MSNBC's Gregory failed to challenge suggestion that McCain's heroism during Vietnam War should bar criticism of him now
SUMMARY: On Race for the White House, McCain campaign senior adviser Nicolle Wallace said: "I never hear anyone put it to the Obama campaign, the internal deliberations that they may have gone to when they made the strategic decision to essentially fillet an American hero, a former POW, on the stump every day, which is what comes out of their candidate's mouth every day on the stump." David Gregory did not challenge this suggestion that McCain's status as an "American hero, a former POW" should insulate him from criticism of his policy proposals and Senate record.
During the August 8 edition of MSNBC's Race for the White House, host David Gregory failed to challenge the suggestion by Nicolle Wallace, senior adviser for Sen. John McCain's campaign, that McCain's status as an "American hero, a former POW" should insulate him from criticism of his policy proposals and Senate record. Wallace said: "I never hear anyone put it to the Obama campaign, the internal deliberations that they may have gone to when they made the strategic decision to essentially fillet an American hero, a former POW, on the stump every day, which is what comes out of their candidate's mouth every day on the stump." Gregory later noted that Obama has tied McCain to President Bush and asked Wallace, "What else do you have in mind in terms of what they've done?" In response, Wallace stated that "it is a blatant lie" to call "McCain an extension of the Bush administration." But Gregory did not ask Wallace how, as she suggested, McCain's being a former POW exempts him from criticism that he is an "extension of the Bush administration."
Wallace's claim that connecting McCain to Bush policies is "a blatant lie" is contradicted by statements by officials in the Bush White House and the McCain campaign, as well as an independent study of voting records. While appearing with McCain during a March 5 White House endorsement ceremony, Bush said that McCain is "not going to change when it comes to taking on the enemy." In an article about Bush's endorsement, The Washington Post reported that White House officials said that "McCain and Bush are on the same page on the big issues, such as terrorism, Iraq, immigration and taxes." As Media Matters for America has noted, according to a 2008 study by Congressional Quarterly, a nonpartisan publication that tracks legislators' votes, McCain voted with the president 95 percent of the time in 2007.
During the June 8 edition of ABC's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos asked McCain campaign national co-chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): "You said the tax policy and the health care policy were essentially, Senator Graham -- John McCain is calling for an extension or maybe even enhancement of the Bush policies." Graham replied: "Yeah, absolutely."
From the August 8 edition of MSNBC's Race for the White House:
GREGORY: Let's talk about this campaign --
WALLACE: Sure.
GREGORY: -- and talk about McCain campaign strategy. You have tried, the campaign has recently, to tarnish Obama's credibility and his image in a couple of ways. On the one hand, it is to describe him as a celebrity, to use Britney Spears, Paris Hilton to suggest he's sort of famous for being famous, that he's a lightweight. That's on the one hand.
On the other hand, it is to reduce his energy plan to the idea of the tire gauge, to suggest that his whole energy plan is really about whether there's enough air in the tires.
So the question is, are these ambush political tactics? And is that consistent with the original maverick that you [unintelligible] John McCain is?
WALLACE: You know, two quick things here, David. One, I never hear anyone put it to the Obama campaign, the internal deliberations that they may have gone to when they made the strategic decision to essentially fillet an American hero, a former POW, on the stump every day, which is what comes out of their candidate's mouth every day on the stump.
And two, Barack Obama tarnished himself. We didn't paint him as anything that he isn't. He certainly -- you know, he went overseas; we were pleased that he was finally going to visit the war zone. But their campaign made a decision -- and they obviously did it to gain advantage, because you don't do things in campaigns for other reasons -- to hold a 200,000 person rally in Europe in the midst of a presidential campaign. So it was obviously a decision to celebrate his celebrity with a crowd of screaming Europeans. And it's -- you know, by pointing it out, it's not our effort to tarnish him. It's shining a light on something that his campaign spent a lot of time and money trying to shine a light on themselves.
GREGORY: And when you talk about trying to tarnish McCain's image or fillet his image or his reputation, certainly there's been a very aggressive attempt to tie him to President Bush and say he's a third Bush term. What else do you have in mind in terms of what they've done?
WALLACE: Well, look, let's not gloss over that. I mean, you covered this White House. I worked at this White House. John McCain used to make major news every time he ended up at odds with the Bush White House, whether it was attacking the secretary of defense for the conduct of the war, whether it was a very high profile disagreement that he had with the Bush White House over torture and other aspects of the war on terror. So it is a blatant lie when Barack Obama stands in front of his supporters and calls John McCain an extension of the Bush administration. It's simply not true. So, it's not something to gloss over.
And you know, on the other hand, Barack Obama is someone who's -- the two pillars of his candidacy are a politician who's going to do things differently, change we can believe in, and the other is judgment that he pointed to in his race against Hillary Clinton when he said, "I gave a speech in 2002 in which I had better judgment than you did on Iraq."
So, I think that Barack Obama's wounds are self-inflicted. And I think it's the job of any campaign to highlight a candidate's weaknesses. So that's all that we've done. And really, our focus is on communicating John McCain's vision for the future for making this country energy independent and getting people working again.
GREGORY: But clearly, the McCain campaign has made a calculated decision to turn up the heat on Obama, to go on the attack to try to have a different narrative frame for this campaign. In fact, Senator McCain told [Washington Post columnist] David Broder that he laments the tone of this campaign and what's happened over the past several weeks.
"So, I think that Barack Obama's wounds are self-inflicted"
Where the heck did that come from???
Most of his "wounds" have come from his associations such as Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and others, and his critics, such John McCain, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, among others.
"And I think it's the job of any campaign to highlight a candidate's weaknesses."
Running smear campaigns does not equal highlighting a candidate's weakness.
"But clearly, the McCain campaign has made a calculated decision to turn up the heat on Obama, to go on the attack to try to have a different narrative frame for this campaign."
And clearly, another McCain flip-flop.
"And really, our focus is on communicating John McCain's vision for the future for making this country energy independent and getting people working again."
Then do that and leave the smearing to people outside the McCain campaign. I think Obama's done a marginally better job than McCain in that (vision for America) department - Obama's emphasized the marketing surrounding him (Yes we can; Change we can believe in), and it's easily noticeable in some of his advertising.
Also, how many people have emphasized what McCain's vision for America is? Many of the people who don't like Obama (people like me [I don't like McCain that much either]) have a good idea on what his vision for America is, and the same can't really be said as easily (with the exception of the WOT - where McCain gets his label of "Bush [43]'s 3rd term")
But for the McCain camp to go on TV and try to make McCain's attacks on Obama as Obama's attacks on Obama is reaching for desperation.
This?
I wouldn't be surprised if Gregory had a previous friendship, platonic or otherwise with Nicolle Wallace. He was extremely friendly and casual with her, it wasn't a real interview, nor were the questions real questions. My old journalism instructor would have given him a C-.
At the end, the way gregory smiled at Nicolle during the goodbyes send off spoke volumes.
I really am appalled this guy is called a journalist. He's a total tool.
I want to comment first that what I found wrong here, in listening to the video clip, was that if this guy Gregory is going to even pretend that his show is not a platform for MSNBC's political opinions, and if he's going to give a platform to a McCain "campaign senior adviser" to prattle on at length about McCain and Sen. Obama, then he (Gregory) should have on also, right there in real time and sort of split-screen, someone from Mr. Obama's campaign, of an equivalent role in their campaign ("campaign senior adviser")... I mean, that would completely dispel even the appearance of political bias, wouldn't it? There'd be no need to cite anyone for "failing to challenge" anything this woman said, if there were someone from the Obama campaign to do that themselves, in their turn and in their preferred manner, and to whatever advantage they might enjoy, in the Fair and Balanced platform of Equal Time (and Reply time): and I don't need to hear that Gregory had allowed a similar platform to someone from the Obama campaign, at some earlier or later time... debate takes place face to face, in real time and in turns of equal time, or else it is not called debate at all, but is instead alternating political messages or alternating political platforms: which is what Gregory did here and maybe does all the time, which is lame and lazy and biased, and unnecessary: have both campaign hacks spokespersons surrogates whatever, on at the same time, or not on at all.
To me, it's never mind "Gregory failed to challenge", but instead "Gregory failed to allow Equal Time, or Reply Time, face to face and in real time, to the Obama campaign, when he presented his show as a political platform, to a McCain campaign senior adviser"...
It's not hard to do, nor is it hard to appreciate the importance and Fairness and Balance of doing it.
The other thing that I share here is this, which surprised me sort of: seeing this story, and wanting to find out just how high a profile and place it is that MSNBC is giving this guy Gregory and his Race for the White House show in their MSNBC schedule: and consulting my TV listings in order to look at the MSNBC lineup to see what hour and day(s) Gregory's show is presented, I was surprised not to see MSNBC at all in my TV listings... and so I clicked on the idiot box (reluctantly, always reluctantly), to check out channel 59 (which I know to be MSNBC's place in my service) and there was snow-nothing-fuzz and a blue screen...
My cable provider, Comcast, has dropped MSNBC from the service I subscribe to, and they must have done this in the past few weeks (I don't watch crap like MSNBC much if at all)... they still offer CNN and Fox News Channel (FNC), but POOF, MSNBC has vanished elsewhere in Comcast's service to me, to another more specialized and exclusive level I guess (I don't care enough to find out for sure).
I'm suspicious of that. I've long been suspicious of Comcast. I do not know for sure what relationship Comcast has to News Corp. (FNC's parent), but I believe there is some kind of relationship, or at least there seems to me to be (call it a hunch)... in any case, my suspicions of Comcast are increased, to see them drop and/or shuttle MSNBC (which I take is a serious competitor to News Corp.'s FNC) from their lineup completely, or at least to a level of service I do not subscribe to.
POOF, Comcast has taken MSNBC and Gregory and his show, and chris matthews and joe scarborough and keith olbermann all away from me (and I really don't care to find out where exactly they went, because I don't watch any of those hacks regularly anyway)... but still, I find it a little startling and a lot suspicious, what Comcast did.
Oh yeah, of course what I still find somewhat important is what I already said: never mind "challenging" anybody, Gregory should instead have allowed Equal Time and Reply Time, face to face and in real time, to the Obama campaign, if he's going to offer his show (which I had never heard of until today, and will not miss from my idiot box tomorrow or at any time in the future) as a political platform to a McCain "campaign senior adviser".
Republicans, including John IwasaPOWinVietnambutInevermentionit McCain, FLAYED John Kerry, Max Cleland and other veterans who performed heroic service. Equating Cleland to bin Laden. Purple Heart band aids. Suggesting that Cleland lost an arm and both legs while drunk. And now these same people complain about their guy's service being denigrated? What hypocrites!
The idea that McCain's flaks would seriously argue that Obama is "filleting an American hero" is so galling as to be indescribable.
Of course, McCain's campaign staff has no need to worry that "journalists" like Gregory will call them on their hypocrisy, so they'll go right on doing it.
And let's not forget how they all whined that a sitting president must never be criticized during a time of war.
If J. Kerry had been a prisoner of war, they would have given us a book telling us that his cowardess is what got him captured. They change the rules as they go along to fit their needs.
they made the strategic decision to essentially fillet an American hero
Yes, waiter, I'll take the filleted Hero with the messiah sauce and a side order of hubris.
To drink? Why the kool-aid of course!
Gregory asked a question in French of the Canadian Prime Minister and Bush made fun of him. It traumatized Gregory so much that his balls retreated on the spot and haven't dared peek out since, lest he lose his inside channel to the official lies sent to him directly from the White House for him to type up and tout as his own.
If he were to lose that conduit, he might have to actually do work rather than stenography, and that's too much for Gregory's 6-foot-5 frame to contemplate.
Very good article.
I stopped watching this show because commentator agrees with too much propaganda against Obama. Some guest do not answer questions but fillibuster and get by with it.
I like it when I hear some commentators say "I know that is a talking point but I got to correct you" or "for the record", etc. etc. etc.
Example: they keep letting McCain and his people say that Obama will tax the people; but they do not clarify it. The truth is if the people earn more than $250,000 then they will be taxed. Under $250.000, they will not be taxed.
Many people say that Barack Obama's ratings are not as high because people do not know him. I disagree. I believe that it is because of the negative energy that some commentators and guest pass on to other viewers. Senator Obama is overly scrutinized and McCain is not scrutinized enough. Obama is disrespected and McCain is respected. I know very little about McCain.
Some commentators are still living in the past, also. Why? They remember when they covered him in other campaigns. Sad but it is true.
I believe that McCain is still living in the past and not in the present or future. McCain will do anything or say anything to win. He is not a leader but a follower. He is childish when he should be mature. He appears absent-minded. Yet, commentators state that we know him. I know more about Barack Obama.
Another thing, Barack Obama has been saying the same thing since his campaign when it started in Chicago; yet, now it is racist. What is untrue about his name, etc. etc. etc.? The media is putting this wrong information out; because McCain said it. Again, letting McCain get away with untruths.
MSNBC's Gregory failed to challenge suggestion that McCain's heroism during Vietnam War should bar criticism of him now
but ity is ok for the Swift Boat guys to impune john Kerry, correct ?
Ooooooh... and you were doing so well in your post until your natural wingnuttiness suddenly kicked in and forced you finish so stupidly.
Oh well... up until then it was sort of like watching a cow flying.
Now why oh why did I not think of that swift rejoinder. Getting slow on replys at my age. kEEP UP THE GREAT POSTS!!!!!
Too bad the conservative press doesn't report on something more important, like Bush's FBI spying on journalists...
John Byrne
Published: Saturday August 9, 2008
Print This Email This
Offers no explanation for spying
We're sorry.
That's the message from FBI Director Robert Mueller to the executive editors of the New York Times and the Washington Post, after an inspector general discovered that the agency had seized telephone records from four US reporters without a grand jury.
Mueller called Times' editor Bill Keller and Post chief Len Downie Friday, "expressing regret" that agents had not followed "proper procedures. The "lapse" occurred nearly four years ago and involved four staff members of the papers.
"The FBI discontinued use of the emergency letters after privacy advocates and internal watchdogs cited hundreds of cases in which agents intentionally, or out of sloppiness, did not follow up their 'exigent' requests with paperwork that linked the submission to a genuine matter of national security," Washington Post reporter Carrie Johnson wrote in an article Saturday.
The bureau obtained phone records for a Post reporter and a researcher in Indonesia, and Times reporters Raymond Bonner and Jane Perlez, also in the country at the time.
The records were obtained through what is called an exigent circumstances letter, a demand made by the agency in a practice that skirts civil liberties protections that has flourished in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.
Neither Mueller nor his agency offered any explanations regarding the nature of the subject of the investigation that involved spying on American reporters based overseas. Writing in the Post today, Johnson noted that the reporters were writing about Islamic terrorism in Southeast Asia.
"Efforts to obtain phone records for reporters are subject to special rules at the Justice Department, generally requiring approval by the attorney general or another top official," Johnson added. "But such procedures were not followed in the two incidents found by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, bureau officials said yesterday."
"FBI agents involved in the undisclosed national security probe stated at the time of the request that they would follow up with subpoenas from a U.S. attorney, but 'no subpoena was ever issued for your telephone toll records,' according to a letter that Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. received yesterday from FBI General Counsel Valerie Caprone," she added.
Such records listed the phone numbers the reporters called and received, but not the actual conversation, similar to the warrantless wiretapping program the Bush Administration has employed in tracking calls American citizens have placed to overseas destinations.
SAVE DEMOCRACY,VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!
Hello Sports Fans;
Lamenting the access to the cyberworld and saying my piece for a quit spin.
I lament the Equal Time that the Fairness Doctrine afforded our airways, that cemented our freedoms, our democracy.
I lament the day when a letter from a politician would inspire an equal time, and equal forum response to any public policy issue commented on the public airways.
My question to the posting audience is a simple one; Why do we subvert our common will to greedy men in blood, treasure, and civility to allow them to pursuade our citizens on the public airways without equal time for an sincere opposition?
Are we so simple, and weak minded as a collective citizenry to vote for the same policies that have put us into this dark hole again?
I say SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT! because it was only Democrats that voted to protect, preserve, and defend the Constititution of The Unitded States of America; no Republicans when the time to vote the Patriot Act up or down.
Real Patriots remember responsibitlities, and respect it's true meaning of 'protect, preserve, and defend.' As blood was spilled in the Civil War to protect this Union, we in the 21st Century still owe that debt. and much more. This irreverence to civil discource in the public airways reviles their sacrifice to allow a pair of draft dodging scoundrels to pervert their memory by flauting the rule of law, and our form of democracy for their designs.
Happy Thoughts;
Dan Grady
And as far as I know, Obama hasn't been trashing McCain's military service, but he has been at odds with everything else he wants to do, and since they're opposite parties and all, it does sort of make sense.
By Gregory's assertion, we can now assume that McCain is throwing all sorts of stuff at Obama because he's black.
Why are you wasting peoples time. Gregory is a nothing in the World of Politics. His head has swelled since getting this 6PM show on Mess-NBC.
Obama has no plan for energy, foreign policy, our economy and our homeland security. They are just "Words" he reads.
Speech readers do not make good Presidents.
and what plan does McSame have? same song,third verse? but you are right speech readers do not make good presidents, just look in our White House.
While some of the same groups that crucified Kerry are whining about about McSames POW credentials being off limits, and unquestionable, there are plenty of unanswered questions, one being just how much torture did McSame endure since when Hanoi released half the prisoners,of which John McCain was among, he volunteered to stay, must have been horrible
The POWs were released (with very few exceptions) according to when they were captured. First captured, first released . . . . . they were released in something like 3-4 (5?) groups, from Feb-Mar, 1973.
Neither McCain, nor any of the other POWs, had any input as to when they were released.
Doug Reese
Check it out, Doug Reese is our resident Vietnam specialist. He served, and knows his stuff.
In this case, he knows what he's talking about. There was talk about John McCain getting released shortly after he was captured because his father had recently been named a leader in the US military's efforts in Vietnam. North Vietnam was trying some gamesmanship, and McCain didn't bite.
But when Hanoi actually started releasing prisoners, years later, John McCain left Vietnam in his 'rightful position' based upon how long he'd been imprisoned.
sorry... my bad...the article i read apparently was misleading. I usually check it out before posting, but this time i didn't
Please read "bad speech writers make even worse Presidents." as "bad speech readers make even worse Presidents".Thank you.
here you go --experience ck
THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I know that some of you don't like to read long drawn out missives...
so here's the executive summary.........
Congress Military
John McCain 26 Years 22 Years
Barack Obama 143 Days 0
Summary Concluded!
THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
I know that some of you don't like to read long drawn out missives...
so here's the executive summary.........
Congress Military
John McCain 26 Years 22 Years
Barack Obama 143 Days 0
Summary Concluded!
Let's take this brilliant summary a little further.
Congress Military
Abraham Lincoln 2 years 0
Thomas Jefferson 0 0
FDR 0 0
Reagan 0 0
and so on...
Federal offices held and years in the military are meaningless.
Kerry has held public office for much longer than McCain and he was in the military. I guess since he had more experience than GW, you voted for the Democrat in 2004.
If military experience is the most important factor, than why wasn't Grant a better president.
He had a hundred times more leadership and military experience than your fair haired grandpa does.
But that's just me.
waiting to hear the rocket science analysisd-or we going to flag this comment and have it removed--normal mma procedure
Your comments are routinely flagged merely to protect your delicate psyche from the ridicule generated by your abject illiteracy and your inability to make a cogent logical argument.
THE RIDICULE WILL CONTINUE UNTIL YOUR MENTAL PROWESS IMPROVES.
Get ready for a long, long ride, everyone.
HELLO JAWILL11 Just the facts--Republican--no more needs to be said--I can type this keybd just cannot spelll=sons of bitches
I'M IMTIMADATED
Thanks, for introducing yourself. Is your last name Gump?
The right wing attack machine wanted to talk about everything BUT policy, because they know that most people want the Democratic platform; thus they ALWAYS change the subject to personal attacks and trivia.
Instead of lamenting how the democratic candidates run their campaigns, it time to really fault the voters who buy into the b.s. the right wing is shoving and the corporate press is enabling.
Wasn't that the basis for the Electoral College, because the Founding Fathers were concerned about the uninformed voter?
I know the EC has become a "we want it when it's convenient for us" type of thing, but IIRC the original intent was to help negate the uninformed voter
Wow, I can't believe that the MSNBC viewers aren't upset over this. Journalism is no longer two-sided. Yes, McCain was a war hero, and POW, but he is not the right candidate for the American people. Period. I also noticed in this article that, not once did Gregory bring up the fact that McCain uses lies about Obama in his TV ads. I'm very surprised that Gregory doesn't work for Fox News. He's starting to sound as if he might be a little sympathetic to the dark side.
Adam
"Well, look, let's not gloss over that. I mean, you covered this White House. I worked at this White House... John McCain used to make major news every time he ended up at odds with the Bush White House...So it is a blatant lie when Barack Obama stands in front of his supporters and calls John McCain an extension of the Bush administration. "
so in other words...
mccain's own senior campaign advisor admits she was a bush administration staffer. she points out that mccain's opposition to the bush white house was so infrequent and rare that it was newsworthy when he did. and then she accuses anyone who draws a connection between bush and mccain a liar? (including anyone who notices and points out those two facts)
these folks take lying to a whole new, reality distorting level.
IT WOULD NOT BE THE FIRST TIME---GLUDIN FOR LIBERAL PUNISHMENT
I hate to sound ignorant, but what's a "time gludin"? And could you give some examples of past "time-gludins for liberal punishment"?
Just trying to keep in the loop.
You could learn from him. Instead you choose to foam at the mouth and throw out insults.
You seem to have found the caps lock key, good for you. If you press it again, it will go back to lower case. If you don't want to appear dimwitted, you could use Firefox as your web browser. It comes with a built in spell check. And if you look at your keyboard, there should be a shift key on either side. You can hold down either of the shift keys as you type the first letter of each sentence and it will start the sentence with a capital letter.
As far as your opinions go, you seem to be the common, garden variety, rightwing bedwetter.
Sorry, but there's no cure for that.