Krauthammer Schools Totenberg on Israeli Peace Offers: ‘You Are Simply Factually Wrong’

Townhall.com ^ | March 23, 2013 | Noel Sheppard

[Kaslin]

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer on Friday once again demonstrated how liberal media members often make statements about issues they know nothing about.

On this occasion, it was NPR's Nina Totenberg making unfounded claims about past Israel peace offers on PBS's Inside Washington that led Krauthammer to scold, "You’re simply factually wrong" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Krauthammer Schools Totenberg on Israeli Peace Offers: ‘You Are Simply Factually Wrong’

NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: There also has to be lines that make sense for the Palestinian state, and, you know, I can’t argue this with Charles with the same kind of detail and prevail, but I have looked at what the offers have been, and they’re not realistic for either side still. They haven’t solved Jerusalem. The Israelis don’t want to share Jerusalem. Nobody wants to share Jerusalem. These are very hard issues.

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: But you’re simply factually wrong. In the agreement in what was offered in 2008 by [former Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert, Jerusalem was split. In what Israel offered in Camp David in the year 2000 with Clinton as the witness, the Israelis offered a division of Jerusalem for the first time ever. That’s simply factually wrong. The Israelis have offered this, and Arafat wouldn’t sign.

TOTENBERG: The question is how was it split.

KRAUTHAMMER: No. The question is would Arafat or anybody ever sign an agreement that accepts a Jewish state, and for six decades, the answer has been "No."

Indeed it has been, yet media members such as Totenberg ignore this as they continually blame Israel for a lack of peace in the region.

The difference here was Totenberg prefacing her comments by saying, "I can’t argue this with Charles with the same kind of detail and prevail."

Since she proved herself correct with Krauthammer's assistance, one must wonder why she bothered offering an opinion if she herself realized she wasn't necessarily qualified to do so.

Of course, if liberal media members kept their mouths shut when they didn't know what they were talking about, there'd be a lot of dead silent airtime on news programs which would be preferable to the misinformation viewers are typically treated to by the terminally clueless.

[Kenny Bunk]

NPR once existed in order to provide Classical Music and good jazz to the literati, regardless of their political orientation. (Sorta semi-literate American people like me) .

However, this musical mission has gone by the wayside. Instead of Bach, you get bullshiite. Instead of Mozart or even Mingus, you get hour after hour of Marxism. Nina, Mara, Diane Rheem, and the smarmy pansies of the NPR "male" contingent, deliver interminable programming highlighting Democrat Party talking points. They interview Democrats to set them up for oratorical flights of fancy that would do Trotsky proud. They are anti-Christian (Down on Evangelicals, and even more down on gasp ... Catholics), anti-Republican,pro-abortion, anti-gun, pro-Palestinian (and pro-Muslim). Even their info-tainment (Prairie Home Companion, for one, and the Bill Moyers Crap Hours) are thinly veiled propaganda. You wanna be shocked ... SHOCKED I say? Moyers, Keillor, Ken Burns, et al. make MILLIONS .... MILLIONS! from NPR syndication deals. Now, how does that happen?

NPR News? You might as well crank up your Hallicrafters and tune in Pravda re-runs. In Gulf-Coast FL, they decided to put the Classical Music all on one new station, to give more time for Leftie Agit-Prop on the main stations. Guess what? After two years of trying, they can't get a signal out past the station fence!

May the gods strike these broadcast stalinists (except for Klick and Klack, who are Lefties to be sure, but polite about it) with incurable exczema and even more extreme halitosis! But you know what, I'll take back the curse if they interview a Black Republican like Col. West, or this Mitchell fellow in Chicago. Hell, I know it wouldn't be a fair interview ... but it would be progress.

BTW, a couple of the more extreme leftie reporterettes are functionally illiterate. But I have been promised they will say something nice about Pope Francis, if he canonizes St. Trayvon Martin, and burns Zimmerman at the stake.

[EEGator]

I wish they had classical music on only. I would actually listen.

P.S. I enjoyed the rant :)

[pieceofthepuzzle]

You are oh so right. The fact is that the world is way too full of those who are probably a little above average, but not very creative or visionary, who nonetheless define themselves as ‘intellectual’ and who as such are as dangerous as they are ignorant. No group is as destructive as the self convinced.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Kaslin.

The question is would Arafat or anybody ever sign an agreement that accepts a Jewish state, and for six decades, the answer has been "No."

Taxpayers are forced to pay Totenkopf's salary.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Don’t remember all the details, but I think Totenberg was one of a gaggle of thugs working behind the scenes to stop the Thomas nomination - using her press credentials such as they are I believe she got hold of some confidential reports which discussed Anita Hill’s attitude toward Thomas and then joined with others to persuade Hill, who initially did not want to testify, to go public with her stories - a disgraceful and unethical misuse of her position and journalistic privilege......

[okie01]

NPR once existed in order to provide Classical Music and good jazz to the literati, regardless of their political orientation.

It was decades ago, but I once heard the argument made that NPR was necessary because it was the only way that people living (and vacationing) in the Central Adirondacks would ever hear classical music.

[okie01]

"The Israelis don’t want to share Jerusalem. Nobody wants to share Jerusalem. These are very hard issues."

Good Lord! How can one purport to be a serious, well-informed newsperson Washington, D.C. and NOT be aware of the two times that Israel has offered to share Jerusalem.

I would wager that most FReepers remember those occasions with some degree of clarity. And that, both times, Arafat walked away.

She has got to be willingly ignorant not to remember that.

[jmacusa]

Funny. In German ‘’totenkopf’’ means death head.

[Ann Archy]

The fact that Israel was willing to split Jerusalem is one reason they will be DESTROYED some day....just like US...When you show WEAKNESS to a Muslim, they go for the JUGULAR!!!

[Kaslin]

Both, Toten is plural and means the dead, and berg means mountain

[Kaslin]

Both, Toten is plural and means the dead, and berg means mountain

---

Oops I misread, I thought you said Mountain or Dead.

[Kaslin]

Her name isn’t Totenkopf, it’s Totenberg. Now Toten is plural as in the dead and Berg means Mountain. So her name actually translates into Deadmountain which means mountain of the dead

[FreedomPoster]

Yes, I must say, that was nicely done, and completely spot-on.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

You’ve jogged my memory, and you are correct.

[jmacusa]

“Berg’’ is ‘’mountain’’ in German. ‘’kopf’’ is ‘’head’’. ‘’dumbkopf’’ ‘’dumb head’’ or ‘’stupid’’. In WW2 the SS unit that ran the concentration camps were called “Der Totenkopfverbande’’ or “DeathHead Unit’’.

[jmacusa]

Ach so! Du hast recht!