Posted on 04/08/2006 5:18:14 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
April 8, 2006
When things got a bit testy this morning between 'Long' Jim Pinkerton and 'Short' Ellen Ratner on Fox & Friends Weekend's eponymous 'Long & the Short of It' segment, Pinkerton proposed a peace plan that other warring parties might well wish to adopt: "let NewsBusters.org sort this out."
The bone of contention was the substance of just what information it was that President Bush declassified - some would say leaked - that Scooter Libby is in turn alleged to have provided to the press - presumably in the person of Judy Miller of the NY Times.
Ratner "This was a Nixon bad list kind of trick [presumably a reference to Nixon's 'enemies' list] to get . . . "
Host Kiran Chetry [back from maternity leave and beautiful as ever, I might add]: "Why?"
Ratner: "Because it's ruining his wife's career." The reference being to Joe Wilson's wife, former CIA employee Valerie Plame.
Pinkerton: "That has nothing to do with what the President is even alleged to have done. The President had nothing to do with Valerie Plame, and nobody says he did, including Libby. The President said I'm going to declassify certain information about the Iraqi nuclear program, the alleged Iraqi nuclear program. The business between Libby and Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame is completely separate. The President had nothing to do with that."
Ratner: "I'm not sure. Jim and I have read the same articles and I'm not sure - he's making me look like I don't know what I'm talking about here - but I'm not sure that that is clear at all [that W didn't leak Plame's identity]."
That's when Pinkerton proposed his peace plan: "Ellen, we'll let NewsBusters.org sort this out."
Ellen, laughing: "alright." Since there would thus appear to be agreement between the parties as the means of conflict resolution, we will undertake this unanticipated role to the best of our ability.
To resolve the question, let's refer to another one of this critic's favorite media haunts - the Today show. Now I would imagine that even Ellen would agree that Today harbors no special fondness for President Bush, yet this is what NBC White House reporter Kelly O'Donnell had to say on the matter during the first half-hour of the Today show of Friday, April 7th:
"Libby told the grand jury he was instructed by Vice-President Cheney to reveal certain secrets to New York Times reporter Judith Miller to explain the White House position on Saddam and WMDs. The president approved the disclosure which riled Democrats."
Continued O'Donnell: "Senior advisors argue it was in the national interest to defend their policies and say the President did not leak because he has the power to declassify any document. It's important to point out Libby and senior White House officials say that nowhere in these documents does it suggest that the president told Libby to release the name of Valerie Plame. That just didn't appear here. He was instructing, if this is true, to talk about specific ways to refute the stories that were published at the time. This doesn't tie the president to outing Valerie Plame but more about trying to buffer the case about the war."
To use an NFL replay metaphor: "Having reviewed the tape, Pinkerton's ruling on the field stands: no disclosure of Plame's name by the President."
We'll score this one Pinkerton: 1, Ratner: 0.
Fox & Friends Weekend/NewsBusters ping to Today show list.
"Ratner: "I'm not sure. Jim and I have read the same articles and I'm not sure - he's making me look like I don't know what I'm talking about here - but I'm not sure that that is clear at all [that W didn't leak Plame's identity]." "
It's not that he's making you look like you don't know what you're talking about, it's that he's revealing the truth and stomping on your intentionally misleading propaganda and lies.
As usual... RATner checks her brain in at the door before being seated.
OT but in Thursday's NY Post there was a mention inin the Page Six section of Ellen Ratner's "Life partner"--a female former U2 pilot--not that there is anything wrong with that.
She's trying to insinuate that Bush authorized the Plame leak with innuendo instead of facts. The end justifies the means don't you know.
Saw that. Who'll be frank today?
Nice plug :) I'm glad they know where to go to get things sorted out.
If the White House, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jung Il are reading this: I'm available!
Lol.
"She's trying to insinuate that Bush authorized the Plame leak with innuendo instead of facts"
Of course. And here's a link to a good editorial on the subject.........
Thomas Sowell: Are Facts Obsolete?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1608788/posts
I've written letters to our local teevee stations: on all three networks, the local flunkies are reporting that the President is (and I quote exactly) "the Leaker in Chief." They (all of them) continue the exact same line Ratner followed. If anyone doubts that the 'Rat talking points are mass emailed to all the news agencies, this should provide some heft for the argument.
And by the way, for Ms. RATner, Pinkerton didn't make it look as though you didn't know what you were talking about--you just flat out didn't, and Pinkerton just kindly pointed that out.
That was indeed funny! I heard that exchange as it occurred on TV & I was hoping you would catch it. Pinkerton ate her lunch this morning. Ratner looked totally dazed & confused.
And therefore Pinkerton doesn't lose a timeout, right? ;^)
This is even funnier coming out of Ratner's mouth, wasn't she a spokeperson for the Clinton. How many careers did they ruin or at least try to ruin: Linda Tripp, Travel Office scandal, et., etc. etc?
My ten year old son can make Ellen Ratner not know what she's talking about.
And you are correct...they are using the Dimz talking points!
What else is new?
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