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Lehrer on Defensive Over Biased Questioning
News Max.com ^ | October 1, 2004 | News Max Staff

Posted on 10/01/2004 12:31:54 PM PDT by yoe

PBS host Jim Lehrer was challenged Friday morning on claims that he went easy on Sen. John Kerry during Thursday night's presidential debate, while tossing verbal hand grenades in President Bush's direction designed to keep him on the defensive.

PBS host Jim Lehrer was challenged Friday morning on claims that he went easy on Sen. John Kerry during Thursday night's presidential debate, while tossing verbal hand grenades in President Bush's direction designed to keep him on the defensive.

"I don't know what in the world you're talking about," Lehrer told radio host Don Imus, in his only post-debate interview.

"I would argue that my questions were right down the middle. There were some hardball questions for each candidate. There were some softball questions for each candidate. But for the most part they were just terrific."

The bias complaint, said Lehrer, was more of a commentary on his critics than a valid criticism of his own debate performance.

Still, some observers noted that Lehrer's questions largely focused on negative aspects of Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq - while avoiding Sen. Kerry's waffling on the issue, not to mention the top Democrat's long record of opposing measures to strengthen U.S. intelligence and national security.

At one point Lehrer claimed that over ten thousand U.S. soldiers had been killed in Iraq, before quickly revising that number to 1,052.

At the end of the debate, the PBS anchorman shook Sen. Kerry's hand - with some debate watchers claiming he gave the top Democrat a knowing wink.

In 1999, the president of Lehrer's network had to resign after admitting that 53 PBS affiliates had been sharing their donor lists with the Democratic National Committee for years.

In 1997, then-White House aide George Stephanopoulos revealed that President Clinton's reelection team thought it was a major coup when Lehrer was chosen to host one of the presidential debates, boasting that "our moderator" had been picked.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: danscam; firstdebate; jimlehrer; lehrergate; napalminthemorning; pbs; rathergate
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To: Unknown Freeper

............sorry...been doing a lot of that lately...coffee is weak or something..........


61 posted on 10/01/2004 1:38:41 PM PDT by yoe
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To: Quick1
Who's crying? YOU ARE!!

And I don't give a rat's a** if you're ticked off. Go study an arithmetic book if you have a problem distinguishing 1,052 from 10,052. Stop making excuses for that SOB who, I can assure you, doesn't have a problem with it either.

62 posted on 10/01/2004 1:39:20 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: yoe
Still, some observers noted that Lehrer's questions largely focused on negative aspects of Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq - while avoiding Sen. Kerry's waffling on the issue, not to mention the top Democrat's long record of opposing measures to strengthen U.S. intelligence and national security.

What did people expect?? Everyone on the planet except a few headhunters on the upper Amazon knows that Lehrer would not be the head "news" man at the most liberal network this side of the BBC if he were not a flaming left winger. If I had been in charge of Bush's debate planning team I would have refused to accept Lehrer as moderator.

63 posted on 10/01/2004 1:39:23 PM PDT by epow
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To: blanknoone
For President Bush to escape that barrage without a major error is a success.

Totally agree! There was definitly something wrong with the overall line of questioning...i.e. no questions whatsover regarding Kerry's 20 years in the senate...how can anyone say that was unbiased?

64 posted on 10/01/2004 1:40:42 PM PDT by JPJones ("We'll cross all our tee's and dot all our.....lower case j's")
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To: biggiant1
It's the Red Sox fans crying due to the fact they came in second again.

No reason to get personal!:)

65 posted on 10/01/2004 1:42:32 PM PDT by JPJones ("We'll cross all our tee's and dot all our.....lower case j's")
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To: yoe
Just because 95% of the Stone-age press, including Lehrer are voting for Kerry, doesn't mean he's bias!

Pray for W and Our Troops

66 posted on 10/01/2004 1:46:39 PM PDT by bray (Nam Vets Rock!!)
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To: Quick1
Why are we blaming the moderator for what happened last night?

Because he was the prime reason why Bush is widely seen today as, let's just say less than successful, in the debate. If you couldn't see that the deck was stacked against Bush you either weren't looking or you don't recognize a sucker punch when you see it. Bush was sucker punched just by showing up at that rigged "debate".

67 posted on 10/01/2004 1:47:36 PM PDT by epow
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To: LibWhacker

But, LW, Lehrer merely mis-spoke. That's the Dem word for manipulative lying.


68 posted on 10/01/2004 1:48:36 PM PDT by Palladin (Proud to be a FReeper!)
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To: LibWhacker
It's an unneccesary risk for the home team, I think, that's all. But I'm old school.

Agree 100%. I guess that makes me old school too. But that's OK, I AM old.

69 posted on 10/01/2004 1:52:01 PM PDT by epow
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To: epow

Bush called Lehrer on it with the "character" question, when he told Lehrer point-blank "That's a loaded question".

IMHO, they were ALL loaded questions.

And yes, I believe Kerry had the questions at least a week in advance.

He lost anyway, with his ravings about "Global tests", "Give nuclear material to Iran", and "Let's sit down one-on-one for a nice little chat with the nutjob Kim Soong-Il."

When people start DIGESTING Kerry's one-worlder communist ideas as presented last night, they will see him as the megalomaniac he is.


70 posted on 10/01/2004 1:52:52 PM PDT by Palladin (Proud to be a FReeper!)
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To: stockpirate
I will go a step further, I think Kerry had the questions before hand.

Yesterday when the big stink over the lights came out, someone here said it seemed like a setup of some kind. It sure does look like that was a smoke screen to take away from the fact that his answers were too pat. President Bush had to digest the question and then answer...Kerry sounded like he knew exactly what the question would be.

71 posted on 10/01/2004 2:04:22 PM PDT by Krodg
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To: epow

I totally agree! And I thought last night that he knew the questions. I thought they were given the questions to study and was wondering why the President seemed to be so caught off gaurd. Theres no doubt that Kerry knew the questions.


72 posted on 10/01/2004 2:04:27 PM PDT by beckysueb (W for Prez)
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To: Palladin
He lost anyway, with his ravings about "Global tests", "Give nuclear material to Iran", and "Let's sit down one-on-one for a nice little chat with the nutjob Kim Soong-Il."

Don't forget the inane hippie dribble from the 60's: "...we must win the peace."

73 posted on 10/01/2004 2:05:43 PM PDT by JPJones ("We'll cross all our tee's and dot all our.....lower case j's")
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To: georgia peach
Lehrer Biased Questions (extracted from Transcript)
KATU ^ | Sept. 30, 2004 | Jim Lehrer

Posted on 10/01/2004 2:50:07 AM CDT by FairOpinion

Q 1 (to Kerry): Do you believe you could do a better job than President Bush in preventing another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States? POSITIVE question for Kerry Bush's response would HAVE to be defensive

Q 2 (to Bush): Do you believe the election of Senator Kerry on November the 2nd would increase the chances of the U.S. being hit by another 9/11-type terrorist attack? Asking bush to go dangerously negative on Kerry.

Q 3 (to Kerry): "Colossal misjudgments." What colossal misjudgments, in your opinion, has President Bush made in these areas? Setting up defensive Bush response

Q 4 (to Bush): What about Senator Kerry's point, the comparison he drew between the priorities of going after Usama bin Laden and going after Saddam Hussein? HAve yous stopped beating your wife question for Bush

Q 5 (to Kerry): As president, what would you do, specifically, in addition to or differently to increase the homeland security of the United States than what President Bush is doing? Positive question for Kerry (so far, he hasn't asked Bush 'What will you do'

Q 6 (to Bush): What criteria would you use to determine when to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq? This is the first non-loaded question asked of Bush

Q 7: (to Kerry): Speaking of Vietnam, you spoke to Congress in 1971, after you came back from Vietnam, and you said, quote, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

Are Americans now dying in Iraq for a mistake? Could be viewed as a trick question for Kerry, but notice he's not asking Kerry to Defend a statement, he's asking him to attack Bush

Q 8: (to Bush): You have said there was a, quote, "miscalculation," of what the conditions would be in post-war Iraq. What was the miscalculation, and how did it happen? Are you still beating your wife?

Q 9 (to Kerry): You just -- you've repeatedly accused President Bush -- not here tonight, but elsewhere before -- of not telling the truth about Iraq, essentially of lying to the American people about Iraq. Give us some examples of what you consider to be his not telling the truth. Give us examples of how Bush beats his wife (notice he seemed to expect that KErry would have already accused Bush of lying; he had to add: 'elsewhere'

Q 10: (to Bush): Has the war in Iraq been worth the cost of American lives, 10,052... uh... 1,052 as of today? Was killing your wife worth the insurance money? He still hasn't asked Kerry a single question that forces HIM to defend actions/statement like these questions for Bush

Q 11: (to Kerry): Speaking of your plan, new question, Senator Kerry. Can you give us specifics, in terms of a scenario, time lines, et cetera, for ending major U.S. military involvement in Iraq? Another "what will you do" question for Kerry. Also, when Kerry doesn't answer Lehrer doesn't call him on it (To be fair, Bush SHOULD have)

Q 12: (to Bush): Does the Iraq experience make it more likely or less likely that you would take the United States into another preemptive military action? Does the fact that you beat you wife make it more likely that your neighborhood will be struck by an earthquake?

Q 13(to Kerry): What is your position on the whole concept of preemptive war? What will you do, Senator (Still no questions putting him on the defensive)

Q 14 (to Bush): Do you believe that diplomacy and sanctions can resolve the nuclear problems with North Korea and Iran? Take them in any order you would like. Fair question (it's about time)

Q 15 (to Kerry): Senator Kerry, you mentioned Darfur, the Darfur region of Sudan. Fifty thousand people have already died in that area. More than a million are homeless. And it's been labeled an act of ongoing genocide. Yet neither one of you or anyone else connected with your campaigns or your administration that I can find has discussed the possibility of sending in troops.

Why not? A mildly probing question. But since he accused BOTH of them of beating their wives, Kerry didn't have to be on the defensive

Q 16 (to Bush): Clearly, as we have heard, major policy differences between the two of you. Are there also underlying character issues that you believe, that you believe are serious enough to deny Senator Kerry the job as commander in chief of the United States? The only times Lehrer asks a question that doesn't force Bush to defend himself, he's trying to get him to go negative on Kerry's character;

Q 17 (to Kerry): If you are elected president, what will you take to that office thinking is the single most serious threat to the national security to the United States? What will you do when elected? (Anybody see a pattern here?)

Q 18 (to Bush): All right. Mr. President, this is the last question. And two minutes. It's a new subject -- new question, and it has to do with President Putin and Russia. Did you misjudge him or are you -- do you feel that what he is doing in the name of antiterrorism by changing some democratic processes is OK?Explain all this wife-beating, MR Bush!


Final score:
'What will you do if elected' questions: Kerry - 5, Bush 1
'Explain this thing you did that everybody KNOWS is wrong' questions: Kerry - 0, Bush 5
'Explain this thing your OPPONENT did that everybody KNOWS is wrong' questions: Kerry - 3, Bush 0
'Say something nasty about your opponent' questions: Kerry 1, Bush 2

Say what you want. These questions were definately slanted toward Kerry!

74 posted on 10/01/2004 2:05:44 PM PDT by Warren_Piece (John Kerry, communications director for the Iraqi insurgents)
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To: Quick1
Let me know when you grow up.

Let us know when reality dawns on you.

Lehrer is a left wing ideologue, he skewed the questions in Kerry's favor. It was not a fair "debate", in fact it wasn't a debate at all. It was a 90 minute free political ad for Kerry. If you refuse to see that it isn't the fault of FR posters on this thread.

Get over yourself, you aren't the only person on the thread with an operative brain.

75 posted on 10/01/2004 2:08:00 PM PDT by epow
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To: epow

LOL, me too, epow! :-(


76 posted on 10/01/2004 2:14:09 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: Quick1
"It was a simple misstatement"

I'm wondering how 'simple' a misstatement it is to confuse one thousand with ten thousand? Maybe for Lehrer it was wishful thinking?

77 posted on 10/01/2004 2:14:44 PM PDT by TheCrusader ("the frenzy of the Mohammedans has devastated the churches of God" Pope Urban II (c 1097 a.d.))
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To: Palladin
When people start DIGESTING Kerry's one-worlder communist ideas as presented last night, they will see him as the megalomaniac he is.

Well we hope so anyway. Personally, I don't have a very high estimation of the American public's ability to discern fact from fiction. Especially when fiction is as artfully presented as fact as the Kerry-Lehrer team did it last night.

78 posted on 10/01/2004 2:15:48 PM PDT by epow
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To: yoe

"...gave a knowing wink." I've heard or read about this in a couple of places. Was this 'wink" something that could actually be seen on the camera or in a replay?


79 posted on 10/01/2004 2:35:32 PM PDT by wildbill
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To: yoe

Kerry was in the Senate?


80 posted on 10/01/2004 2:37:39 PM PDT by BigDaddyTX
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