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<p>NEW YORK — NBC News reporter Luke Russert said he made a "dumb" misstatement on the "Today" show Wednesday when he suggested that smart people supported Barack Obama for president.</p> <p>Almost immediately, Russert took a hazing in the Web world. Wrote Tim Graham of the conservative Media Research Center on the NewsBusters blog: "Out of the mouths of young, untrained reporters come the unspoken beliefs of the liberal media."</p>

NBC's "Today Show" this morning covered the battleground state of Virginia, and interviewed a family named "The Jansen's" from Leesburg, VA. Until recently, Ann Jansen and her husband Stacey (sp?) had been 'undecided' between Obama or McCain, but have now opted on voting for Obama. What the piece fails to point out is that Ann Jansen is a bigtime Democratic campaign official/contributor in Loudoun County, VA, or as someone in the D.C. Radio & Television blog pointed out this morning: "Today show gets duped!!! On the Today Show they highlighted a Leesburg, VA family who claimed to be a family...

He may have lost his Today Show gig but it was probably worth it.

Add Monica Conyers's name to that list of Dems run afoul of the law whose party affiliation the MSM fails to mention. The Detroit City Council President Pro Tem, a Democrat and an Obama supporter, has made unwelcome headlines before, from getting into an argument with an eight-grader to allegedly threatening to shoot an aide to the Detroit mayor. Now things have taken a turn for the worse. According to the Detroit News in an article today entitled Bribe probe ensnarls Conyers: "Federal investigators have electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers with...

Thursday’s "Today Show" gave yet another demonstration that the mainstream media can’t get over the success of Rush Limbaugh. NBC correspondent Michael Okwu, reporting on Limbaugh’s new contract, which the New York Times has indicated is worth $400 million, "reminded" viewers of three past "controversies" involving the talk radio host: his 2003 resignation from ESPN after remarking on the sport media’s coverage of NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb; how Limbaugh mocked Michael J. Fox, "accusing the actor of exaggerating symptoms of Parkinson's Disease;" and the legal trouble he faced in Florida related to his addiction to prescription painkillers. On this "doctor...

If you would like to see the whole video of Scott McClownan reminding us all just what a shaky and incompetent public speaker he always was, please click on the link. He claims to still have great affection for President Bush. Good luck with that. I'd like to hear Ari make the rounds to talk about what a liar his deputy press secretary is.

What legitimate journalistic purpose did this serve? In a segment narrated by Pete Williams on the apparent suicide of Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the so-called DC Madam, this morning's Today played the tape of the 911 phone call made by Pelfrey's 76-year old mother, who had discovered her daughter's body. Of all the 911 calls I've heard, this was the most anguished and heart-rending.

NEW YORK - First lady Laura Bush will be "guest host" for an hour of NBC's "Today" show next week. The network said she'll host the 9 a.m. EDT hour April 22, the morning of the Pennsylvania primary. By that time in the four-hour morning show, politics is usually set aside for issues that affect women, who make up the majority of the audience during that time period. Mrs. Bush will participate in several segments and interviews, NBC said Tuesday.

When is a billion-dollar loss a bonanza? When the person suffering it is one of those greedy Wall Street types the MSM loves to hate. Check out how, in opening this morning's show, Today cast the situation of Bear Stearns Chairman James Cayne: MATT LAUER: Payday! His company imploded and thousands of stockholders went bust, but the Chairman of Bear Stearns cashes in and gets $61 million dollars. Will there be a backlash? Watching the intro, I assumed the Chairman, despite Bears' fall, had received some kind of bonus or golden handshake. But it wasn't until Maria Bartiromo came on...

Here in Ithaca and no doubt in other liberal bastions across the land, you can still see cars festooned with those bitter bumper stickers: "Re-Defeat Bush!" and "Bush: Selected, Not Elected!" Those sentiments remain reflected in an MSM still smarting from Florida 2000. All of which made Ann Curry's words on this morning's Today, announcing the ascendancy of Raul Castro in Cuba, so ironic. ANN CURRY: In the news this morning, we begin with Cuba and its new president in nearly half a century. Raul Castro was officially chosen on Sunday to take over from his brother Fidel who announced...

"It's not a very long run. It'll be over by February 5." -- Hillary Clinton, 'This Week,' Dec. 30, 2007. That was Hillary less than two months ago. Here she was on this morning's Today. MEREDITH VIEIRA: So no matter what happens in Texas and Ohio, you will go on. HILLARY CLINTON: Well Meredith, I don't make predictions. I never have, I never will. I just get up every day and, you know, do the best I can to let people know what I have done and what I am doing and what I will do. If it's true, as...

Call it Today's homage to John Lennon: imagine there're no conservatives. The NBC show so much enjoyed the conservative-free citizens panel it hosted back in November that it brought it back this morning. As I wrote about at the time, two timid Republicans were pitted against two partisan Dems. In November, one of the "Republicans," Susie O'Neil, claimed that the country is in decline due to the war "and because corporations are totally influencing our Members of Congress and the Senate." Call Susie a Michael Moore Republican. The other Republican on the panel back then, Sarah Hungerford, said she was...

On this Super Sunday, it's fitting I suppose that Mike Huckabee would be out there blocking and tackling for Team McCain. Appearing on this morning's Today show, the former Arkansas governor made a pro forma claim that he's still running for president and not the veep slot. But Huckabee certainly seemed to be acting as what Mark Steyn described in a recent Hugh Hewitt interview as McCain's "wing man." Consider Huckabee's reply to a question from Sunday co-host Jenna Wolfe [a resident, coincidentally, of Chappaqua, NY, home to Bill and Hillary.] Video at link.

On this morning’s Today show, NBC’s David Gregory challenged Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards about his vote for the Iraq war, his relative lack of experience, and his divisive us-vs-them rhetoric. But Gregory had absolutely no reaction when Edwards grandly claimed that his phone call to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in the hours after the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto “was a calming influence” that helped stabilize an “international crisis” and was proof he is “ready for the Presidency.” “We just had this, this international crisis in Pakistan that is still ongoing. And my response to that was...

Could it have been just a couple days ago that Chris Matthews claimed that the media had made a "mascot" out of Mike Huckabee? You wouldn't know it from this morning's Today show. Weekend host Lester Holt kicked off the show's political segment by implying that among presidential candidates, Huckabee was the big loser in his handling of the Pakistani situation. LESTER HOLT: The murder of Benazir Bhutto is having a big impact on the presidential race here in this country, where we now stand just five days from the first contest, in Iowa, and it's forcing Republican Mike Huckabee...

NBC says some find bookcase and Christmas lights offensive Candidate wishing voters Merry Christmas upsets some folks The latest effort to spread the idea that religion has no place in the public square comes as a response to a TV spot produced by presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. I urge you to watch the two video clips I have placed in this e-mail. First, is the ad by former Governor Huckabee wishing people a Merry Christmas. Click here to watch the 30-second ad. Next, is a clip from the Today Show (Dec. 18), hosted by Meredith Vieira, on which Governor...

When David Gregory grilled Hillary Clinton on Today on December 17th, the challenges to her came from his own mouth. Not once was a statement by Barack Obama used to confront Hillary. But when Barack Obama made back-to-back appearances this morning on Today and Morning Joe, again and again tough questions were posed not in the first person but as coming from Hillary Clinton or her surrogates. View video here.

Discussing the controversy surrounding his latest campaign ad and the broader issue of his invocation of religion in his political campaign, the normally good-natured Mike Huckabee turned . . . cross on this morning's Today. And while contending he wanted to promote a kinder tone at this time of year, the candidate came prepared to take some pointed shots at Mitt Romney. View video here.

It's official: Time magazine hates Dick Cheney. Last week, I noted here that two of Time's Top 10 Editorial Cartoons of 2007, including it's # 1 pick, took shots at the Vice-President. This morning, two Time editors turned up on the Today show to discuss more picks from Time's collection of 50 Top 10 lists and, speaking of taking shots . . . . View video here. Today weekend anchor Amy Robach's guest was Time's Arts & Entertainment Editor Belinda Luscombe [pictured below]. After discussing the Top Song of the year ["Rehab" by defiant druggy Amy Winehouse] and Top Gadget...

A Google alert this morning brought an article about a speech in which NBC's Lester Holt claimed that he and his MSM colleagues "are perfectly capable of putting [their] personal bias aside." Holt went to state that "the level of organized attacks against news organizations from the blogosphere and even from competitors in recent years is unprecedented and disturbing." Less than an hour later there was Holt on the Today show . . . which proceeded to run a segment typifying the very kind of bias he claims the MSM is "perfectly capable" of putting aside.

How overmatched were the two lukewarm-at-best Republicans that "Today" threw in against two partisan Dems this morning? If NBC Sunday Night Football scheduled this unfair a fight, Al Michaels would be calling the play-by-play of the Little Sisters of Mercy against the New England Patriots. The Today show's farce of a "voter panel" was invited to discuss politics and the state of the country this morning. With tens of millions of voters to choose from, NBC can of course contrive any cross-section it wants. So the views expressed by the participants say relatively little about the mood of the country...

Quick -- somebody check. Did Al Gore win his Nobel prize for "peace," or did it perhaps come in a new Nobel category: comedy? You really have to wonder in the wake of his side-splitting appearance on this morning's "Today." Al, that inveterate card, actually claimed that the MSM's coverage of global warming is . . . too balanced. View video here.

Given his show's modest ratings, it's unlikely that Keith Olbermann would be in a position to make a multi-million dollar donation to charity anytime soon. But let's imagine he did. Do you think that, in a segment on a related subject, NBC might find a moment to mention Olbermann's generosity? So do I. But "Today" managed to get through its report this morning about Rush Limbaugh's auctioning off of the Harry Reid letter . . . without mentioning that Rush has publicly pledged to match the $2.1 million winning bid. View video here.

Iraqi ethnic cleansing, a "positive thing"? That's what Barack Obama seemed to say on this morning's "Today." The Dem presidential contender spoke with substitute co-anchor David Gregory on the heels of Meredith Vieira's ill-tempered interview of Condoleezza Rice.View video here. DAVID GREGORY: You heard Secretary Rice say there is progress in Iraq that cannot be ignored. She spoke about when, not if, the United States prevails in Iraq. Do you see it that way?BARACK OBAMA: I think it's important to understand that after two days of testimony [by Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker], here's the bottom line: that having put...

"Today" newsreader Ann Curry managed to work a not-so-subtle shot at President Bush into her news recap this morning. ANN CURRY: The U.S. military is reporting that seven U.S. troops were killed on Thursday, four Marines in fighting in Anbar Province, where President Bush hailed gains in security this week, and three soldiers who died in a roadside bombing in northern Iraq. Their deaths bring the U.S. toll to 3,750 since the war began. Yes, Ann, the war is not over in al-Anbar and elsewhere in Iraq. Marines and other members of our military continue to make heroic sacrifices. That...

align="right" />No matter how obscure the corner of our culture it might be covering, the MSM often manages to inject its politics. And so it was on this morning's "Today," on what had been shaping up to be a harmless feature on ventriloquists. NBC's Brian Balthazar narrated the segment, which focused on a ventriloquists' convention in Kentucky. At one point, this dialogue between a ventriloquist and his dummy, Dexter, was rolled. DEXTER THE DUMMY: I'm thinking about running for president. VENTRILOQUIST AL STEVENS: President? Who in their right mind would vote for a dummy for president? DEXTER: [gives big eye...

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States. -- U.S. Constitution Article II, Section 2.The faces occasionally change at "Today," but the bias remains the same. Natalie Morales sat in for Meredith Vieira this morning, but the show didn't lose a liberal beat, as Natalie knocked President Bush for his temerity in asserting his constitutional role as Commander-in-Chief. Chatting with Tim Russert, Morales offered this take on W's comments of yesterday: NBC'S NATALIE MORALES:...

If I hear one more MSM outlet ascribe the implosion of John McCain's candidacy to his support for the war in Iraq, I'm going to scream . . Let's see. Why don't we check out this morning's "Today"? NBC REPORTER CHIP REID: He's been falling steadily in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll from 29% in December to 24 in March and last month just 14%. His unwavering support of the Iraq war is unpopular with moderate Republicans and he insists he won't change his position for political purposes. Yeeeeeeeearrrrrrhhhhh! Reid did go on to mention McCain's support for "immigration reform"...

As noted here, MSNBC's John Ridley went off on Al Gore this morning, suggesting he should hug his kid rather than the planet, save his son, not ice caps. But over at NBC's "Today", it was a more predictable MSM response, as the show sought to downplay the Gore incident by pointing to Republican politicians whose kids have caused trouble, while praising Chelsea Clinton as unusually mature. Introducing the segment, Meredith Vieira shifted the spotlight from Gore's situation to the broader issues. 'TODAY' CO-HOST MEREDITH VIEIRA: And now to politicians and their children. It's tough being a parent, and as...

Writing about Lester Holt, I've more than once praised the NBC super-sub for his level-headed professionalism. I may have to re-evaluate after his performance on this morning's "Today." Interviewing Joe Wilson about the Libby commutation, Holt seemed to seek to throw gasoline on the fire with leading questions, while obfuscating an important fact.Holt began by reminding Wilson of his recent statement that the Libby sentence demonstrates that "this remains a nation of laws, not men."Holt then lobbed in this question. NBC HOST LESTER HOLT: Do you still believe that this morning? Wilson knew just what to do with the hanging...

Chris Matthews should keep his evening job. Appearing on this morning's "Today," the Hardball host was manifestly bleary-eyed [see screencap below] and off his game.Matthews was in, at 7:12 am EDT, to discuss with "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira the dust-up on last night's "Hardball," reported here by NewsBuster Geoffrey Dickens, between Ann Coulter and Elizabeth Edwards. Matthews couldn't keep his names straight. He first referred to Coulter as "Ann Edwards," then recycled the "Ann Edwards" moniker in referring to Elizabeth Edwards. HARDBALL HOST CHRIS MATTHEWS: Well that was a pretty tough crowd, and if you think Ann Edwards is over...

A quick hit this morning, as I'm on the road . . . Question for our readers, astute observers of the political scene that they are. You read the news this morning, and see a report on the latest presidential poll. John McCain has lost over 1/3rd of his support. What's the first thing that pops into your mind? OK, the headline here is a hint, but isn't it obvious that McCain's pro-amnesty stance has hurt him badly among Republican voters? Well, apparently not so obvious to Tim Russert. Here's how it went on this morning's "Today." NBC WASHINGTON BUREAU...

Exactly three weeks ago Cuba's Stalinist regime held a "tourism fair" in Havana to kick-off an ambitious plan to boost the Cuban military's tourist booty. To entice and swindle foreign investors, Cuba's propaganda ministry publishes a magazine titled Opciones where Cuba's "Minister of Tourism," Manuel Marrero, boasted of a bold $170 million outlay to upgrade Cuba's tourist facilities from golf courses to yacht clubs to theme parks. Exactly one week ago ( by some peculiar coincidence) NBC's "Today Show" decided to broadcast from Havana amidst smiling, clapping, dancing tourists while Matt Lauer advised viewers on how to legally vacation in...

Does Lindsey Graham truly believe that his highest calling as a senator is to work with the likes of Ted Kennedy? Apparently so, judging by the South Carolinian's statement on this morning's "Today." Meredith Vieira interviewed Graham, a staunch supporter of the president's immigration plan, during the show's first half-hour. TODAY CO-HOST MEREDITH VIEIRA: When you went home recently you were at a GOP meeting and you got booed over immigration. There are a lot of people in a lot of states -- conservatives -- who think this bill is bad and they see this as a litmus test. SEN....

Can you remember the last time you heard "Today" or other MSM outlets describe in terms such as "over the top" rabid anti-Bush protests by the likes of the Cindy Sheehan crowd, the Code Pink girls, or the kind of folks pictured below? Neither can I. But let President Bush receive a warm welcome from Eastern European crowds who appreciate his leadership on behalf of their freedom, and "Today" just can't take it. On this morning's "Today" at 7:04 am EDT, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported from Bulgaria on the president's European trip, in which crowds in Bulgaria and notably in...

What's the matter with Cuba? Why is its economy a disaster, its people mired in poverty? Could it be . . . communism? Of course not. Cuba's dire straits are the fault of that hegemonistic entity just to the north of the Florida Straits. Oh, and Cuban youth could care less about being enslaved. Don't believe it? Ask Andrea Mitchell. The NBC correspondent appeared this morning at 7:10 am EDT on a special live-in-Cuba edition of "Today," anchored by Matt Lauer. NBC CORRESPONDENT ANDREA MITCHELL: The island's infrastructure is crumbling, crippled by a U.S. trade embargo that has lasted nearly...

Away visiting friends the last few days, I've been using GoToMyPC.com to access the video-capture capabilities of my home desktop. While it works well [unpaid testimonial] and lets me view the video once I've moved it to an editing board, for some reason while tuning in live to a show, the screen-within-a-screen is black. Thus, in "watching" Today this morning live, I could only hear, but not see, the segment on last night's Dem debate in New Hampshire. But the ears-only experience was actually edifying. It permitted me to focus entirely on Hillary's voice, undistracted by her image. It's...

If George W. Bush had gone to law school and later flunked the bar exam, you can imagine that fact would have become a virtual part of his name in the MSM, as in "George Bush, who failed the bar exam, today criticized a law that . . ." But it came as news to me when Carl Bernstein mentioned on this morning's "Today" that Hillary flunked the Washington, DC bar exam back in the '70s. OK, I'm not the most knowledegable guy, and the fact of Hillary's failure is not news -- after years of hiding the embarrassment, she...

NEW YORK - Matt Lauer and NBC's "Today" show will broadcast live from Cuba next Tuesday to report on the political and economic climate there. Although Lauer is a frequent round-the-world traveler for "Today," it took 18 months to arrange the visit to a country only 90 miles from the United States, said Jim Bell, the show's executive producer. Bell used his ability to speak Spanish in the negotiations. "It's always timely to go to Cuba," Bell said. "There's always news there. Being there is news in itself." There is no expectation NBC will interview ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro,...

Is Barack Obama really running for president, or is he not-so-subtly positioning himself to be Hillary's running mate? I seemed to sense that 'subliminable' message on 'Today' this morning. The NBC show kicked off its "Today on the Trail" series, which will join the leading presidential contenders out on the campaign trail, with a feature on Obama. Meredith Vieira spent time on the trail with Obama in New Hampshire over the weekend.Most of the exchanges were predictable: Obama countered suggestions of a lack of experience by positioning himself as an outside-the-beltway candidate. He claimed that "retail" politicking -- talking with...

As the screencap shows, the cast of "Today" was really yukking it up this morning at George Bush's expense, recycling his "1776" gaffe on the occasion of the Queen's visit and updating the story with the Queen's retort. Between a show-opening tease and the later laugh-a-thon, the show devoted no less than 1 min, 43 seconds of its opening 21-minute 7:00 AM half-hour to the matter. But, at least during that crucial first half-hour, "Today" somehow couldn't find a second to report on either of two stories with negative implications for Dem presidential candidates Obama and Edwards. View video...

Producer of a MSM morning news show? Got a few minutes to fill at the end of your first half-hour? Why not resort to a tried-and-true winner: a bit of good old class warfare? That was the "Today" formula this morning. Matt Lauer introduced the segment, enviously entitled "Share the Wealth?: The Rich Get Richer," fanning the flames of envy and resentment with this opener: TODAY CO-HOST MATT LAUER: Do you feel like you're working harder and harder nowadays just to stay financially afloat while fat cats get richer and richer? It's not just a feeling, and you're not...

The first half hour of this morning's "Today" offered an unusual window into NBC's decision to air some of the materials that the Virginia Tech killer, Cho Seung-Hui, had mailed to the network.Matt Lauer introduced the topic. MATT LAUER: It puts us in an unusual position, because obviously at NBC News we always want to cover the important stories of the day and the massacre at Virginia Tech is one of the most disturbing and tragic stories any of us will ever cover. But we're not used to becoming part of the story, and with this package that he sent...

Has the Imus-inspired national conversation on race and sex jumped the shark? I'm starting to suspect so after hearing Pat Schroeder this morning. Her major contribution to the collective dialogue was to suggest that there's something inherently masculine about verbal meanness. The former Democratic congresswoman from Colorado was a member of a panel moderated by NBC's Lester Holt on this morning's "Today." View video here.LESTER HOLT: We keep having a conversation. Are we changing, though, as a culture? PAT SCHROEDER: I hope we are, and I think part of it is what we're seeing in Iraq. We're seeing in Iraq...

Al Sharpton went after Don Imus for calling members of the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos." Strangely, Sharpton seems to have no quarrel with African-American rap artists labelling women as "b**ches" and "hos" -- or worse. But Today show hostess Meredith Vieira yesterday forced Shapton to try to explain his contradictory sentiments: Meredith Vieira turned the tables on Rev. Al Sharpton this morning, blasting him for not doing enough to stop black rappers from using words like "ho" and "b**ch" in their lyrics while excoriating Don Imus for doing so. Snap! Sharpton was on the "Today" show this morning...

Far be it from me to put in a plug for "Today," but I do hope Nancy Pelosi & Friends were watching this morning. Congressional Dems might be quick to dismiss what President Bush predicts would be the upshot of a date-certain pull-out from Iraq. But perhaps they would not so blithely disregard the observations of one of the most experienced and respected reporters on Iraqi matters . . . a New York Times staffer, no less. During this morning's first half-hour, "Today" aired a segment devoted to answering the question "What if US Troops Withdraw?" In the first part,...

The President of Americans for Truth says the "Today" Show's recent launch of a national musical tour by Cyndi Lauper on behalf of a Human Rights Campaign for transgender equality, is just another example of how the media -- and entertainment industry -- have become an arm of the homosexual agenda. HRC's tour is in support of "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality," according to its website. NBC's Today show launched the True Colors tour, which is no surprise of Peter LaBarbera, whose organization monitors homosexual culture. He says the pattern of the media recruiting celebrities to promote social causes...

Keying off the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war this Tuesday, the networks will be running overviews of the situation there all week. Judging by the opening salvos this morning on ABC and NBC, you might when tuning in want to hide the sharp objects and keep the Zoloft handy. The picture painted is ceaselessly dismal, with any bright spots ignored or explained away. Take the report by ABC's Terry McCarthy on today's Good Morning America. After citing weekend casualty statistics, he began by claiming that "now more than ever" Iraqis are nervous about the future of their country. According...

For his level-headed professionalism, Lester Holt is on my [admittedly short] list of MSM faves. But while Holt did hit former Ambassador [to Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe] Joseph Wilson with one tough question on this morning's "Today," he let Valerie Plame's husband hijack the beginning of the interview, lobbed him numerous softballs, and failed to confront Wilson on his blatant misrepresenation of Plame's role in sending him to Niger. View video here. In a set-up piece on this morning's "Today" that preceeded the interview, a clip was played of Rep. Lynn Westmoreland [R-Georgia] asking Plame, during yesterday's congressional...

Meredith Vieira [file photo] was in a light-hearted mood at the top of this morning's "Today," joshing with substitute co-host Ann Curry about the estrogen on the set, even offering to leave her husband for the winner of the Powerball lottery. But we shouldn't have let the idle chatter fool us. When it came to discussing the repercussions of the Libby conviction, Meredith's leopard-skinned blouse should have been a clue -- because she pounced. Discussing the trial with NBC host turned star prosecution witness Tim Russert [file photo], Meredith displayed on screen and read this quotation from Republican strategist...