Media critic Howie Kurtz writes a column for The Washington Post and also hosts CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday morning....but that doesn't make him right, and more to the point, it doesn't give him license to be flat out dishonest.
The subject is the (bogus) flap over "Nancy Pelosi's
airplane". The story line leaked from the Pentagon was that Nancy had requested a "large plane" to fly her, "her family, and political associates" between Washington D. C. and her home District in San Francisco. The implication, of course, was that Nancy was demanding was demanding "special treatment" or even perhaps "abusing perks of office".
But as the story started to unfold, the truth seeped out. The truth had a number of elements.
First, since 9/11/01 the military has been providing an airplane for The Speaker of the House for security reasons...because, after all, right after the Vice President, The Speaker of the House is the next in line for the Presidency. So it makes sense.
Second, Nancy didn't request either the airplane nor a "larger" airplane. It was requested by the Sergeant At Arms of the House who MAKES ALL SUCH TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS.
Third, the Sergeant at arms did ask for a larger plane, because the one used by Hastert doesn't have the RANGE from D.C. to San Francisco without making a fuel stop which would compromise security.
Okay. Got it? The story was bogus from the giddy-yup.....The Sergeant at arms said so, Tony Snow said so, the Pentagon (except whoever leaked the bogus story in the first place) said so....
But
More than 24 hours after the story is declared bogus, Howie publishes his column, Media Notes, and guess what...he repeats the bogus story:
Nancy Pelosi asked for a bigger (and far more expensive) plane because the one she was using couldn't make it to the West Coast without a refueling stop. Hastert didn't have that problem getting to Illinois.
Pelosi may be right on the substance, but the symbolism is awful. She insists she didn't ask for the plane, but if a military flight is needed, she wants a nonstop to San Francisco. The average voter will be left wth an image of her flying around on a jumbo jet in the lap of luxury
And of course, Howie had to keep it going with this:
"On the House floor, Republicans managed to take a bill about alternative fuel and turn it into a debate on Pelosi's transportation arrangements, by introducing an amendment that included the word 'aircraft.' That was enough to provide conservative members an opportunity to characterize her as the Leona Helmsley of Capitol Hill."
As slimy, swarmy, partisan, dishonest and just plain wrong as this was, it wasn't his biggest fault. Take a look at this:
Here's some typical blog reaction.
Radiant Times:
"With all the fuss about global warming nowadays, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is complaining that she cannot have a huge jet to traipse across the country with her immediate family and political supporters. Does she realize what a huge government jet would cost the taxpayers? Maybe not, and maybe she does not care - who knows?"
Political Retch:
What has happened to the democrats, now they want Pelosi to be treated like a queen? She and her band of freaks are starting to sound less and less like the peoples' choice to lead the country. If the plane isn't big enough then don't go to California, or better yet pay your own damn fare on a commercial jet. Silly [rhymes with witch]!"
TYPICAL BLOG REACTION? Just who is "Political Retch"?
Thanks to a little detective work by Roger Ailes (the good Roger Ailes) we find this: Thanks to Atrios for the link.
Well, Political Retch is a blog with one -- that's one -- post. The one Kurtz quotes. The blog apparently didn't exist until yesterday morning at 8:38 a.m. If you do a Google search with "Politcal Retch" in quotes, it doesn't even show up. Yet Howie the Putz somehow managed to find the blog and promote it with no trouble whatsoever. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
and while we're at it, just who or what is Radiant Times?
The other blogger, Radiant Times, is "a choral director specializing in working with singers with changing voices" who began blogging on February 1, 2007 and currently has a total of 93 pages visits, 30 of which are from today.
Today is, what? February 9, 2007 and Radiant Times started on February 1, 2007 and they already "hit the bigtime" with a mention in a nationally syndicated column. What luck!
I don't believe in that kind of coincidence, do you? Even if it is a coincidence, how is it that an experienced journalist...a nationally known journalist...a nationally televised journalist...a journalist who reports on "other" journalists....didn't bother to research in the slightest the sources he was quoting....
Oversight? Or flat-ass dishonest?
Okay Howie Kurtz....we'll see you Sunday on Reliable Sources....yeah, RIGHT....
The subject is the (bogus) flap over "Nancy Pelosi's
airplane". The story line leaked from the Pentagon was that Nancy had requested a "large plane" to fly her, "her family, and political associates" between Washington D. C. and her home District in San Francisco. The implication, of course, was that Nancy was demanding was demanding "special treatment" or even perhaps "abusing perks of office".But as the story started to unfold, the truth seeped out. The truth had a number of elements.
First, since 9/11/01 the military has been providing an airplane for The Speaker of the House for security reasons...because, after all, right after the Vice President, The Speaker of the House is the next in line for the Presidency. So it makes sense.
Second, Nancy didn't request either the airplane nor a "larger" airplane. It was requested by the Sergeant At Arms of the House who MAKES ALL SUCH TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS.
Third, the Sergeant at arms did ask for a larger plane, because the one used by Hastert doesn't have the RANGE from D.C. to San Francisco without making a fuel stop which would compromise security.
Okay. Got it? The story was bogus from the giddy-yup.....The Sergeant at arms said so, Tony Snow said so, the Pentagon (except whoever leaked the bogus story in the first place) said so....
But
More than 24 hours after the story is declared bogus, Howie publishes his column, Media Notes, and guess what...he repeats the bogus story:
Nancy Pelosi asked for a bigger (and far more expensive) plane because the one she was using couldn't make it to the West Coast without a refueling stop. Hastert didn't have that problem getting to Illinois.
Pelosi may be right on the substance, but the symbolism is awful. She insists she didn't ask for the plane, but if a military flight is needed, she wants a nonstop to San Francisco. The average voter will be left wth an image of her flying around on a jumbo jet in the lap of luxury
And of course, Howie had to keep it going with this:
"On the House floor, Republicans managed to take a bill about alternative fuel and turn it into a debate on Pelosi's transportation arrangements, by introducing an amendment that included the word 'aircraft.' That was enough to provide conservative members an opportunity to characterize her as the Leona Helmsley of Capitol Hill."
As slimy, swarmy, partisan, dishonest and just plain wrong as this was, it wasn't his biggest fault. Take a look at this:
Here's some typical blog reaction.
Radiant Times:
"With all the fuss about global warming nowadays, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is complaining that she cannot have a huge jet to traipse across the country with her immediate family and political supporters. Does she realize what a huge government jet would cost the taxpayers? Maybe not, and maybe she does not care - who knows?"
Political Retch:
What has happened to the democrats, now they want Pelosi to be treated like a queen? She and her band of freaks are starting to sound less and less like the peoples' choice to lead the country. If the plane isn't big enough then don't go to California, or better yet pay your own damn fare on a commercial jet. Silly [rhymes with witch]!"
TYPICAL BLOG REACTION? Just who is "Political Retch"?
Thanks to a little detective work by Roger Ailes (the good Roger Ailes) we find this: Thanks to Atrios for the link.
Well, Political Retch is a blog with one -- that's one -- post. The one Kurtz quotes. The blog apparently didn't exist until yesterday morning at 8:38 a.m. If you do a Google search with "Politcal Retch" in quotes, it doesn't even show up. Yet Howie the Putz somehow managed to find the blog and promote it with no trouble whatsoever. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
and while we're at it, just who or what is Radiant Times?
The other blogger, Radiant Times, is "a choral director specializing in working with singers with changing voices" who began blogging on February 1, 2007 and currently has a total of 93 pages visits, 30 of which are from today.
Today is, what? February 9, 2007 and Radiant Times started on February 1, 2007 and they already "hit the bigtime" with a mention in a nationally syndicated column. What luck!
I don't believe in that kind of coincidence, do you? Even if it is a coincidence, how is it that an experienced journalist...a nationally known journalist...a nationally televised journalist...a journalist who reports on "other" journalists....didn't bother to research in the slightest the sources he was quoting....
Oversight? Or flat-ass dishonest?
Okay Howie Kurtz....we'll see you Sunday on Reliable Sources....yeah, RIGHT....
