Fox in MSNBC's clothing

"The collapse of the administration’s rationales for war, which became apparent months after our invasion, should never have come as such a surprise. … In this case, the ‘liberal media’ didn’t live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served.”

-From former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan's new book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.

After Jesse “The Body” Ventura finished as Gov. of Minnesota in 2003 he signed on to be an MSNBC analyst. It was not widely known probably because he was not on the air much. Sunday April 13, 2008 I watched him talk about it on Fox News with Geraldo Rivera. He spilled the beans about MSNBC’s censorship.

Ventura said MSNBC almost never used him and finally let him go, “Why?” Rivera asked. “I was against the War” Ventura replied. The network was confused because, as Ventura put it, “I am a former Navy Seal, so they thought I would be for the War.” Let this be a lesson to all of us.

Many articles were written about MSNBC “coming out” as the left leaning version of Fox News in 2007, but I am not sure that ever happened. MSNBC has tried to brand themselves as the antidote to Fox News. Mostly on the back of Countdown With Keith Olbermann and his “special comment” segments bashing the Bush Administration. Friday May 16, 2008 Air America radio host Thom Hartman referred to Olbermann as “the voice in the wilderness.” He meant that Olbermann is the only liberal voice with his own show on all of cable news.

Can MSNBC claim to be the liberal station in 2007 when they were beating the drums of war in 2003? Hell no. Here are a couple reasons why: their over use of Pat Buchanan. He has been more conservative and racist than anyone on Fox News for so long that maybe it is no longer shocking and just a comfortable routine. I remember watching Hardball host Chris Matthews gushing after the 2004 vice presidential debate, “Cheney is such a heavyweight” he said.

Once a friend said, “Fox is conservative, MSNBC is liberal and CNN is right down the middle, right?” Although that opinion may be from a “low information voter” or someone who is not a news junkie, I think generally that is how the public views the three big cable news channels.

The three cable news stations want and need the War for ratings. I watched a lot CNN’s Gulf War coverage in 1991 because it was the only English language channel I could get while living in Presov, Slovakia. CNN was not a player until that war. After thinking about the last sentence it makes sense that none of the networks would allow many dissenting voices towards the War if any.

That is why I started out with what Ventura said. His words were straight up, easy to understand and further proof that much of the main stream media was in cahoots with the Bush Administration to make sure the War happened. The media may be as big a player as any in keeping up with our aggressively violent culture.

I am not sure if it has been subliminal support of these violent foreign policies by broadcasters and reporters or something more sinister and blatant. I tend to lean towards the latter because my experience in the broadcast media is that lifers are not ideologically driven to their jobs but instead “do formats.” Tony Snow used to work for Fox News and is now with CNN. Bill Hemmer used to be with CNN and now is with Fox News. The list goes on. It is just a job to many of these guys and that is why they can jump to stations geared towards different demographic audiences.

What I am trying to say is that the media cheer led us into war and we should know that and be aware of that. It may be just as bad an act as pushing the button to drop the bombs. Rationalizing the killing of mass amounts of civilians on the airwaves is a terrible thing to do and if you shrug it off five years later and say you “changed your mind on the War,” well that is even worse because you did not take other lives seriously.

Each candidate has questionable ties

Why did Obama have to make a speech explaining his relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright? None of the other candidates had to. Each one has a dicey relationship with religion. This is so hypocritical.

George W. Bush never made a speech explaining or denouncing Jerry Falwell’s comments in 2001 blaming “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and lesbians” for the September 11 terrorist attacks.

And John McCain spoke at Falwell’s Liberty University in 2006.

McCain has not had to answer constant questions about his relationship with Pastor John Hagee. McCain said he was “very honored by Pastor John Hagee’s endorsement.” He also called Hagee “the staunchest leader of our Christian evangelical movement,” citing the minister’s pro-Israel stance.

According to the Catholic League president Bill Donohue “for the past few decades Hagee has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example he likes calling it ‘The Great Whore,’ an ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ,’ and a ‘false cult system.’

Why doesn’t Hillary Clinton have to make a speech about her membership in The Fellowship? A group that has close ties to people like former Attorney General John Ashcroft, Senator Sam Brownback and former Senator Rick Santorum.

Here is a couple lines from an article about Clinton and The Fellowship in Mother Jones:

The Fellowship isn't out to turn liberals into conservatives; rather, it convinces politicians they can transcend left and right with an ecumenical faith that rises above politics. Only the faith is always evangelical, and the politics always move rightward.

Jeremiah Wright’s “incendiary comments” and “fiery rhetoric” were neither to me. My freaking 85 year old Irish grandma didn’t think much of them. She didn’t think they were all that shocking or even much to speak of. Much ado about nothing. Two Sundays ago I watched Meet the Press as Bill Bradley danced around the comments denouncing them and yada yada yawn. I sat and watched and thought “geez I wish he would just cut through all the bull shit and say to Tim Russert: you know what, Wright is actually articulating what many Americans believe not just in the black community, but goddamn it, I believe that shit too, have for years.”

Here are my notes from the day of the now famous Obama Race Speech:

My neck hurts and I don’t know what to do. I missed the speech on race by Obama today all because I was soaking wet from fighting a massive dog with a power washer. I blasted the shaggy beast from every angle and after 4 hours and 10,000 gallons of water I was soaked to the bone and I retreated to my dark wooded bungalow up the hill from the shaggy beast. I poured a hot bath and turned the tv on.

All the news channels were talking about Obama’s speech. Fox News basically said it was all over for Obama because his “unfavorability” rating went up in the latest Rasmussen Poll.

Wolf Blitzer at CNN said the speech was a preemptive strike on Clinton, whatever that means. Blitzer is always good for analysis that says almost nothing and won’t get him in real trouble he is real safe and boring as fuck.

Turned to Race for the White House with David Gregory on MSNBC. All I can ever think of when I see Gregory is that he was in the background dancing at the White House correspondence dinner when Karl Rove rapped.

I think Gregory called the Obama speech a “hail mary” or maybe it was someone else, but someone said that. The best thing anyone called it was “gutsy.” Joe Scarborough, David Gregory and Chuck Todd agreed that this was the speech that may be Obama’s downfall because he did not throw his pastor under the bus. Rachel Maddow and Eugene Robinson had to fight just to say it actually was a good speech.

The Old Boy Network is actually a stronger pull than the true thoughts and feelings that instinctively come to the forefront. Or maybe its the same old thing where: white-guy-network-forever people are the true and serious gatekeepers. And this Obama craziness is scaring the fuck out of everybody in charge because they need to somehow take him down without a bullet and it is a little too close for comfort.

Why was Hillary out there that day of the Obama Race Speech? She said she did not see or read it, but still commented on it. What was the point? Did she just want the public to know she can’t waste her time listening to what her opponent says? She took reporters questions with this glazed over look on her face and talked down to everyone.

Bush "Waster" board taken by Reed Wacker with a fish eye. Bush in the vines.