Posted on 11/22/2004 8:33:37 PM PST by Mike Fieschko
Speaking at Tufts University on Thursday night, CBS's Andy Rooney attributed the motivation behind CBS's hit on President Bush based on forged documents to the political agenda of CBS News staffers. "There's no question they wanted to run it because it was negative towards Bush," the Tufts Daily's Keith Barry quoted Rooney as revealing during his remarks. Rooney shares that ideological hostility to Bush, as Barry related how "Rooney also attributed voters' reliance on religion in the recent election to ignorance" and "said Christian fundamentalism is a result of 'a lack of education. They haven't been exposed to what the world has to offer.'" In addition, "Rooney said he also could not understand how 'men who work with their hands voted for George Bush,' and again attributing the phenomenon to a lack of education."An excerpt from the November 19 Tufts Daily article by Keith Barry which was highlighted by Romenesko ( www.poynter.org ):
Andy Rooney, the "60 Minutes" correspondent who turned "curmudgeon" into a job title, spoke at the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy last night....
Second year Fletcher student Jeremy Harrington asked Rooney to "skewer people outside our borders," to which Rooney deadpanned, "There's bound to be a conservative in every crowd."
Rooney responded by referring to the American failure to win the support of Iraqis and the world community in the Iraq war. He said the United States started the war "for good reasons," but he did not think the rest of the world agreed....
Rooney also attributed voters' reliance on religion in the recent election to ignorance. "I am an atheist," Rooney said. "I don't understand religion at all. I'm sure I'll offend a lot of people by saying this, but I think it's all nonsense."
He said Christian fundamentalism is a result of "a lack of education. They haven't been exposed to what the world has to offer."
Rooney said he also could not understand how "men who work with their hands voted for George Bush," and again attributing the phenomenon to a lack of education. "The labor force is conservative," he said. "How in the world did that happen?"
Rooney said that he hoped Bush's re-election would give him the "confidence" to end the war in Iraq. "I think if George Bush said tomorrow, 'I was wrong, I ask for an apology,' I bet the American people would thank him, and they would like him," he said....
Rooney's own show, "60 Minutes," was involved in a public and politically charged flap when it unwittingly used false documents in a Dan Rather piece on Bush's National Guard service.
"I am very critical of some of the people at CBS who make it apparent what their political leanings are," Rooney said. "That's what happened to this thing of Dan Rather's that got out. There's no question they wanted to run it because it was negative towards Bush."
The veteran reporter said the news business "has been taken over" by 'the moneychangers.'"
"I feel bad about the news business," Rooney said. "It has the prospects of being stronger than ever. There are good young people in the news business," he said, praising his fellow commentators Jon Stewart and Al Franken
Rooney said he enjoys watching television news, "partially because I have a drink of bourbon with it."...
Sophomore Spencer Hickok questioned Rooney's inclusion of Columbus' discovery of America in his list of the greatest moments in American history when, in Hickok's words, it resulted in the "genocide of Native Americans."
"I'm not hearing you," Rooney began. He appeared caught off guard, and then conceded, "I can't answer your question."...
I heard that CBS was founded by the CIA. Is this true?
This is news? Tell us something we don't know Andy.
You mean the Communist Indoctrination Alliance? If so, yes.
Yeah, ol' fart Rooney has it pegged. We fundamentalist Christians love Jesus because we're a bunch of ignorant rubes.
What a senile, ignorant, brain-dead old prick.
How nice of Rooney to point out something that's been obvious to the rest of us for months.
We already thanked him (6 million+ votes) and we already like him. Rooney is a senile old coot.
A typical pseudo elitist statement feigning superior intellect which really hides a well of ignorance.
This is news? The Vichy press loved Hitler. Rooney is at least 20 years past the time he should have retired.
Rooney may have admitted what we already knew, but he is a religious bigot and has just committed a hate crime with his big mouth. Will he be prosecuted for it?
Well, find your comforting rationalizations wherever you can, Andy. We'll be taking our country back now, thank you.
At least Rooney's honest, not like Hillary for one, that's now trying to tell folks that she's an "evangelical christian".
Notice his fellow senile partner in crime gets a pass by ommission. Actually, by naming anyone in CBS, he's losing his touch. In the past, he could have gotten away with blaming the political climate (code for the Republicans). The old nag is way past time for the glue factory.
Yeah, Hillary was at the same University quoting scripture and talking about Jesus a week or so ago.
BTW, what does someone working with their hands have to do with anything? I must be ignorant, I don't get it. Is he talking about a union-worker?
One of my favorite pictures of Bush is the one where he is hauling a tree branch, in cowboy hat and blue jeans. I do believe he was working with his hands.
Rooney is so out of touch with the American people it's a wonder he still has any fans. He's a typical clueless liberal.
If 59 million people aren't an example of Americans liking Bush what is?
CBS should be the one to apologize. Not only to the president but to the American people.
He said Christian fundamentalism is a result of "a lack of education. They haven't been exposed to what the world has to offer."
****
They reject money-grubbing urban phonies such as you, Mr. Rooney.
"I heard that CBS was founded by the CIA. Is this true?"
This might be difficult since CBS started up in the 1920's, and the O.S.S, the C.I.A's predecessor, wasn't created until 1941.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.