CNN Gives Over Most of Rice Highlight Time to Attacks on Her

Media Research Center ^ | 12:55pm EDT, Monday April 12, 2004 | BrentBaker,Ken Shepherd

[fight_truth_decay]

In her own words, or merely re-airing Democratic attacks? Thursday night's NewsNight with Aaron Brown on CNN included a five minute segment that Brown promised would reveal "in her own words...what Dr. Rice said in some of the more contentious moments" of her appearance before the 9/11 Commission that morning. But the MRC's Ken Shepherd discovered that Rice's actual comments amounted to just 2 minutes and 28 seconds of the segment, less than half of the segment.

Nearly all of the remainder highlighted the lengthy and adversarial questions to Rice from the most blatantly partisan Democrats on the panel, former Watergate prosecutor Richard Ben- Veniste and former Clinton Justice Department official Jamie Gorelick.

Setting up the segment, Brown recounted: "Condoleezza Rice testified for three hours this morning, 30 minutes longer than scheduled. In the hours since, many people have weighed in on what was said and what was not. It's the 9/11 Commission's job to decide officially what all the testimony means within the context of all their other work. As we said earlier, the questioning was tough at times today. Here in her own words is what Dr. Rice said in some of the more contentious moments."

What followed was: a short excerpt from Rice's opening statement; the hostile exchange with Ben-Veniste, complete with his rude cutting off of her answers; a long question from Gorelick that accused the FBI of being "feckless" (an excerpt that did not even include Rice's response); former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey's gripe about how he disliked the "swatting at flies" analogy Rice had used; and former Democratic congressman Tim Roemer's demand to know why before September 11, "Why doesn't the President ask to meet with Dick Clarke?"

Only after the clip of Roemer did NewsNight viewers get their first chance to hear one of Rice's extended answers, which was followed by a second, concluding comment from her. No questions from Republicans were included in the clips, although NewsNight showed former GOP Governor Tom Kean administering the oath to Rice and former Governor Jim Thompson thanking her at the end of her testimony.

[fight_truth_decay]

Kerrey was so stuck in his own fly paper commentary, he did not know how to address Dr. Rice..ahemmm..not Dr. Clark. And was the USS COLE (DDG 67) (October 12, 2000 - Commission Report Executive Summary 1.09.2201) considered just a fly Kerrey asks? Wrong administration or meant to confuse the mindless masses? After the USS Cole bombing , President Clinton then declared "If, as it now appears, this was an act of terrorism, it was a despicable and cowardly act. We will find out who was responsible and hold them accountable.". However, defined under U.S. law, this attack was not an "act of terrorism," since it was an attack on a military target. Thus, direct military action was not taken by the Clinton Administration. So I ask again..Where was Kerrey's head?

[talleyman]

More unwatched propaganda from the partisan press. (haven't watched Clinton News Network in 10 years...)

[TYVets]

"Nearly all of the remainder highlighted the lengthy and adversarial questions to Rice from the most blatantly partisan Democrats on the panel"

Of course, it is CNN.

[KJacob]

Isn't Brown the one with the smirk the day Rush went into rehab yet had a somber tone when we captured Saddam?

[Tacis]

"More unwatched propaganda from the partisan press. (haven't watched Clinton News Network in 10 years...)"

Let's not be any more critical of some one who watches CNN than we are about folks who patrol the sewers or check crack whores for new STDs, probably, some one has to do it. I sure won't and appreciate the efforts of some one who will.

Reports such as this, confirm our judgment in watching something else. In response to this headline, my initial response was to quote Homer Simpson, "Well, duh!"

[cherry]

anybody catch former presidential candidate Hart on CNN ?....nothing but unbridled opinion without any chance for rebuttal...

Vote Bush....we can not allow this travesty of the media whores to get its way, much like AlQueda in Spain....

[fight_truth_decay]

However many voters do. I believe the overall count was 10,000 words for the Commission and 15,000 words by Rice. Partisan Yakkedy Yak by the panel in deed shortened the testimony by Rice.

[Diogenesis]

CNN Rots from the top

---

CNN's MOTTO and CREED : Ted Turner, June 18, 2002:
"So who are the terrorists?
I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism."

[Izzy Dunne]

Where was Kerrey's head?

[Izzy Dunne]

Where was Kerrey's head?

[Dark Knight]

The fly swat comment was the best example of bias I have seen. PBS's Newshour played it and cut Dr. Rice after an initial part of her response, before she commented on B. Kerrey's earlier speech agreeing with her after 911, and changing his view now.

It was a home run, and everyone in the room knew it, including Kerrey. I did not see the hearings in their entirety, but if I had to guess, he was so frazzled that she was kicking his @ss, he started calling her Dr. Clarke.

She truly kicked their collective butts, and I really did not think that was going to happen.

The Cole bombing had political causes. The Cole was ordered into a hotbed of terrorism, instead of having an oil tender bring it out, IIRC, and the advisability of have a billion dollar asset in a terrorist hotbed is...

DK

[fight_truth_decay]

Now..how did I know my comment was going to get this response. ;) Was just a matter of time.

[timestax]