Comments on: The press look away as Russert pancakes at the Libby trial

By: Donald Koelper

Donald Koelper — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 03:03:00 +0000

Most major media would do well to heed the most obvious lesson of this tawdry spectacle of scandal, and begin to regularly rotate their D.C. press corps assignments in order to restore and then maintain some sense of objectivity.

It appears obvious that more than a few of the current batch — most of whom have been stationed in Washington for years — have come to identify too closely with both the individuals and subjects they ostensibly cover for their employers, and are thus increasingly prone to becoming active players in their own storylines, rather than passive observers.

By: Weldon Berger

Weldon Berger — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:34:57 +0000

melior: I have to wonder where the contradiction is between Russert turning up in Cathie Martin’s notes as a patsy for the administration, and Fleischer’s testimony about lunch with Scooter. I’m sure your heart’s in the right place, but you owe it to yourself to work on your reading comprehension.

By: melior

melior — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 11:23:36 +0000

Russert pancaked? What trial are you watching?

Russert’s testimony is still to come, except in your fantasy land.

What everyone else saw was Ari Fleischer swearing, under oath and immunity, that Libby lied his little patootie off to the grand jury.

Please try to stay connected with reality, however tentatively, as your sad little dream world unravels in front of the world.

By: Weldon Berger

Weldon Berger — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:50:06 +0000

No, I don’t think the invasion of Iraq was caused by misinformed citizens, but it was surely abetted by them, and the press were the primary vehicle through which they were misinformed. Had the press been calling bullshit at every opportunity, and I’m sure you’ll agree that there were many, many opportunities, selling the invasion would have been much, much harder. It’s likely that the administration would have gone ahead with it regardless, but imagine how different the past five years would have been had there been a Congress with a spine stiffened by voters with a clue. Unless your argument is that everyone who supported the war, or didn’t resist it, is simply incurably stupid, the press could have made a huge difference.

Most of the reporters I know are pretty smart. Most of them managed to make it through college, which obviously doesn’t guarantee smart but would probably eliminate that bottom quintile. Where did you come up with that?

By: The Hindsight Factor

The Hindsight Factor — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:40:52 +0000

Libby: Leftly Leaning – Monday, January 29th

Busy weekend for Jeralyn at TalkLeft. First, the Cliffs Notes version of the week in review with a brief interlude to comment on the strained credulity of insulating the OVP. Up at dawn (quipping that trial lawyers never sleep when they are in trial) Je