The manufactured Pelosi outrage is beyond ridiculous
Glenn Greenwald has fast become, in my opinion (despite a familial criticism a few days ago), the single most indispensable daily analyst on the web – other than this blog, of course. He has been doing incredibly valuable work lately on how weak the American “Mainstream Media” has become, having been reduced to virtually slavish copying of the mindless rants and slimings of Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, Sean Hannity et al.
It is impossible to exaggerate how unbelievably stupid CNN has been – Fox Semi-Lite -- in this utterly ridiculous “crisis” manufactured out of whole cloth about Nancy Pelosi’s completely mundane and standard-issue bipartisan visit to Syria. It is a complete loss of perspective. While Pelosi made it clear she was discussing nothing not completely consistent with accepted American foreign policy, CNN seems to have failed to recognize or certainly downplayed such events as Newt Gingrich going to China during the Clinton administration (even making highly-publicized foreign policy declarations concerning China of his own, and angering the Chinese government); Dennis Hastert going to Colombia and expressly attempting to undermine the Clinton Administration’s official relationship with the Colombian government; the Republican delegation to Syria just a few days before that apparently blessed by the White House; the endorsement of James Baker – that James Baker, former Secretary of State under George the Father who bailed little George out in Florida in 2000 – of having discussions with both Syria and Iran; the fact that Pelosi has also been visiting Israel and Saudi Arabia on this tour; the fact that Laura Bush and Condoleeza Rice have worn shawls in deference to powerful local cultural expectations when visiting the Middle East.
It is a subject worthy of a 2-minute news report on probably one day at most, with the only talking head being, if anyone other than the Atlanta news-reader, the CNN correspondent (presumably Christiane Amanpour) making the report from the Middle East. Instead, some Republican opposition researcher in the Carl Rove organization has seen an opportunity to put together different elements that make the right-wing salivate, in the hope that it will resonate with the American people more generally: “Let’s see, Pelosi, San Francisco, liberal, terrorists, weak-on-terror, the President’s policy not to even talk with Syria, defiance of Bush equals Bush-hatred. We can easily make a nasty-sounding stew out of that no matter how un-ordinary it actually is.” Fox, of course, is nothing more than a propaganda arm of the Republican Party, so it will do whatever Rove wants it to do. But how can CNN possibly not see through it if it is not, too a surreptitious arm of the Republican Party?
The point that Greenwald makes today is that big media fail to recognize how isolated and how far in the minority the neo-conservative and right-wing views of the world are. Isolating Syria and Iran even from discussion is not supported by the majority of Americans, nor by the bipartisan foreign policy experts from former administrations, and is utterly rejected by virtually everyone in the world. Starting wars with Iraq and Iran, and escalating Bush war in Iraq, is not supported by the majority of Americans, nor by the bipartisan foreign policy experts from former administrations, and is utterly rejected by virtually everyone in the world. The Limbaugh-Drudge-Krauthammer-Hannity-Coulter-Perle-Abrams-Kristol wing of mighty chest-pounders, bravely demanding that other people’s kids be sent off to kill or be killed, is a small minority now, and it’s getting smaller every day. They are a fringe group, and there is zero reason for any responsible media organization to continue giving them the platform or channeling their manufactured hysteria.
What I wish had been said as soon as Bush joined in stoking this absurd dust-up, whether by Pelosi or someone in Congress speaking for the institution: Congress is an equal branch of government with the President. We do not ask his permission to seek information important to the American people. It is astounding that some people in the media do not comprehend that.
It is impossible to exaggerate how unbelievably stupid CNN has been – Fox Semi-Lite -- in this utterly ridiculous “crisis” manufactured out of whole cloth about Nancy Pelosi’s completely mundane and standard-issue bipartisan visit to Syria. It is a complete loss of perspective. While Pelosi made it clear she was discussing nothing not completely consistent with accepted American foreign policy, CNN seems to have failed to recognize or certainly downplayed such events as Newt Gingrich going to China during the Clinton administration (even making highly-publicized foreign policy declarations concerning China of his own, and angering the Chinese government); Dennis Hastert going to Colombia and expressly attempting to undermine the Clinton Administration’s official relationship with the Colombian government; the Republican delegation to Syria just a few days before that apparently blessed by the White House; the endorsement of James Baker – that James Baker, former Secretary of State under George the Father who bailed little George out in Florida in 2000 – of having discussions with both Syria and Iran; the fact that Pelosi has also been visiting Israel and Saudi Arabia on this tour; the fact that Laura Bush and Condoleeza Rice have worn shawls in deference to powerful local cultural expectations when visiting the Middle East.
It is a subject worthy of a 2-minute news report on probably one day at most, with the only talking head being, if anyone other than the Atlanta news-reader, the CNN correspondent (presumably Christiane Amanpour) making the report from the Middle East. Instead, some Republican opposition researcher in the Carl Rove organization has seen an opportunity to put together different elements that make the right-wing salivate, in the hope that it will resonate with the American people more generally: “Let’s see, Pelosi, San Francisco, liberal, terrorists, weak-on-terror, the President’s policy not to even talk with Syria, defiance of Bush equals Bush-hatred. We can easily make a nasty-sounding stew out of that no matter how un-ordinary it actually is.” Fox, of course, is nothing more than a propaganda arm of the Republican Party, so it will do whatever Rove wants it to do. But how can CNN possibly not see through it if it is not, too a surreptitious arm of the Republican Party?
The point that Greenwald makes today is that big media fail to recognize how isolated and how far in the minority the neo-conservative and right-wing views of the world are. Isolating Syria and Iran even from discussion is not supported by the majority of Americans, nor by the bipartisan foreign policy experts from former administrations, and is utterly rejected by virtually everyone in the world. Starting wars with Iraq and Iran, and escalating Bush war in Iraq, is not supported by the majority of Americans, nor by the bipartisan foreign policy experts from former administrations, and is utterly rejected by virtually everyone in the world. The Limbaugh-Drudge-Krauthammer-Hannity-Coulter-Perle-Abrams-Kristol wing of mighty chest-pounders, bravely demanding that other people’s kids be sent off to kill or be killed, is a small minority now, and it’s getting smaller every day. They are a fringe group, and there is zero reason for any responsible media organization to continue giving them the platform or channeling their manufactured hysteria.
What I wish had been said as soon as Bush joined in stoking this absurd dust-up, whether by Pelosi or someone in Congress speaking for the institution: Congress is an equal branch of government with the President. We do not ask his permission to seek information important to the American people. It is astounding that some people in the media do not comprehend that.
posted by KISSWeb | 12:35 PM
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