For Every Cool Head, a Thousand Overheated Mouths (As Expected, the Media is Turning on Bush!)

Washington Post ^ | October 29, 2001 | Howard Kurtz

[Timesink]

After six weeks of generally sympathetic coverage, the anthrax-obsessed press is turning on the Bush administration.

In a spate of stories and segments, top officials are being depicted as bumblers who failed to move aggressively against anthrax-tainted mail while offering shifting explanations of the danger.

"They don't know what the hell they're talking about," says Bill Plante, a CBS White House correspondent. "This is a little bit different than the usual press-government dogfight. It's not that they're trying to withhold information; they don't know much."

[Timesink]

The rest of the article is available here. This is a must-read piece; you gotta see the nastiness that is building amongst the press.

[Wphile]

I didn't even read it. All I can say is "screw 'em." If the stupid press wasn't badgering these guys all day for some sort of "news" then maybe everyone could settle down and figure this mess out. It is unchartered waters and the press cries for answers. They say, "just tell us you don't know" and when they get "we don't know" the press screams..."they don't know!!!! EGADs, run for the hills." God, I hate the press.

[Ironword]

Problem is, on top of the anthrax attack being something new, we're dealing with a still-Clintonized CDC. The broom has not yet swept the various activists, incompetents, and other patronees from the ranks of the organization.

[Utah Girl]

The press needs to back off and let the President do his job. This second guessing and saying the government is wrong from hindsight is horrible. And yet the American people still support President Bush overwhelmingly. I read somewhere today that the only people who are panicked are the press in DC.

[reloader]

Diane Sawyer interviewed Bin Laden last Thursday ?How the hell does that work.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

what did he say?

[what's up]

The administration has done a first-class job of moving in quickly to defend against the anthrax threat. In addition, their skill at managing a message which is calming, yet calls people to be alert couldn't be better IMO.

The press are a bunch of hyenas and they have been getting on my nerves BAD the last week or so.

[det dweller too]

I remember many years ago someone made the point that the high, lofty, prestigeous field of journalism is nothing more than formalized gossiping. It stands to reason that they behave like gossips, and you should view then accordingly.

[P-Marlowe]

The press is kind to Bush when compared to what some of the Freepers have been saying lately. Its not just the liberal press that is turning on bush, it is the far right as well. He cannot please anyone. That tells me he's probably doing everything right.

[MoJo2001]

I really don't like Howie. He gets on my nerves. As if we expected the media to stick with Bush. We aren't stupid Howie. If you want some media brainwashers, check out DU.

[KC_Conspirator]

For every "blood of the WTC victims on their hands", anti-American liberal press whore there is 1000 patriots.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

On CNBC some clown was saying that the administration said this war would be short and, yet, it is not over, despite the fact that Bush, Rimsfield, Powell, et al., have all said it would take a long time. The press puts words in Bush's mouth and then they say he was wrong about something they said, not him. Nothing has changed.

[reloader]

The Article the link points to states Diane Sawyer interviewed bin laden last Thursday.

[Imperial Warrior]

PISS on the media. When the hell since WWII have these sons of bitches EVER been on America's side? I say draft every damned one of them.

[kingh99]

The press were told at the onset this would be a long drawn out war. It was spelled out letter by letter. So what does the press do, start carping after great victories haven't been had in 3 weeks.

These clowns are starved for a story which means they don't know what is going on the war front, which means ---->good.

They need to shut the hell up about the constant updates on "civilians" casualties in Afghanistan. They are giving comfort to the enemy, the unpatriotic bastards.

[lowbridge]

"They don't know what the hell they're talking about," says Bill Plante, a CBS White House correspondent

Oh, and you do, Bill?

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

yes, but what did he say? (all lies for sure.)

[Penny1]

The real problem is, they're not finding any dirt...

They can't find any coverups, they can't find any dirty little secrets in how the administration is handling things currently, so all they can do is rail about this or that. When Rumsfeld says, "yes, no or we don't know" that pretty much stops the question cold, and no matter how much badgering they do, they can't get anything different out of them.

If the press is that hot about whining, they ought to go back and investigate how the Clinton Administration got us into such a state of vulnerability to attack in the first place. But then, that would mean trashing their own liberal side...

It's about time the media started growing, changing and actually doing something useful...

-penny

[tjg]

I think they mean the bin Laden sister in law.