any other candidates there? Any at all? Why single out Hillary?
Because it only smears a Dem ... that's why he singles out HRC ...actually recognizing reality and FACTS would only hurt his agenda ...
Why tell the truth when a lie revs up your base viewers - ignorant, hateful, fearful people.
If anything the MSM will defer to the media. Note the legs of the coverage of the moveon.org ad vs. analysis of General P's testimony.
MMFA has it all wrong.
What O'Reilly really was saying is:
I'm kinda surprised that out of 5+ years of war we only have one medal of honor winner? I guess republicans stopped handing them out like a prize out of a cracker jack box?
John Kerry guys, y'all started the medal obsfucation thing! ;)
Oh Bill, Have your interns watch something other than Fox? But then you may lose them once their eyes are opened.
MMFA- It would be nice to know if other primetime Fox News shows carried this story - Hannity and Colmes and Greta.
Also it would be nice to know if O'Reilly himself covered the two other medal of honor winners (for the Iraq war), Jason Dunham and Paul Smith in the past few years. http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/iraq.html
If the answer to either is no, it would further expose him as the opportunistic liar that he is.
What a load of crap. I hear positive, human interest stories about Military people often on NPR....and it's supposed to be "Librul".
What he really means is that we don't hear enough stories about what a brilliant, visionary, military-geo-political colossus our Doofus President is for starting an unnecessary war.
Hey now, didn't the loofa guy say he was going to resign...or go off the air...if there were no weapons of mass destruction found? whatever happened to that?
They're still looking...
Don't plan to stop looking for at least another 10 years, or until Bill is killed by a power-surge in his vibrating falafel while showering.
maybe like...they are keeping the WOMD hidden...with Ron and Nicole's killers. Can't find them either...
Nerzog, yes, NPR has a recurring obituary segment where they talk about a fallen soldier, with interviews with his family and friends. It's always very interesting.
http://www.npr.org/search.php?text=iraqobit
But yes, it's not as political as O'Reilly and friends would like, so obviously it's just the liberal media partisanship that's at work here.
Reporting a story at 10AM EST or 2PM EST is the same as putting the story of D-Day in the want adds!!!!! Who do they (CNN, MSNBC) think they are fooling? Oh I know, us dumb "Rednecks" that live west of the Hudson River!!
Lots of us hardcore liberals live WWAAYYYY west of the Hudson. The story was reported. Nothing is good enough for you guys. If they reported it for 24 straight hours you would snivel it wasnt done on Sunday.
This will be his new issue, like illegal immigration, and the attack on Christmas. Now it will be CNN and MSNBC are anti Military. Why because they have questioned him, and reported on his lies.
Well you can't really blame Billdo. He turned the TV on to both CNN and MSNBC and saw something other than Medal Of Honor coverage and just made another anal cavity based assumption. Happens all the time.
And how much coverage did Fox News give it?
O'Reilly: Why, then, did CNN and MSNBC fail to report the Medal of Honor story in prime time last night?
O'Reilly is playing one of his stupid games here and MMFA is sharp enough to pick up on it. He throws in the words "prime time" knowing full well that most of his audience will only hear that CNN and MSNBC failed to report the story. He does this sort of thing all the time.
He very easily could have added that CNN and MSNBC did report on the story numerous times throughout the day but, no, he would prefer his audience not to know that.
Call it a half truth, spinning or misleading,,.whichever term one prefers. But one thing for sure is that O'Reilly was being dishonest with the viewers.
Bill was spinning by including the "prime-time" qualifier right up to the point where he said this:
MSNBC and CNN are not going to report stories that reflect well on the American military because those people over there despise the Bush administration and believe anything positive like American heroes in war zones detract from their negative assessment of the administration.
That "prime-time" qualifier seemed to have disappeared, and Bills spinning morphed into a lie.
"The Factor" truly IS a no-spin zone, because ultimately, he doesn't spin - he LIES.
Bill is always talking about all these wonderful happy good stories from the war that the media just doesn't cover. Hey Bill, how about using some of those precious cable minutes you wasted for the past week or so covering the Ellen's dog adoption story to tell us about all that good news from the war zone? I guess Bill doesn't love the troops as much as he loves ridiculing celebrity liberals. The only other logical conclusion is that those happy wonderful stories DON'T EXIST because it's a war zone and a complete disaster.
Yes there are stories of heroism, bravery and positive accomplishment from our troop's actions in the war zone, but the truth is that the flip side of many of these stories shows how chaotic and out of control the situation is. You can't tell the story of a brave soldier risking his life to save Iraqi children from a burning building without mentioning that the building is on fire because of insurgent, non Al-Qaeda actions coming from other native Iraqis. You can't tell the story of building a new bridge or school without noting that the bridge or school was blown up in combat action or, even worse, because mentioning the new bridge or school just makes it a target for more insurgent strikes.
Until the problem of the insurgency is resolved somehow there will be no good news from Iraq of a permanent nature. We are trying to dig a hole in dry sand.
That's strange, I saw/heard/read the Murphy story at least 20 times over the last several days.
I see heart-warming stories about the families of the troops, I see proud military people being interviewed, assuring the American Public that they are making us safer.
I see pundits and politicians insisting that we need to be in Iraq, and anybody who doesn't think do is anti_American.
But I still haven't seen one of those anti-war phony soldiers who were all over the media, and held up as heroes by the left. You know , the only ones the media ever talks to?
It's like I'm living on another planet than the right wing media.
"Until the problem of the insurgency is resolved somehow there will be no good news from Iraq of a permanent nature. We are trying to dig a hole in dry sand."
Sounds like a good story for Bill-O's unresolved problems segment....NAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
Items like this are the epitome of the reason behind MMFA's existence.
Bill O was at it again tonight. But I feel that maybe MSNBC and CNN didn't report the story in "primetime" because of the Pat Tillman thing. A medal was awarded then too and it later came out that it was all a cover up. I am not saying that the same thing happened here but you can't blame those stations for being a little gunshy when it comes to covering stories about heroes identified as such by this administration.
Bill does have a point. If LT. Murphy had killed a civilian or something like that, liberal folks like Keith Olbermann would be more than happy to report the story. That's the way it is. When our military does good things, the media ignores it. When our military does bad things, they make movies about it.
Yeah, that's the way it is.Or so you've been told.
I hear the media only talks to phony soldiers, too.
"When our military does good things, the media ignores it."
Did the media ignore this story? Or did you take Bill-O at his word and insist, like he does, that the coverage shown in MMFA's video clip simply did not happen?
I understand you brain dead hiveminders just believe what you are told to believe. We have had ample evidence of that. You avoid reality the way vampires avoid sunlight. What I dont understand is why you are so proud of your ignorance. I mean if you kept this stupidity among yourselves you wouldnt be laughed at so much. The other morons wouldnt get what a fool you are. Did you think someone here, where we have actual functioning brains would read the lying idiocy of a statement like that and say, WOW, that must be true since he said it. Of course I see positive stories of the military on the news all the time but I think I will just forget that because someone TOLD me it wasnt true? Just how ignorant are you people anyway?
Hey, Hotlips: You know why? Because we EXPECT our military to do good things.
Well, at least us liberals expect it.
I guess conservatives are surprised by our soldiers displaying bravery and honor, kind of a "man bites dog" mentality when it comes to the newsworthiness of good deeds done by our military, eh?
And those who expect less from our troops are so vociferous with their claims to support them...heh!
Jeez, Neon...quit stealing my material before I have a chance to finish typing. ;>)
(I know you're probably thinking that great minds think alike. Thank you...) ;>)
I'll probably never get to join that group of great minds, but I'm not too proud to accept praise for knowing which ideas are worthy of theft.
Hotlegs: The military is expected to do good things. They are required to do good things. Unless there is something extraordinary about an episode that would merit media attention then the daily good acts of the military fall into the category of "dog bites man". When the military strays from its required and expected standard of good and noble behavior then that falls into the "man bites dog" category.
In this particular instance this Navy Seal's actions were duly and justifiably rewarded. The award was widely covered by the media.
A horrid, horrid thought just occurred to me: We're acting like republicans, here.
Well, except for the fact that the propaganda we're catapulting is fact...
The military is expected to do good things. They are required to do good things. Unless there is something extraordinary about an episode that would merit media attention then the daily good acts of the military fall into the category of "dog bites man". When the military strays from its required and expected standard of good and noble behavior then that falls into the "man bites dog" category.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Exactly. Good things by the military should be the norm and therefore not require constant reporting on.
If the "we must report the good things and not the bad things" is a rule that Fox "News" thinks is so important, why then aren't they reporting on all the good things our nation's teachers and schools do for our children? Instead Fox "News" only reports on the schools who are alleged "too liberal" or teachers who are having sex with their students (numerous sexy photos of the female teachers accompany the story, of course). Where's all the positive teacher stories, O'Reilly?
Just another example of Fox "News" and their bogus double standards. They hold other media outlets to standards they themselves don't even follow.
"If LT. Murphy had killed a civilian or something like that, liberal folks like Keith Olbermann would be more than happy to report the story. "
Right, because everytime one of our soldiers kills a civilian, CNN and MSNBC do a story on it.[/sarcasm off]
I feel like Bart Simpson who, in one episode, opens up the latest "where's waldo?" book to find a picture of Waldo walking on an empty beach, waving to the reader. Barts says:
"MAN, HE AIN'T EVEN TRYING ANYMORE."
the same could be said of O'Reilly. His past lies occasionally showed effort and ingenuity. But this is really lazy.
It was apparantly good enough to fool hotwings. Why go to the trouble to make up credible lies anymore. The moronic hiveminders will believe anything and they arent going to convince those of us who think for ourselves anyway.
So I guess Oreilly believes everyone else is anti American, except him and his FOX cronies?
Did not O'Reilly fail to report on the Walter Reed story, contending he was still investigating it, until final action was taken by the Pentagon. Then, as I recall, he barely mentioned the episode.
News just in! O'Reilly's a moron!
You cannot hope to bribe or twist
Bill O, that self-styled journalist
But, considering what the wretch will do
Unbribed, there's no occasion to.
There was an old man named O'Reilly.
He blustered and blathered quite highly.
And each time he lied,
A young soldier died.
And so he just did it more slyly.
As an ex-military man myself, albeit only with a single campaign medal rather than awards for bravery, I love coverage of things like this highlighting the bravery and honour of people who either helped out their comrades or made the ultimate sacrifice. It needs to be recognised though that not everyone in the modern world needs to or should need to pay attention. There is a lot of trivia on our news programmes, but there are also lots of important events going on too that may just mean that news editors have to cut items that are of interest but not pressing. Thus it seems to me that it may have been a sensible decision.
It looks as if your Medal of Honour is the equivalent of our Victoria Cross, the highest decoration that can be bestowed and normally posthumously. That right? We recently honoured a living recipient of the Victoria Cross in Johnson Beharry, and this wasn't all over the news but was covered by all the main news channels from what I can remember.
Respect due.
SI as a veteran I can tell you the Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration a service member can get and yes it is usually awarded posthumously. It is for bravery and valor in the line of duty. I have met one MoH awardee, years ago, and just seeing that light blue square of ribbon with the star hanging under it gave me goosebumps that I still get today. I could tell you more about how the Marine Corps treats MoH awardees but it would bore everyone else here to death.
O'Reilly is a paranoid joke of a journalist. I'm surprised I haven't heard Soros is behind the media not covering this story to O'Reilly's liking. What a joke.
Of course, if all you watch (or listen to) is Faux, then you really don't know what's going on in the world ... because you'll believe anything.
Why does the Media Matters blog waste editorial space on subjects like this.
The headline doesn't even match the story. O'Reilly said that CNN and MSNBC did not report Medal of Honour recepient in "PRIME TIME".
The transcript backs this up and the facts are TRUE in the case of CNN and MSNBC.
Doesn't this blog have anything better to do than fish in a pond for guppies?