Free Republic

Of all the things that might give you comfort in the wake of Nidal Malik Hasan's murderous rampage, where would you rate the news that the military's commitment to "diversity" endures? Down there, dare I guess? Ah, but you're probably not part of the MSM elite. Chrystia Freeland is. And on today's Morning Joe, the Financial Times editor did indeed announce that she was "comforted" by that very fact of the military's unflagging devotion to diversity. Joe Scarborough countered Chrystia with a tough question. And--sacré bleu!--Mike Barnicle, not normally an NB fave, made some very blunt and on-target observations ....

Mike Allen has tried to throw a bucket of cold water on Doug Hoffmann's candidacy. Again. Yesterday, as noted here, Allen said Republicans would be "crazy" and "suicidal" to support the conservative in the special congressional election in New York's 23rd CD. Today, Politico's chief political correspondent has claimed that a Hoffman victory would spell "chaos" in Republican ranks. And check the video for Mike Barnicle making an elitist crack about the upstate NY district, and Chuck Todd trying to embarrass RNC Chairman Michael Steele . . . View video here.

Rush made them do it! In one of the more absurd, if creative, defenses of the MSM yet, Mike Barnicle has blamed the media’s liberal bias on its reaction to “talk radio.” Morning Joe actually got off to a refreshing start today, with Mika Brzezinski frankly acknowledging that the MSM leans heavily left, that she herself tends to vote Dem, and that the liberal media needs to diversify politically, bringing in more conservatives. Mika even implied that the only politically diverse news network is . . . Fox! It was Joe Scarborough’s recent personal brush with liberal media bias that...

German linguists might have to add a couple syllables to “schadenfreude” to capture the sentiments of those observing the NY Times/Boston Globe death match. People aren’t just revelling in the papers’ misfortune anymore. They can now simultaneously delight in the Times’ hypocrisy. On today’s Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle blasted the NY Times as the “most hypocritical media company in the world” for what he sees as the Gray Lady’s bullying of the employees at its subsidiary, the Boston Globe. View video here.

It was a classic case of lèse majesté, and it left Andrea Mitchell fuming. The NBC correspondent, first on Today and later on Morning Joe, expressed outrage over the unkind words about Caroline Kennedy that New York Governor David Paterson let leak after JFK’s daughter withdrew her name from consideration for appointment to Hillary’s open Senate seat. There was a whiff of the liberal elite circling the wagons around one of their own to the way Mitchell, with an assist from Mike Barnicle, went about denouncing David Paterson. MIKA BRZEZINSKI: So Andrea, how would you characterize the emotions that the...

“When they say ‘talk radio,’ they mean Rush” — promo for Rush Limbaugh show. If Rush is right, and he usually is, then Mike Barnicle believes that Rush and/or his listeners represent a clear and present danger to Pres. Obama justifying extraordinary security measures. An argument broke out on Morning Joe today over the very restrictive measures adopted for the inaugural. Tucker Carlson, ever the libertarian, led the charge on behalf of an approach less intrusive on the right of citizens to circulate. Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan generally sided with Tucker, with Joe recounting the story of how when...

My therapist told me to take two shots at Chris Matthews and call him in the morning . . . Mike Barnicle is back to looking down his nose at bloggers. After Mika Brzezinski declared on today's Morning Joe that "blogging isn't journalism," the former Boston Globe columnist declared that "95%, 99% of blogging isn't journalism. It's therapy for the blogger." View video here.

This whole Blago-Obama business. Really, it's just too ineffably tedious for a journalist of Mike Barnicle's standing. Can't we just move on? So seemed the Morning Joe panelist's attitude today. Mika Brzezinski received Barnicle's blasé response to her question about possible interactions between Blago and Rahm Emanuel. [H/t tip reader Ray R.] View video here.

President and Mrs. Bush couldn't be handling the transition more graciously. But rather than celebrating the peaceful transfer of power that is the hallmark of our democracy, Hardball has announced a new feature, "Final Daze," intended to mock W as we count down his last weeks in office. Mike Barnicle, sitting in for Chris Matthews, announced the new segment on this evening's show. MIKE BARNICLE: And that brings us to a new, regular item we're starting tonight called "Final Daze." President Bush has 57 days left in office, and many are asking "where's Dubya?" With the economy tanking and the...

Mike Barnicle, come on up here and accept this morning's Lanny Davis Award for shameless defense of the indefensible. You've earned it. Not merely did the Morning Joe panelist excuse Barack Obama's nasty jab at Nancy Reagan, he actually claimed that we need more of those kind of "jokes" from our presidents. Joe Scarborough began the discussion by asserting that whereas mayors, governors and other lesser officials can get away with what Obama said about the former First Lady, it is unbecoming in the mouth of a president. The Morning Joe host also suggested that had George W. Bush made...

Has Mike Barnicle called Sarah Palin stupid? Seems that way. In a Huffington Post column that Mika Brzezinski read on today's Morning Joe, Barnicle, referring to Palin, wrote of the: "preposterous pronouncements of a woman whose candidacy is an insult to intelligence." Let's deconstruct. The normal formulation is to speak of something being an "insult to our intelligence" in the sense of asserting something that is obviously unbelievable. For example, you might say Barack Obama insulted our intelligence when he claimed against all evidence during this week's debate that his only tie to ACORN is his past representation of the...

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean to suggest Mike Barnicle's nearly as deep in the tank for Obama as Chris Matthews, for whom he subbed for on tonight's Hardball. Mike's actually refreshingly down-the-middle compared to the regular host. Still, when at the very end of this evening's show Mike asked a question of Jill Zuckman, the Chicago Tribune reporter on the Palin beat, wondering [hoping?] whether the wild enthusiasm for Sarah has run its course, he got an answer that I don't quite think he was expecting. View video here.

The Barnicle clan should be grateful Mike landed the MSNBC gig. It could have been tough making ends meet had he chosen a career in used-car sales. I base that on some hilarious footage from today's Morning Joe, as Mike failed to persuade a Hillary fan to back Barack. And don't miss Mike Murphy's brilliant analysis of Hillary's speech, at the end. At 7:35 AM EDT, a Hillary supporter, Judy Duval of Fort Collins, CO, was brought by the set, still sporting her Hillary button. Under questioning from Joe Scarborough, Judy said that Hillary's speech was great but hadn't convinced...

Keith Olbermann has forgotten the figure-skating judge's cardinal rule: be sparing in the marks you award early contestants, to leave room for the favorites who perform at the end. After his gushing appraisals of Michelle Obama's and Hillary's convention speeches, how can Olbermann possibly top it in his praise of Biden's and Obama's to come? Mixing metaphors here, let's compare the baseball-analogy grades that the Morning Joe crew gave Hillary's speech at show-opening today with Olbermann's assessment of last night. As you'll see, they range from solid single to Keith's grand slam. View video here.

If the aphorism de mortuis nil nisi bonum instructs us to speak only good of those who have passed away, perhaps there is a corrollary applicable to those facing a dread disease. While I am thus somewhat reluctant to do so, I cannot let pass without comment Mike Barnicle's words about Ted Kennedy on today's Morning Joe. MIKE BARNICLE: Last night when he came out, it was clearly a bittersweet experience. There was a tinge of sadness to it, to be frank about it. He's an enormously courageous man . . . You know, I've encountered very few people of...

Be with you in a sec. Gotta finish this bag of Cheetos. Man, what a mess down here in Mom's basement. Let's see, where were we? Barnicle. Right. Bloggers. Doesn't think much of us. On this evening's Hardball, decrying the decline of bi-partisanship, Barnicle put much of the blame on the blogosphere. Subbing for Chris Matthews, Barnicle had as his guest historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. The jumping off point was a clip of Obama saying he could imagine naming McCain as his head of Homeland Security. Barnicle wondered whether that was feasible in what he sees as a hyper-partisan age,...

Q. How can Scott McClellan tell he's pushed his turncoat trip a tad too far? A. When even leading media liberals suggest his reputation's in tatters. Say what you will, but I like Joan Walsh, editor of Salon.com. Liberal? No doubt. But also a grownup. On this evening's Hardball, Walsh had the integrity to acknowledge that by accusing Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly of regurgitating Bush White House talking points, McClellan was looking "worse for wear." View video here.

Between now and Election Day, we're sure to see--and chronicle at NB--plenty of MSM sycophancy for Barack Obama. But between the thrills going up assorted media legs, evidence is emerging that some in the media are beginning to assess the Dem candidate in a clearer light. Take for example, Gabriel Sherman's piece at the New Republic which as its title—End of the Affair—suggests, has as its thesis that at least for some of its members, the MSM's puppy-love stage might be coming to an end. Today comes Howard Fineman's admission, hesitant as it might be, and mitigated by his suggestion...

Mike Barnicle has some campaign advice for John McCain: don't say anything bad about Barack. The former Boston Globe columnist, with a heartfelt second from Mika Brzezinski, wants the world to know that he's heard enough about Reverends Wright and Pfleger, not to mention Bill Ayers, and thinks McCain would "win a few points" for staying away from all that stuff and concentrating on the important issues facing Americans—like better batteries. Barnicle made his suggestion on today's Morning Joe in commenting on an audio clip of Obama warning a crowd this past Friday that the Republicans will, among other misdemeanors,...

Q. What's weaker than playing the "taken out of context" card? A. Digging yourself deeper with the supposedly exculpatory explanation. Mike Barnicle managed the Daily Double today with his mishandling of the flap over the way he described Hillary back in January. Barnicle was on Morning Joe, and discussion turned to a New York Times article, Media Charged With Sexism in Clinton Coverage, that mentioned his remarks. View video here.

You pathetic little people of the blogosphere. You're nothing more than "nitwits at home with [your] computers" who've deluded yourselves into imagining you're "part of the news media." Just ask Mike Barnicle. The former Boston Globe columnist broke the tough truth to us on today's Morning Joe. WaPo editorial writer Jonathan Capehart was "so glad" to agree. Capehart was in full courtier mode to Mika Brzezinski, anchoring the show during Joe Scarborough's extended absence awaiting the birth of a child home in Florida. When executive producer Chris Licht read a viewer email critical of Mika, Capehart leapt to her defense,...

Looking to sample the political opinions of regular Americans? What better cross-section than the denizens of MSM newsrooms! That seems to be Mike Barnicle's attitude, at least. The former Boston Globe columnist-turned-MSNBC contributor is guest-hosting for Chris Matthews on this afternoon's "Hardball." Chatting with guests Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post and Holly Bailey of Newsweek, talk turned to the topic of Americans' desire for political change. At one point Barnicle made this observation: MIKE BARNICLE: The force for change that's out there, if you talk to regular people, people like me, people like you, the idea that they want...

In a surprising turn of events, Mike Barnicle withdrew from the running for the morning-drive slot on talk radio station WTKK-FM (96.9) yesterday. Citing a full plate of other projects, Barnicle said he’s dropping out of the race to fill the spot left vacant by disgraced host Don Imus. Barnicle is also forfeiting his regular slot on WTKK. “At the end of the day, it requires so much time, so much energy, I couldn’t do justice to it,” Barnicle said. Previous commitments to NBC would make it too difficult to host the morning slot from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m....

Corporate America has spoken tonight. After a growing pullout by Madison Avenue's major national advertisers, NBC Universal has decided to end Don Imus' radio show simulcast on its cable TV all-news channel MSNBC effective immediately. TV simulcast cancellation comes after top advertisers which included Wall Street's finest - General Motors, American Express, Sprint Nextel, TD Waterhouse, GlaxoSmithKline, Staples, P&G and Bigelow Tea Company all pulled out of the show, and others had asked MSNBC to shift their spots elsewhere on the cable news channel's schedule. Some of the advertisers indicated that the pullout wouldn't be permanent but MSNBC wasn't willing...

Guest hosting this afternoon's Hardball, Mike Barnicle claimed to decry the politics surrounding the Iraq Study Group's report. But when it comes to political cheap shots, does it get much lower than this comment by Barnicle himself? "Since the report was issued, I think 19 Americans have been killed in Iraq. Does anybody really think about that at the top level here today in terms of the report? Is it all just the politics of it?" View video here.To his credit, John Harwood of the WSJ and CNBC didn't buy into Barnicle's cynical take: "No, no. I think people do...

No Chris Matthews, no problem. The regular host of MSNBC's Hardball might be taking a post-election break, but the show hasn't missed a beat when it comes to liberal bias. We detailed here the sycophantish performance that last week's substitute host David Shuster put on with guest Jimmy Carter. With John Kerry as his guest, this evening's substitute host Mike Barnicle kept the Matthews' anti-Bush flame burning.Barnicle offered guest John Kerry this distinctly negative multiple choice test to explain President Bush's Iraq policy: "Is the president delusional, is he isolated, is he stubborn, is he all of the above, none...

by Mark Finkelstein August 4, 2006 - 21:39 John Fund of the good old Wall Street Journal talking up the impact of the blogs on the Dem Connecticut primary. Mega-blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of the Daily Kos talking it down. The odd couple, guests on this evening's Hardball, engaged in some serious media gender-bending. Fund went first, and overflowed with praise for the role the blogs have played in the race: Fund: "I think [the blogs' impact has] been very significant. I offer a tip of the hat to them. They have taken the former vice-presidential candidate and created a...

by Mark Finkelstein June 23, 2006 Even before the evidence on Haditha is in, Jack Murtha was ready to accuse American Marines of 'cold-blooded' killings. But let terrorists plan to kill Americans, and - what do you know? - liberals are quick to ascribe their acts to everything from poverty to insanity. Norah O'Donnell was the guest host on this evening's Hardball. Discussing the arrest of seven alleged domestic terrorists charged with plotting to blow up the Sears Tower among other targets, O'Donnell asked her panel of 'Hardball Hotshots': "where is this hatred coming from?" Mike Barnicle was first to...

MATTHEWS: Do you find her physically attractive, Tucker? CARLSON: I‘m not going to answer that, because the answer, I don‘t want to hurt anybody‘s feelings. That‘s not the point. MATTHEWS: Positively. COSBY: Don‘t ask me that question. MATTHEWS: Mike, do you want to weigh in here as an older fellow. Do you find her to be a physically attractive woman? BARNICLE: I‘m too old to be doing that. I had enough fights in my life. MATTHEWS: OK, Rita, do you find her to be a physically attractive woman? COSBY: I‘ll throw it back to you, Chris, do you find her...

Just want to bring to you attention some names you used after 9/11 on the radio. You talked of John Vigiano a father of two that lost his sons John a fire fighter and Joe a police officer. My question to you is "What happened to you?" Do you even realize that most of these 9/11 family members that you felt proud to broadcast and associate yourself with are still strong supporters of our President and his leadership (including Iraq?) I would know because I met many of them as friends of my family. Problem with this war is many...

BOSTON - Mike Barnicle, a former Boston Globe columnist who resigned in 1998 because he was unable to verify facts in a column, said he will stop writing his regular column for the Globe's rival, The Boston Herald. Barnicle, who had a year remaining on his contract with the Herald, said he asked publisher Patrick Purcell about a month ago whether he could leave the paper to work on another writing project. The paper's financial woes also contributed to his decision, he said. "At the back of my mind, I didn't want people who have been there for 25 years...

"The inked fingers was disgusting," Air America radio talk show host Janeane Garofalo declared on MSNBC in denouncing Republican lawmakers who, before and after the State of the Union, showed off an inked finger meant to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqi voters who dipped a finger in ink when they voted. To mock the display, Garofalo soon held up her hand in a Nazi salute as she predicted: "The inked fingers and the position of them, which is gonna be a Daily Show photo already, of them signaling in this manner [Nazi salute], as if they have solidarity with the Iraqis...

This is a story about a small town in Kansas, a sprawling borough called the Bronx, a dead New York City firefighter and a long-distance love that represents the huge heart of America. The tale begins tragically on 9/11 when a handsome young firefighter named Joe Spor, assigned to Ladder 38, Rescue 3 in the Bronx, dies, leaving a wife, Colleen, and four children, the oldest 9, the youngest merely 9 months. In Anthony, Kan., John Schott watched the horrific events. He is the mayor of the town, a village actually of 2,300 people, and he was stunned. "I wanted...

Wounded GI rebuilds his ravaged life By Mike Barnicle Recent Columns by Mike Barnicle Tuesday, March 9, 2004 He was sitting on the couch in the living room of his mother's house in Brockton, a tough, old city where many people once made a fine living with their hands. His wife sat next to him while their two children, a daughter 6 and a boy, 19 months, were in the kitchen, laughing as their grandmother fed them. ``What's tough for you to do?'' Peter Damon, 31, was asked. He thought for a second, looked out the window toward something only...

Mike Barnicle, the hard-hitting veteran journalist whose lively commentary has engaged and informed New Englanders for almost 30 years, is returning to the Boston newspaper scene as a columnist for the Boston Herald, Publisher Patrick J. Purcell announced today. Purcell said that Barnicle, who has been a columnist for the New York Daily News for the past five years, serves as a commentator on national and local news programs and hosts his own radio talk show, will join the Boston Herald as a featured columnist every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning tomorrow. ``It's not every day that you have an opportunity...

I don't know why I kept the papers. It wasn't exactly a day to shout, "Stop the presses!" It was just another ordinary Monday: Sept. 10, 2001. Looking back, some of the stories seem almost comical in their lack of any frame of reference to today's news. A piece on Gary Condit - the California congressman linked to a missing intern - and his legal and political strategy. The Jets were beaten by the Colts. Barry Bonds hit three homers in a single game. At the U.S. Open, Venus Williams beat her sister Serena to win the title. There was...

I've always been big on privacy. My passion for the topic has its roots in the fact I grew up in a household where someone - one of my brothers, my grandmother, my grandfather, my aunt, my uncle, my mother or father - was always barging into the one small bathroom we all shared. Speed was a necessity. Three of us, the boys in the family, slept in the same room. The phone was a party line. Clothes were handed down. Baseball gloves were shared. The neighbors were as close as a hand reaching out the window. Arguments could be...

Thursday, May 15, 2003 -- from andrewsullivan.com: IN HIS OWN WORDS: Howell Raines has written about journalistic lapses in the past. Here's his August 13, 1998, jeremiad after the Mike Barnicle affair: At this newspaper and others, people have been dismissed for making things up. The Times, The Globe and The Washington Post have all given lesser punishments to reporters for failing to attribute material first used in other publications' news articles. The Globe's vacillation in a case that combines borrowing and lack of candor with the editors illustrates a general rule. Public respect for newspapering is wounded when rules...