Posted on 08/29/2005 6:21:35 AM PDT by Grampa Dave
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/1997/11/kill_saddam.html
Kill Saddam! U.S. journalists agree: If you can't beat him, assassinate him. Eric Umansky November 25 , 1997
The latest saber-rattling with Iraq has an odd twist: As the United States government shows restraint and revives the lost art of diplomacy, this time it's the U.S. press that's howling for blood -- the blood of Saddam Hussein personally. The press, of course, has the distinct advantage that nobody really follows their policy suggestions anyway, so their advice doesn't have to be diplomatic, or even legal:
The law:
Prohibition on Assassination. No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination. -- Executive Order 12333, issued Dec. 4, 1981, by President Ronald Reagan, continuing the policy of his predecessors Ford and Carter. Neither Bush nor Clinton has rescinded it.
The handy (and illegal) tips from the press:
"Conventional Wisdom," Newsweek, Nov. 17: "Take him down." (next to a photo of Hussein and a downward-plunging arrow)
Thomas Friedman, foreign affairs columnist, New York Times, Nov. 6: "Saddam Hussein is the reason God created cruise missiles. ...So if and when Saddam pushes beyond the brink, and we get that one good shot, let's make sure it's a head shot."
George Stephanopolous, former Clintonite and current ABC News analyst, on ABC'S "This Week," Nov. 9: "This is probably one of those rare cases where assassination is the more moral course...we should kill him."
Sam Donaldson, co-host of "This Week," Nov. 9: We should kill Saddam "under cover of law.... We can do business with his successor."
Bill Kristol, ABC News analyst, "This Week," Nov. 9: "It sounds good to me."
Cokie Roberts, co-host of "This Week," Nov. 9: "Well, now that we've come out for murder on this broadcast, let us move on to fast-track..."
Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, Nov. 17: "It won't be easy to take him out. ...But we need to try, because the only language Saddam has ever understood is force."
Newsweek, Dec. 1: "Why We Should Kill Saddam."
Thanks
Well that was different because Clinton was president, and we wanted to bash the first Bush. LOL! Well that is the way the MSM and the liberal press look at it. Republicans are damed if they do and damed if they do not.
"Republicans are damed if they do and damed if they do not."
The above is the standard operating order for the MSM.
the Clinton years made these guys forget they were raised on anti-war socialism
I believe that the internet saved us from the Gore 2000 post election coup, and we sank the SS CBS 2004 Coup with Blather and Mapes.
The ability to go back into time and find the remarks of the Clitoonistas and Deaniacs and post them in today's time is a powerful tool.
The internet and Freepers are helping to derail the Cindy Impeach GW train.
Yeah, the Clintooners became real hawks during their Desert Fox situation and the Bosnia fiasco.
Klintoon took some mild falck on some of his more egregious personal behavior, but it was in the tut-tut school of criticism. And it was more like friendly criticism rather than attack. ("You know, Bill, you really shouldn't have done that. Even we have a hard time defending it, though we try, and it makes you look bad. Sloppy, sloppy.")
You are simply and completely wrong.
Being forced to report stories is not giving one flack.
The media liked Clinton and even when they reported on his actions that usually did not reflect well on him, they would then proceed to mitigate and dismiss, informing their readers or viewers that the American people did not care according to the latest poll, and then they would come up with some lamebrained "everybody does it" equivalency story.
And that's the way it was and continues to be.
When Clinton said Saddam posed a threat to us, the media believed him. When Bush said it, they didn't. Period.
Thanks for posting this.
Is Robertson more influential than all of these "top shelf" journalists and therefore the target of so much more ire? These duplicitous bastards out to be "taken out" and horsewhipped.
That is incredible nonsense - and I don't care if you are finding it amusing or not.
OK
OK, but it did get me a free lunch.
You have to understand that when liberals say "kill somebody" they don't mean with blood and guts and brains on the wall and stuff. They mean nice and clean like Matt Damon in the movies. We could learn a lot from those smart folks in Hollywood...
This is an excellent summay of the behavior of the MSM during the Clintoon years and now:
"The media liked Clinton and even when they reported on his actions that usually did not reflect well on him, they would then proceed to mitigate and dismiss, informing their readers or viewers that the American people did not care according to the latest poll, and then they would come up with some lamebrained "everybody does it" equivalency story.
"And that's the way it was and continues to be. "
"When Clinton said Saddam posed a threat to us, the media believed him. When Bush said it, they didn't. Period."
"Is Robertson more influential than all of these "top shelf" journalists and therefore the target of so much more ire? These duplicitous bastards out to be "taken out" and horsewhipped."
Duplicitous is such a great word to describe the left wing mediots.
"You have to understand that when liberals say "kill somebody" they don't mean with blood and guts and brains on the wall and stuff. They mean nice and clean like Matt Damon in the movies. We could learn a lot from those smart folks in Hollywood..."
Yes, we dumb repubies have a lot to learn from the elite limo liberals in Follywood. If we just listened to Michael Moore, Babs, Whoopi, Ed ASSner and Sean Penn, America and the world would be perfect to live in.
Exactly. And they much prefer teh Klintoon solution to this problem -- bombing empty buildings at night.
"Exactly. And they much prefer teh Klintoon solution to this problem -- bombing empty buildings at night."
What was GW's comment about not wasting missiles to blow up an empty tent and harming a camel? That comment was a direct slam against what you cited, the empty actions of the Clintoons.
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