Checking in from the so-called Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana, on Thursday's NBC Nightly News Andrea Mitchell relayed: "Well, at times, Brian, this looks like a reunion of the Axis of Evil, George Bush's worst nightmare." Following Mitchell's brief report, which mainly dealt with Fidel Castro's status, anchor Brian Williams told Mitchell and viewers: "We will join you there tomorrow evening when this broadcast will originate from Cuba." Why? On MSNBC.com's "Daily Nightly" blog, Williams described those gathering at the meeting, which was held in the hardly unaligned Cuba in 1979, as [ellipses and parentheses in original] "basically all those who didn't want to be our friend or the Soviet Union's (with exceptions, of course) back in the 60s. What an interesting gathering...how often do all of this nation's enemies gather in the same hotel ballroom, after all? The fact that it's happening 90 miles off the coast of Florida makes it all the more interesting."

When the Washington Post first opened its big can of "macaca" on Sen. George Allen, the story was presented as if it wasn’t an opposition-research ploy from the Democratic campaign of Jim Webb. The headline was "Allen Quip Provokes Outrage, Apology." But on Thursday, when the Allen campaign revealed a whopper on Webb, the Post headline was "Va. Senate Race Goes Negative on 1979 Essay." Both articles were written by Michael Shear and Tim Craig. Thursday’s story opened:

Virginia's U.S. Senate race turned nasty Wednesday as Republican Sen. George Allen launched a character attack on his Democratic opponent's past views toward women in combat, signaling the start of a two-month barrage of negative campaigning in what has become a close race.

Three days after delivering a "Special Comment" (which can be found with video here) on his Countdown show denouncing President Bush on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann announced that not only will he replay his "Comment" on tomorrow night's Countdown due to being "inundated with your comments and requests," but also announced that he will appear on tomorrow's Today show to "discuss the 'Comment' and other political matters." In Monday night's "Special Comment," Olbermann charged that the President had committed the "impeachable offense" of "lying by implication" to get America into a "fraudulent war" in Iraq, and called the President's "reprehensible inaction" in securing the construction of a memorial at Ground Zero a "crime against" 9/11 victims. It is also likely the MSNBC host will be promoting his recently released book, Worst Person in the World, which is based on a regular segment on Olbermann's show which sometimes features political targets and, according to an MRC study, has targeted conservatives for ridicule eight times as often as liberals. (Transcript follows)

Imagine the scenario where Ken Mehlman, Republican National Committee Chair, was not able to raise but about half the amount of money that the DNC was raising. Imagine then, a situation where multiple, outside GOP supporting organizations were hastily created in an urgent effort to raise the money that Mehlman was failing to raise just to compete in the advertising wars of the upcoming 2006 midterms.

...then imagine the MSM not taking the time to gleefully point out the Republican Chairman's dismal record. Imagine finding them silent that it is even happening.

Having a hard time imagining that?

So am I.

However, reverse that situation and put Howard Dean in Mehlman's place and that is what we got from "Democrats Form New Group For Fund-Raising and Ads" in the New York Times on September 14th.

While ABC came under assault from the left in this country for even thinking to air something critical of the Clinton administration's role in the leadup to 9/11, Canada's leading broadcast network was doing the very opposite: airing a "documentary" exploring the idea that the Bush White House was behind the attacks that killed thousands of Americans (often called MIHOP in leftie circles):

On the eve of the 9/11 remembrance ceremonies, the leftist, anti-Bush Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada’s national public broadcaster, aired an outrageous and disgraceful documentary on a Sunday news program regarding half-baked 9/11 conspiracy theories that only served to insult the memories of those who perished that tragic day.

Titled 9/11: Truth, Lies and Conspiracy, the only fascinating thing about the CBC show was its complete absurdity and the fact that it actually made it to air.On the conspiracy side, it featured a young, budding “film-maker” whose online documentary portrays the destruction of the World Trade Center towers as the result of a bomb in the basement, demolition explosives planted beforehand throughout the buildings, and the airliner crash, which, it claims, was not enough in itself to topple the towers. According to this masterpiece of misleading fiction, the Pentagon was also hit by a missile, not by an airplane; and the passengers of United 93 didn’t crash into a Pennsylvania field, but disembarked at an airport.

Matching the news judgment of the broadcast network morning shows, the network evening newscasts on Thursday all highlighted the late Ann Richards' sarcastic insult, for the conditions he was born into, of then-Vice President and GOP presidential candidate George Bush at the 1988 Democratic convention. CBS anchor Katie Couric even put it into her up front tease: “Remembering Ann Richards: One of the most colorful women in American politics.” Viewers then heard and saw her infamous line: “Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth!” CBS reporter Morley Safer led his obituary of her with her derisive slam: “Ann Richards' leapt from obscurity took place at the 1988 Democratic convention when she lit into George Bush, the Republican presidential candidate.” ABC anchor Charles Gibson highlighted how “with her Texas twang and sharp tongue, she became an instant celebrity at the 1988 Democratic convention with a speech that poked fun at the first President Bush.” Over on NBC, Brian Williams announced before the media's favorite clip: “She was no friend to the Bush family. In fact, she is best remembered for this, the night her pistol went off at the 1988 Democratic convention when she took on the first President Bush.” Williams and Couric described her as “colorful” while Gibson praised her as “an original voice.”

Via LGF comes this report from the paragons of neutrality at Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair launched a withering attack on Thursday on what he called “mad anti-Americanism” among European politicians.

Blair, U.S. President George W. Bush’s closest ally in the so-called war on terror, said the world urgently needs the United States to help tackle the globe’s most pressing problems. [...]

Blair, accused by critics of being Bush’s poodle who slavishly follows Washington’s line, sought to stifle a revolt in his ruling Labour Party last week by promising to quit within a year after almost 10 years in office.

When Ben Cardin, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Maryland, appeared on this afternoon's Hardball, host Chris Matthews played a Cardin TV ad most of which was taken up by Cardin informing voters that:

"I always try to do what's right, what's in the best interest of Maryland families: taking on the drug companies, the oil companies, the insurance companies."

Let's first note Cardin's daring admission that he tries to do 'what's right.' Bold stuff! Actually, come to think of the track record of Maryland politicians when it comes to obeying the law, maybe it is a rather maverick position after all.

But moving to the meat of his message, is this the platform that Dems in general and Cardin in particular want to offer voters? Vote for us: we'll attack our country's biggest employers and taxpayers! You might call the platform: Cardin vs. Capitalism.

MICHELINE MAYNARD and NICK BUNKLEY, NYT, SEPT/14/06

Ford Motor Co offers to buyout American workers.

In a collaborative agreement between Ford and UAW, an announcement will be made on Friday detailing the terms of the offer.

The buyout comes in the wake of that offered by GM.

...Until now, Ford has been offering buyouts and other incentives to workers at certain plants, beginning with those it had already announced would close. About 6,200 workers already have accepted those offers. But that is only one-fifth the number of jobs that Ford, which has 82,000 hourly workers, planned to eliminate under the original Way Forward plan.

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