AP- 'Half the Country' says Speaker Hastert Should Resign?

NewsBusters.org ^ | 10/12/06 | warner todd huston

[Mobile Vulgus]

The AP did a fine job of advocacy for the Democratic Party tonight in a story on Bush's appearance with Speaker Hastert at an Illinois fund-raiser for two GOP candidates for Congress.

In Bush Gives Hastert Boost in Time of Need, the AP made a few outrageous statements that amount to tearing down Republicans as opposed to merely reporting news.

The AP tried to characterize Bush as a "tepid" supporter of Speaker Hastert and directly said that "half the country" wanted Hastert to resign.

The $1.1 million fundraiser provided the first picture of Bush with Hastert since a scandal broke involving a Republican congressman pursuing underage male pages. Although the president has spoken out in Hastert's defense — tepidly at first and more directly at a White House news conference on the eve of the fundraiser — their appearance together was an endorsement of Hastert when nearly half the country says he should resign.

(Emphasis mine)

So, um, WHERE do they get this "half the country" statistic? Out of their rear-ends, that's where.

Maybe we might be near the truth to say half the registered voters might have said that they want Hastert to resign, but CERTAINLY not half the country. Not even half the country votes in the first place! And, it is highly doubtful that half the electorate even knows who Denny Hastert is to even want him to resign.

No, this "half the country" statistic is a figment of the AP's fever swamp imagination.

Then the AP went on to helpfully let us know that they think the GOP will soon be on the outside looking in re power in Congress...

Whether Hastert and the Republican Party will remain in power in the House next year is in doubt. Democrats need to pick up just 15 seats to win control, and Republican-held seats across the country are in jeopardy in the wake of the Foley case, continuing violence in Iraq and the dissatisfaction with Bush's leadership.

And this has to do with Bush's visit... how?

They spend more time with this story bashing Bush and Speaker Hastert than describing the fundraiser.

And this is "journalism"?

[Mobile Vulgus]

AP= Democratic Party organ!

[moog]

Have they signed up for organ donation yet?

[Smedley]

Hastert should resign - mostly because he's an ineffectual pantywaist.

[JohnD9207]

I say half the country are pathetic whining idiots who if unplugged from MTV, and the X Box would die within minutes.

[phoenix0468]

The MSM enjoys the use of bunk scientific data in their reporting. False but accurate they always say.

[madison10]

Well, sure the DEMOCRAT 1/2. Bet 1/2 of those don't vote.

[digger48]

Nedra Pickler.....standard Pickleshit

[Alter Kaker]

Hastert should resign - mostly because he's an ineffectual pantywaist.

A limpwristed pantywaist at that.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Looks like the AP is back to its old self. The Reid scandal is already a memory.

[moog]

I say half the country are pathetic whining idiots who if unplugged from MTV, and the X Box would die within minutes.

Amen to that one. Heck, the last video game system my family owned had only Pong games on it.

[ladyinred]

If so, then half the country doesn't have a clue what is going on and should not be allowed to vote in a poll let alone a real election!

[DarthVader]

About more than 1/2 the country ignores AP or doesn't know what it is.

[lormand]

I'm just a dreamer who dreams that one day, people will totally ignore polls. This is the mother of all BS polls.

[Chena]

Oh sure, half the country are that out of touch with reality? I don't think so. LOL (thanks for posting the AP laugh of the day though) :)

[Y0K]

Hastert should resign - mostly because he's an ineffectual pantywaist.

TRUE, but...

Just which DemoCrap panty waist did you have in mind to replace him with?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I think that reporter is on a new beat.

[TNCMAXQ]

Didnt I see a poll today showing 55 or 60% of Americans didnt know enough about Pelosi to make a judgment? I'll bet more than half of Americans STILL don't know who Hastert is even after all this nonsense.

[doc1019]

And the other half says “no”.

Other than the dems obsession with getting seats in the upcoming political races, I have yet to see were Hastert has done anything wrong.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Has anyone polled the people who elected Speaker Hastert?

[BW2221]

The ones with MTV and X-Box are probably smarter than the people watching Perky Katie and C-BS News.