With all the ballyhoo and discussion surrounding ABC’s “The Path to 9/11,” very few people have actually seen any of the controversial docudrama about to air (hopefully) beginning Sunday. However, to whet your appetites, here is a trailer of the series that has been airing on European television.

In the middle of all the controversy surrounding ABC’s upcoming docudrama “The Path to 9/11,” something very important has been lost: Regardless of the protestations of the left, there were indeed some missed opportunities to capture or kill Osama bin Laden before our nation was attacked. In fact, on March 16, 2004, the NBC “Nightly News” did a report on one such chance the Clinton administration passed on.

What follows is a full transcript of this report, with emphasis given to draw attention to statements that are quite relevant to the current controversy. Those that are interested can watch the video here courtesy of GOP Video.

Item -- New York Post, Sept. 7, 2006:

Clinton pointedly refuted several fictionalized scenes that he claims insinuate he was too distracted by the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal to care about bin Laden and that a top adviser pulled the plug on CIA operatives who were just moments away from bagging the terror master, according to a letter to ABC boss Bob Iger obtained by The Post.

Item -- Philosophical sympathizer Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in her June 2004 column evaluating the Clinton presidency:

Yes, the Lefty blogs must stop The Path To 9/11 from ever being shown. But here is what some notables had to say previously when the program in question dealt with Reagan, not as a politician, but as a human being.

Hypocrites all. You simply need to read their writing over the last few days and compare it to the posts and positions noted below.

Alterman:

Amazing but true, the far-right media machine has successfully held CBS entertainment to a higher standard of truth regarding the docudrama, "The Reagans" than the news media manages to hold the Bush administration regarding the war in Iraq. The ability of these would-be censors to "work the refs" on the issue of the CBS movie, "The Reagans" is truly impressive. Setting a new standard for accuracy in TV docudramas - something that never troubled them, for instance, when a network had to invent a voice of morality in the Reagan White House for an Ollie North biopic based on Guts And Glory: The Rise And Fall Of Oliver North by Ben Bradlee Jr.'s, because none existed in real life - the right not only got CBS to walk away from its $9 million investment, it got them to excise a statement emanating from Reagan’s mouth that was largely accurate.

I guess we all should have expected that mere changes to the story weren’t going to placate Team Clinton, for another letter was sent to ABC President and CEO Robert Iger on Friday, this one asking for “The Path to 9/11” be cancelled. For those that are interested, and can tolerate yet another example of extraordinary political hypocrisy, here it is:

As badly as the American press leans leftward, the Canadian press is actually worse in its bias against things conservative. That's ironic since Canada's prime minister, Stephen Harper, is actually a conservative which has caused a good amount of friction with intolerant liberals up north.

Facing an entire press corps as impartial as Keith Olbermann, Harper has had no choice but to play tough with reporters who despise him, snubbing their little award ceremonies, and denouncing their desire to pontificate at news conferences. "They don't ask questions at my press conferences," he said in May.

The Grits' (Liberal) press arm retaliated, launching a boycott of his news conferences. Being reporters, though, their staying power was rather limited (h/t Small Dead Animals):

With a whimper it was over.

As of today, The Parliamentary Press Gallery has called off its five-month-old boycott of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's news conferences.

Officially, its only a temporary suspension of the boycott to let Harper think about the error of his ways and to reach a new protocol for holding press conferences. But the PPG members know the jig's up.

I’ve actually had to watch this segment several times, for it really is quite shocking. After careful analysis, it does indeed appear that NBC’s David Gregory, on HBO’s “Real Time” Friday night, actually defended President George W. Bush against continued personal attacks by host Bill Maher.

(Update: Our good friend at GOP Video has cordially supplied us a video link of this segment.)

As a special guest via satellite, Gregory first countered Maher’s suggestion that Bush is not intelligent, and did so in a fashion that almost pointed the finger right back at Maher himself:

It’s kind of fashionable to dismiss him as a, as a dumb guy. It’s not true. I think people who don’t like him comfort themselves with that. It’s not the case. He’s certainly a very shrewd guy, and he’s a very adept politician.

Imagine that. Next, when Maher made a joke out of this by saying, “We’re just going to let you keep digging your own hole here,” Gregory parried:

Michael Moore hasn't taken time off from making films to please liberals. FoxNews.com reports he'll soon be releasing two movies (neither of which will ever be vetted for accuracy by the MSM).

In the story, Moore is also quoted defending actor Tom Cruise, saying "his religion is his own damn business." Two paragraphs later, though, the corpulent moviemaker makes fun of actor Mel Gibson's religion:

Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore unveiled two new projects last night in Toronto: a documentary about the health insurance business called “Sicko” and film that chronicles the aftermath of the 2004 election, entitled “Slacker.”

Moore showed clips from both films as part of a special two-hour presentation at the famed Elgin Theater. Larry Charles, director of the new comedy “Borat” and well-known from his work on the TV show “Seinfeld,” conducted the program that also consisted of a long, funny and intimate live interview with Moore.

The evening was almost marred by a faulty projector that caused Moore’s clips to be interrupted several times. The same thing apparently happened one night earlier during a screening of “Borat.” Moore jumped on stage and did shtick with Charles for the packed house. Last night, Charles returned the favor.

And while clips from both new Moore movies looked tantalizing, it was the director himself who made the biggest headlines with revelations about his life since becoming a lightning rod for controversy with “Roger and Me” some 17 years ago.

Bill Maher on HBO’s “Real Time” Friday evening had some truly disgraceful things to say about America’s president that even at times seemed to shock and offend his typically liberal audience. In his seemingly habitual need to question Bush’s intelligence, Maher stated, with a picture of the president on the screen, “Amid all the 9/11 anniversary talk about what will keep us safe, let me suggest that in a world turned hostile to America, the smartest message we can send to those beyond our shores is ‘We’re not with stupid!’” Maher punctuated this vitriolic statement with a plea to his audience: “Therefore, I maintain that ridiculing this president is now the most patriotic thing you can possibly do.”

(Update: Our good friend at GOP Video has cordially supplied us a video link of this segment.)

Later, Maher made a truly despicable reference to the president having Down syndrome:

A first hand look at pre/post-revolution Cuba:

Recently Cuban dictator Fidel Castro handed power over to his brother, Raul, while he underwent surgery from intestinal problems. As the news media reports on the legacy of Fidel Castro, now would be a good time to look a that from the point-of-view of one who lived in Cuba pre- and post-revolution. Oscar Ramírez-Orbea grew up pre-revolution and saw all that his family work hard for be taken by the Communists under Castro.

As the title suggests, this book is bi-lingual, written by a professor who actually was born and raised in Cuba and fled Cuba as a boy with his family. The Ramírez-Orbea family lost all they had worked for when Castro seized private property "for the common good."  

CUBA, I REMEMBER YOU/CUBA, TE RECUERDO 

A first hand look at pre/post-revolution Cuba:

Recently Cuban dictator Fidel Castro handed power over to his brother, Raul, while he underwent surgery from intestinal problems. As the news media reports on the legacy of Fidel Castro, now would be a good time to look a that from the point-of-view of one who lived in Cuba pre- and post-revolution. Oscar Ramírez-Orbea grew up pre-revolution and saw all that his family work hard for be taken by the Communists under Castro.

As the title suggests, this book is bi-lingual, written by a professor who actually was born and raised in Cuba and fled Cuba as a boy with his family. The Ramírez-Orbea family lost all they had worked for when Castro seized private property "for the common good."  

CUBA, I REMEMBER YOU/CUBA, TE RECUERDO 

CUBA, I REMEMBER YOU/CUBA, TE RECUERDO - A Review  A first hand look at pre/post-revolution Cuba:Recently Cuban dictator Fidel Castro handed power over to his brother, Raul, while he underwent surgery from intestinal problems. As the news media reports on the legacy of Fidel Castro, now would be a good time to look a that from the point-of-view of one who lived in Cuba pre- and post-revolution. Oscar Ramírez-Orbea grew up pre-revolution and saw all that his family work hard for be taken by the Communists under Castro.

As the title suggests, this book is bi-lingual, written by a professor who actually was born and raised in Cuba and fled Cuba as a boy with his family. The Ramírez-Orbea family lost all they had worked for when Castro seized private property "for the common good."  CUBA, I REMEMBER YOU/CUBA, TE RECUERDOBy OSCAR M. RAMÍREZ-ORBEA, PH.D.About family, love, relationships, and survival in difficult circumstances in Cuba's pre and post revolution of the 1950's and 60's. A collection of 14 short stories, all in Spanish and English, based on the author’s experiences of childhood before and after the Communist revolution. Lots of nostalgia for those who knew Cuba in the 50’s and 60’s and plenty of humor for readers in general. Includes also many period family photographs that illustrate the stories and bring them vividly to life! and lots of detail of a life gone that all readers will find to be a wonderful reading experience See more about the book at:http://cubairememberyou.zoomshare.com/ 

Dr. Oscar M. Ramírez-Orbea, was born in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1955. He emigrated with his family to the US in 1966, after completing elementary school in his home country. He longs one day to return to his native city of Camagüey and to all the fond memories it holds for him. CUBA, I REMEMBER YOU/CUBA, TE RECUERDO is Dr. Ramírez’s first narrative work.

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