Skip to comments.

Posted on 09/17/2001 10:57:04 AM PDT by kahoutek

Overall, the American media’s coverage of the recent terrorist atrocities has reflected well on them. However, and there’s always a ‘however’ when dealing with some reporters and media anchors, there were appalling exceptions. Those who used the atrocities to vent their hatred of Bush exposed themselves as callous political bigots. There’s a huge difference between criticizing, even in error, the president and trying to subvert him. The latter, in my opinion, amounts to giving aid and comfort to the enemy — i.e., treason.

Let readers judge for themselves — except for those who follow the Chomsky line that America is a terrorist state and so had it coming. When interviewing Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf about the bombings Tom Brokaw couldn’t help but insinuate that Bush was responsible for the atrocities because he was “negligent” regarding “the Mideast peace process.” So all that Bush had to do to avert an act of war against the United States was to make Israel commit national suicide, because that seems to be the only thing that will satisfy so-called Palestinians and their Western-hating supporters.

Just to show how patriotic it really is, the New York Times had the loathsome Maureen McDowd insinuating that Bush was a coward because she and her leftwing media buddies didn’t know where he was. (A Newsday editorial pushed the same line). She then described how “chilling” it was “to see how unprepared those in charge” seemed to be. Maybe that’s because the leftwing papers like the New York Times, the rag that pays her, and its Democratic allies have spent years waging war against America’s intelligence agencies. This is the very point that Tom Clancy made to Judy Woodruff about our defenses when she interviewed him. The fatuous Woodruff responded with the pompous assertion that the media didn’t take sides on intelligence agencies. And this is the same bigoted idiot who erupted with “But that’s spying” when Clancy said America would have to “infiltrate” its enemies organizations. Perhaps this media moron would prefer more atrocities.

Of course Dowd is not the only one at the Times who abandoned patriotism — if she ever had any — in favor of partisanship. R.W. Apple Jr’s story was titled: Bush Presidency Seems to Gain Legitimacy was written in an attempt to belittle Bush and impugn “his capacity for the job”. Evidently the Times and most of its staff are still refusing to accept Bush as president. Okay, if that’s how that scurvy bunch want to behave, it’s their choice. But for Junior to use the terrorist raids on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to cast aspersions on the President Bush’s legitimacy is an outrage. (The Times is not alone in attacking the president’s legitimacy. During the National Prayer Service Peter Jennings called Clinton “President Clinton”).

Despite the gravity of the situation and the suffering of the victims, the New York Times even used the atrocity to attack Bush’s national missile defense proposals, just as CNN did. Ignoring this paper’s sickening lack of sensitivity (one of its favorite words) what does it think these fanatics would do if they got their hands on a nuclear missile? But the likes of the Times thinks it incredible that anyone could rationally disagree them.

Robert Wright did likewise in Bill Gates’ magazine online Slate, arguing that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon proved the futility of missile defense. It’s as if this little left-winger (I refuse to simply call his ilk liberals — because they are not real liberals at all) couldn’t wait to use the dead and the dying to attack proposals for an advanced national defense system. Being a good internationalist Wright argues against “unilateral American action”. This is leftwing code for: “The US is a bully-boy who cannot be trusted to act alone, even in self-defense.” Perhaps Gates should fire him. The Bush-hating Albert R. Hunt of The Wall Street Journal also shares Wright’s views, recalling how Clinton’s missile raid on bin Laden failed. That it was not meant to succeed is not a thought that struck Hunt.

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman felt the need to attack Bush for his lack of eloquence (even mass murder cannot deter this lot from political nitpicking) asserting “he did not look larger than life”. “Larger than life”! Now what’s that supposed to mean? Bush looked the way he is supposed to look — presidential. The Los Angeles ‘Socialist’ Times’ Howard Rosenberg played the same theme when he argued that Bush “lacked size in front of the camera when he should have been commanding,” going so far as to vindictively describe Bush as looking “like a little boy”. And what would have given, in Rosenberg’s opinion, Bush a “commanding” presence? Believe it or not, the persona of a “national anchorman.” The journalistic arrogance of these leftwing media monkeys is truly unbelievable at times.

Peter Jennings ABC News also tried to advance the McDowd line that Bush went into hiding after the bombing. Running abreast of the weaselly Jennings was Mary McGrory from the Washington Post who pompously declared that “He [President Bush] allowed himself to be hauled about the country like a fugitive to bunkers at Air Force bases in Louisiana and Nebraska”. Maliciously adding: “He might have reflected that if Washington wasn’t safe for him, it wasn’t safe for the rest of us.”

That it was known at the time that Bush had rejected security advice not to return to Washington did not faze McGrory one little bit, once again demonstrating the left’s contempt for the truth. Not far behind this pack was the reptilian Ellis Henican, a Clinton worshipper and a reporter with the leftwing Long Island Newsday who stated: “Mostly, George W. Bush has been keeping his head down, staying out of harm’s way. He certainly hasn’t shown his face around here.”

It’s now known that security believed that Air Force One and the White House were terrorist targets. And that’s why Bush was delayed. Even this information was questioned. In an exchange with Peter Jennings Claire Shipman asserted that some people on the Hill think that Bush was really afraid to return to the White House. Jennings, of course, supported her with the phony observation that “we’re all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington.” I say phony because Jennings never exhibited any skepticism when Clinton was president. Even though the above information has been confirmed, the likes of Jennings and Shipman have not offered their President an apology. (Incidentally, this is the same sensitive Jennings who interrupted the Wednesday morning prayers that were being offered by the House and Senate chaplains).

Now note the knee-jerk reaction of these media personalities, their willingness to immediately assume the worst of Bush, not even bothering to checkout their prejudiced assumptions. Can anyone honestly tell me these hacks are not bigoted? And there are, unfortunately, hundreds of others. The likes of Andrea Mitchell NBC’s Campbell Brown, Dan Rather, Katie Couric and Brian Williams are just the tip of a very big iceberg that our editor, Gerry Jackson, calls America’s fifth column.

T-SHIRTS</a href>

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.