GOP Takes Credit For New York Times Hit

http://www.politico.com/ ^ | May 19, 2010 | Mike Allen And Alexander Burns

[Biggirl]

Pulling back the curtain on journalistic sausage-making usually hidden from voters, a Republican Senate candidate is taking credit for the front-page New York Times story accusing Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of “plainly untrue” remarks about Vietnam service.

But a New York Times spokeswoman said: "[A]nyone reading it can tell that it was the product of extensive independent reporting — including our FOIA of his military records."

[Biggirl]

Could the GOP in Connecticut be ALL that involved?

[Carley]

NYSlimes trying to distance themselves from the expose.

And while I have not read the article, I heard on the radio that Shays is trying to soften his condemnation of yesterday.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"This is what comes of $16 million, a crack opposition research operation."

Wow, are you saying it takes 16 million bucks to find this out? If they had any inclination that he was lying about his Viet Nam service, it is very easy to check up on. If he won't release his DD-214 to you, then you can ask him questions like what unit were you in etc.. You'll get the truth out before long. I would have done it for them for 10 million. A bargain!!

[RaceBannon]

Is the NYT doing this because they secretly support Merrick Alpert?

Alpert was a HUGE supporter of Al Gore and Clinton...

HHHMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm

[Enterprise]

The way this reads is that the McMahon people came up with information and gave it to the NYT. The NYT then appears to be saying that they had the information as a result of their own requests for the FOIA. I get the impression that the NYT sat on the story but had to go with it after the McMahon campaign contacted them. IOW, is this another case where a major publication sat on some information but had to go with it once they knew someone else had the information? What is your take on it?

[Sicon]

But a New York Times spokeswoman said: "[A]nyone reading it can tell that it was the product of extensive independent reporting — including our FOIA of his military records."

Aaaawwwww, they're so CUTE when they try to pretend that their real journalists...

[maine yankee]

“It’s not news until we say it’s news !”

[Biggirl]

Well, my take is that it is the first shots of a political campaign that could get really ugly very fast.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

It wouldn’t surprise me that some moron in the GOP was so interested in getting some publicity that they claimed credit for this. It is exactly why the GOP are such amateurs at politics. If they are behind it, they conducted a perfect hit. Now they want to babble about it in the press. Idiots. And the irony is that they probably weren’t the real motivation behind the NYT story, which was probably done to get this out in the open so it wouldn’t be a surprise closer to the election when it could really hurt and put a Republican in office.

[Daffynition]

“plainly untrue” = LIES

[Raycpa]

Dan Rather chimes in: Hey, we at CBS had Bush caught being AWOL. That didn't matter.

John Kerry chimes in: You have FOIA information on politicians military records that you are sitting on?

[Raycpa]

An explanation that makes sense to me is that the NYT had this all along and was pushed to print when it became apparent that it would be printed elsewhere.

A secondary reason may be that Blumenthal is not entirely a “team player” and this is a warning.