A Media Awakening?

Paul Krugman has every right to be scared that the right will pull it off again, but there are some hopeful signs out there.

Krugman wrote today of the disappointing failure of the media to even suggest that Romney was speaking utter crap during the debate earlier this week. His contention that Saddam was not allowing inspections at the time of our invasion is simply a lie, and in years gone by, the media would have lived up to its responsibility to fact check what the candidates assert. As Krugman noted, this failure allowed Bush to get enough votes to have the 2000 election thrown to the Courts.

The hopeful sign can be seen at Andrew Sullivan's blog, where he applauds Chris Matthews for noting that Giuliani is close to being a fascist. Sullivan shows a clip of Matthews' show, in which he goes on to suggest that "weirdly," what Giuliani is doing is helping the bad guys. Since the goal of terrorism is to induce terror, whenever Rudy or Bush talk of how we must change because of 9/11 is a cry of "Uncle."  They admit to defeat each time they alter our Constitution - whether through wiretaps, Guantanamo, torture or extraordinary rendition.

The real moral depravity of the Republican pack is on full public display these days.  When Romney tells a lie in his explanation of what led to the war, he dishonors every U.S. Soldier who has lost their life in Iraq.  The pain that Pat Tillman's family felt at his death was only increased by the army's lying about its cause.  Rudy Giuliani insults every victim of 9/11 when he turns the tragedy into a mere vehicle for his own ambition. When Rudy puts on his web site that the current Mrs. Giuliani, who was only his mistress when 9/11 took place, "coordinated the efforts at the Family Assistance Center on Pier 94" in the aftermath of the tragedy, he demeans both the families who lost loved ones, and those who truly did work to assist them.  Rudy's first director of the Office of Emergency Management, who actually did run the Center, calls the claim made on behalf of Judi Giuliani: "simply a lie."

Let's just hope that there are some more Chris Matthews out there - willing to call thesay  the Romneys, the Giulianis and the Bushs - when they lie.

(h/t memeorandum)

Comments

[rick]

Damn lying racists.

[bbbustard]

Actually, Friday is my day off from racism.
I am not surprised by your lack of interest in issues of race - as it seems that you find it threatening to your sense of self.
I am a bit surprised at your mockery of my anger at dishonesty. You purport to have concern for the Iraqis who will die and the chaos that a precipitate withdrawl will cause, but it troubles you not at all that the deceptions of the Bushies have made such a disaster unavoidable. Bush/Cheney have slowly but surely killed the enormous trust that the country had in them after 9/11 - and thus have destroyed any options that the American people might have been willing to consider.

Mme Bustard hopes that I am being nice, as she wants to send you her best - -

[rick]

A racist is a person who believes that one race (usually one’s own) is superior to another. The flippant, name calling, shotgun use of the word diminishes real racism. On the other hand, you are suggesting that if I use the word more frequently it will increase my “sense of self”? Perhaps this is progressive thinking that I am too insensitive to grasp. I should quit carping and give it a try and enjoy my better sense of self.

With regard to Iraq; we have lots of terrorists cornered there. We need to kill them all. Hopefully we will not abandon these folks and watch the real genocide from the comfort of our favorite tapis bars. Wars are not prosecuted based on the results of Times / CNN
opinion polls.

U N observers are not inspectors. One could claim that anyone referring to them as inspectors is lying. As one of the numerous requirements for the cessation of hostilities 1991, Iraq was required to provide a detailed list of certain specified weapons to the United Nations. They were further required to destroy all of these listed weapons in full view of the world. The U N officials were there to observe this destruction. The listed weapons that were not observed to have been destroyed were the WMDs that Bush lied to us about.

I offer up these thoughts gently out of respect for Mesdames for whom I have utmost admiration. She must be an extraordinarily kind and gentle person to have tolerated such convoluted thinking for these many years. My very best to her please. I have a marvelous whole filet turning on my rotisserie on the patio. It was massaged with olive oil then seasoned with coarse salt and fresh pepper. I wish the two of you could join us.

[bbbustard]

It smells really great, and we wish we could be there as well - Mme particularly appreciates your tolerance.