...in the wake of 9/11 I tried to be open and uncynical in my view of the President, I gave him the benefit of the doubt as we went to war, and even watch Fox News more than any other network. But at the end of the day, I've still come to the conclusion that George W is the worst President in the history of the United States.
But that's not the point I'm out to make.
What I'm a little bothered by are two recent news items that remind me of why I'm not a Hollywood liberal.
1) Sandy Berger "accidentally" steals top secret terror docs - does anyone notice?By his own admission, Clinton's national security adviser removed hand written notes and top secret documents from the National Archives. But where's the outrage? As of this writing, little or no mention of this controversy are on the online home pages of such papers as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, or the Washington Post. Perhaps they don't think there's much of a controversy? That there's nothing to report? Sure - it was all a mistake. He "accidently" took top secret documents while casually stuffing his socks with notes... yeah...
From Fox:
Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket, pants and socks, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.
2) Moveon sues Fox News for false advertising by claiming to be "Fair and Balanced"Oh my God! Could Fox News be a biased news organization? Are they really not "fair and balanced"? Could they be full of shit when they say, "we report, you decide"?
No crap.
But now Moveon and Common Cause have approached the FTC to get Fox to stop its use of the slogans, claiming "false advertising".
People who have donated cash and time to these organizations should be appalled. "Fair and balanced" is a relative term, and compared to Iran's treatment of journalism, Fox does indeed report and allow the viewers to come up with their own decisions. But instead of debating whether the death penalty is right or wrong, Fox will give a fair and balanced take on whether public hangings should surplant gas chambers. Its all relative.
Indeed, the FTC has already declined investigating the accusations. Their explanation is unnecessarily long and wordy, but it comes down to the First Amendment. Ironically, it was many of the same MoveOn people who defended Al Franken's book title, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" - which is one of the most biased and unbalanced books of the decade.
I want Bush out of the White House as much as anyone, but left wingers keep shooting themselves in the feet by not holding themselves to the same standards as anyone else. By doing so, they appear radical, and as a result, could be the core reason why Kerry will lose November's election.
(on the flip side, Drudge is now reporting that Al Franken's radio show now has more listeners than his nemesis, spin doctor Bill O'Reilly)
