During Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate on MSNBC, NBC anchor Brian Williams posed a question to Barack Obama which managed to simultaneously impugn Republicans as executors of disreputable campaign practices and portray Obama as a likely victim of it -- all based on Mitt Romney flubbing Obama's name and memories of the Bush campaign's attacks on John McCain in 2000.
Explaining that his question would be “about religion and misinformation,” Williams, who co-moderated the debate with Tim Russert, raised how Romney “misspoke twice on the same day, confusing your name with that of Osama bin Laden,” as if, apparently, that was some sort of effort to suggest Obama is Muslim. Williams proceeded to highlight how “your party is fond of talking about potential swift boating,” before he got to his charged political point in the form of a question: “Are you fearful of what happened to John McCain, for example in South Carolina a few years back, confusion on the basis of things like names and religion?”
On October 23, Romney made this gaffe, which he immediately corrected: “I think that is a position which is not consistent with the fact. Actually, just look at what Osam, uh, Barack Obama, said just yesterday, Barack Obama, calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. 'That is the battlefield. That is the central place. Come join us under one banner.'”
The question, in full, from Williams at about 10:09pm EDT during the October 30 two-hour debate from Drexel University in Philadelphia:
Senator Obama, we're going to transfer into a new area here. A question specifically for you because you're in a rather unique position. It's about religion and misinformation. Governor Romney misspoke twice on the same day, confusing your name with that of Osama bin Laden. Your party is fond of talking about potential swift boating. Are you fearful of what happened to John McCain, for example in South Carolina a few years back, confusion on the basis of things like names and religion?
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
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Chappaquiddick?
October 31, 2007 - 02:21 ET by MBConservDid Brian Williams forget about Ted Kennedy's "Osama, Obama..." quote?
No matter how much lipstick Washington tries to slap onto this legislative pig, it’s not going to win any beauty contests." Fred Thompson
And CNN?
October 31, 2007 - 05:48 ET by Tim GrahamNot to mention CNN doing it?
So some truth might be exposed on Obama?
October 31, 2007 - 02:35 ET by mastersofdeceit"Your party is fond of talking about potential swift boating.."
Your party (and the pro-dem msm) is fond of talking on and on and on and on and on about insignificant things.
See "macaca"
Barack Hussein Obama
October 31, 2007 - 12:57 ET by PShannonAlso, see The Obama File:
http://www.freedomsenemies.com/_more/obama.htm
Teeing up ... Big difference
October 31, 2007 - 03:14 ET by KC MulvilleIt's a fair journalistic practice to tee up a question; that is, you present the politician with a criticism and allow him(her) to respond to it. That accomplishes two tasks. It forces the politician to answer criticism. If the politician has a legitmate answer, it gives the politician the chance to respond fairly; if the politician has no answer, it shows that the criticism was correct. That's good, solid journalism.
When the journalist challenges the politician, to his face, it gives the politician a chance to respond. But when the journalist becomes an accomplice in that politician's attack on others, he's effectively attacking others without giving them the chance to respond. It is, in essence, journalistic cowardice. Instead of forcing Obama to answer a criticism, Brian Williams set Obama up for a cheap shot against Republicans. Pure journalistic cowardice.
Right, KC
October 31, 2007 - 06:56 ET by motherbeltRight, KC
What Brian Williams did, in legal circles I believe is called "leading the witness."
I wouldn't call it journalistic cowardice. I would call it malice, or a second-hand hit job.
Fine by me
October 31, 2007 - 13:00 ET by KC MulvilleI was just focusing on the idea that the charge was made without the GOP being around to answer the charge. But whatever we call it, we agree it was unfair.
What? Obama doesn't sound
October 31, 2007 - 06:52 ET by motherbeltWhat? Obama doesn't sound sufficiently Muslim???
Hey, if they really wanted to tar him they could use his middle name: Hussein, and imply that he was named after Saddam!! That would be even better!!
That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. So apparently a slip of the tongue is a slip of tongue from a Democrat, a vicious slur from a Republican.
“your party is fond of talking about potential swift boating,” -Brian Williams to Sen. Obama
Obama reply: And see, Brian? It works! We've already got the media on board with it!!
Somehow the left believes
October 31, 2007 - 08:37 ET by ahusserSomehow the left believes that the Swift Boat Veterans are liars (and the leftist media has made the term "swift-boating" a verb meaning to smear someone in the political arena and has entered the lexicon as such) and that they conspired against Kerry. Now supposedly Obama is being "swift-boated". Of course if he doesn't win in one of the primaries or gets the nomination it was because he was "swift-boated" and the victim of racial and religious discrimination not because he basically is an idiot. As an aside I personally like the term "Borking"; a coincidental cross between boinking and porking (which was a monumental smear and campaign of lies the left actually used against Judge Bork.), short sweet and to the point.
Actually
October 31, 2007 - 07:18 ET by 10ksnookerI think some truth might be exposed on Hillary Matters, which will likely sink her. She doesn't take criticism well. To Democrats logic is their enemy and truth is their terrorists.
I don't get it, maybe the
October 31, 2007 - 07:27 ET by BDI don't get it, maybe the presses definition of "Swift Boating" is different than mine.
TO me, Swift Boating is when you get 256 former military men who served with someone to express their well earned opinions on that persons capabilities to be commander in chief.
Am I missing something?
I guess Sen. Ted Kennedy
October 31, 2007 - 08:18 ET by BenderI guess Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) is also guilty of 'swiftboating' Obama as he made similar gaffe to long ago.
Source: http://www.washingto...
I totally and
October 31, 2007 - 08:47 ET by ahusserI totally and wholeheartedly agree with you BD but to a lefty, a veteran, especially a Vietnam Veteran, is a criminal sociopath, psycopath, traumatically stressed drug addict. They probably believe some neo-con operative in the Bush campaign must have recruited all these guys and made them tell lies about Kerry. A real conspiracy theory. As if these guys had been planning this for years. Never ever let logic, facts and truth get in the way of your beliefs is the lefty way.
SSDD
October 31, 2007 - 08:18 ET by Killgrave"Swift-boat", "Stolen Election - 2000", "Willie Horton", etc...
Liberals are like that ugly little girl who doesn't make the pom-pom squad. She can't simply move on. She has to bitterly complain and cry endlessly about being "cheated".
"Moveon". Right.
Swift-Boat
October 31, 2007 - 11:02 ET by mattmswift'-boat verb 1. to tell the truth about someone who is misrepresenting himself as a hero. 2. To destroy a political candidate by exposing him or her as a phony.
That's a rather "liberal"
October 31, 2007 - 13:13 ET by balboaThat's a rather "liberal" definition...
...facts are facts boa...
October 31, 2007 - 13:21 ET by bigtimer...facts are facts boa...
Williams the Mannequin
October 31, 2007 - 13:07 ET by bigtimerWilliams the Mannequin managed to omit the mumble jumble from Ted the Lyin' of the Senate Kennedy's references to Obama as Osama...he really tore his name up very badly...of course he has a 'D' behind his name.
Williams better worry about Hillary the fair and progressive leftist being swift-boated....she set her self up perfectly for it last night...once again, but now the dems trounced her with her blatant lying.
Btw...If the self-anointed one says I want, or we want fair and progressive anything again I wished someone would tackle her on this...I am sick of the phrase she uses...pure socialist goals to put it nicely.