The ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts, naturally, all led Wednesday night with Scott McClellan's attacks on the Bush White House, but CBS anchor Katie Couric inaccurately reported McClellan was “forced out” of his Press Secretary position “last year” (he left in early 2006) and, interviewing McClellan's predecessor Ari Fleischer, she tried to discredit White House defenders by demanding to know if they were reading from coordinated talking points. As if that's somehow improper.
Couric told Fleischer: “A lot of people seem to be saying, in response to this book, that 'this doesn't sound like' the Scott McClellan they knew. Let's take a listen.” Viewers then saw clips of Karl Rove (“This doesn't sound like Scott”), Dan Bartlett (“He's like a fundamentally different person than all of us knew”) and Trent Duffy (“The voice that comes out of this book is certainly not Scott McClellan's”). Couric insisted “it sounds as if you all are operating from the same play book,” before asking: “Did you get together and discuss how to respond to this?” Fleischer denied Couric's assumption: “No, I think that it's just that we all worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Scott for so long and we never heard Scott talk about manipulation, talk about propaganda.”
Leading her newscast, Couric had asserted: “Scott McClellan was President Bush's chief spokesman from 2003 until he was forced out last year.” In fact, he left in 2006. Fill-in CBS Evening News anchor Russ Mitchell teased the Wednesday, April 19, 2006 newscast: "More big changes at the White House. Political guru Karl Rove loses one of his key roles, and Scott McClellan is out as the President's chief spokesman."
The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the vide to provide this transcript of the questions Couric posed to Fleischer in the interview aired on the Wednesday, May 28 CBS Evening News:
KATIE COURIC: Ari, what do you think of this book and the charges made in it?
[ARI FLEISCHER]
Well, does that mean he didn't necessarily have these feelings and perhaps was too timid to express them?
[FLEISCHER]
A lot of people seem to be saying, in response to this book, that this doesn't sound like the Scott McClellan they knew. Let's take a listen.
KARL ROVE: This doesn't sound like Scott. It really doesn't. Not the Scott McClellan I've known for a long time.DAN BARTLETT: He's like a fundamentally different person than all of us knew.
TRENT DUFFY: The voice that comes out of this book is certainly not Scott McClellan's.
COURIC: With all due respect, Ari, it sounds as if you all are operating from the same play book. Did you get together and discuss how to respond to this?
FLEISCHER: No, I think that it's just that we all worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Scott for so long and we never heard Scott talk about manipulation, talk about propaganda....
COURIC: Members of the administration always said there were definitely weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Not that there were reports of weapons, not that people believed there were weapons. Looking back on it, wasn't that a mistake?
[FLEISCHER]
As you well know, the President has very low approval ratings at this juncture. How do you think this will affect the way he is viewed by the American people?
[FLEISCHER]
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
A member of the MSM accused
May 28, 2008 - 20:10 ET by ArminiusA member of the MSM accused Fleischer, et. al. of coordinating THEIR messages? That's rich.
spectacular - better than we could have wished for
May 28, 2008 - 22:13 ET by TruthMongerthe next day or two should be incredibly historic - from an NB perspective:)
with Iraq going so well, the usual BDS suspects haven't had a fix like this in quite a while...
this McClellen trash is like throwing tons of free heroin into the middle of Amsterdam...
A member of the MSM accused
May 28, 2008 - 23:13 ET by motherbeltA member of the MSM accused Fleischer, et. al. of coordinating THEIR messages? That's rich.
Yeah, rich, but not unexpected. Scott McClellan attacks the Bush administration, and the Queen of the MSM's angle is to accuse the subjects of the attack of nefariously coordinating their denials!!
If the tables were turned, she would be encouraging McClellan to counterattack!
Oh yes, it is rich indeed!
This is such a laugher --
May 29, 2008 - 08:03 ET by Richard RomanoThis is such a laugher -- Fleischer came out with his book a few years back discussing his positive experience working with the president, did anyone notice? Nope. Now that McClellan comes out with his, a hatchet job of Bush, they're all up in arms over it -- THOSE ARE AKIN TO TALKING POINTS Miss Couric, you're following a playbook yourself, you shameless hack!
Coordinating Messages
May 29, 2008 - 08:42 ET by sam.i.amLaughable for this charge on the same day that all three network anchors appeared together (ostensibly to promote their cancer awareness effort) and "discussed" McClellan's book. If that isn't coordination of message, I don't know what is. . . As has been pointed out, the "gravitas" example was much greater than this. In fact, as has also been exposed, the very line of questioning from Couric, Matthews, et al. reeks of coordination. They are a bunch of hypocritical demigogues. It's funny to watch them all collectively yell, "Aha!!" This CONFIRMS what we have always KNOWN to be true: Bush Lied, People Died. Someone from the "inside" said it. It must be true. Almost as funny as David Gregory bristling at the accusation that he wasn't liberal enough at the time. Egads!!!
Talking Points
May 28, 2008 - 20:11 ET by nkviking75I can imagine MRC staffers hunched over their keyboards gathering MSM comments that will sound strikingly similar. Katie, where do you get your talking points?
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
At least nobody watches that
May 28, 2008 - 20:13 ET by forestAt least nobody watches that program anymore.
All of you in the leftist
May 28, 2008 - 20:17 ET by bigtimerAll of you in the leftist press are nothing but a gaggle of the same talking points 24/7...give me a break.
How stupid do you think we really are out here Perky One?
Nobody watches you and your talking points....twit.
Lord I am sick of her.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
bigtimer
May 28, 2008 - 21:42 ET by the strugglerTwit is a good word.It's right on the mark.
Kinda like Tool=Olbermann
Everybody says katie is
May 28, 2008 - 20:19 ET by MidAmericaEverybody says katie is tanking as a News Anchor. Is that coordination or is it everybody sees the same thing?
The story on Politico
May 28, 2008 - 20:31 ET by motherbeltThe story on Politico mentions that regarding the runup to the war and on the Valerie Plame incident, McClellan said Although the things I said then were sincere, I have since come to realize that some of them were badly misguided.” (emphasis added)
Excuse me, but why is this news? McClellan is certainly not the only one who claimed later that Bush had lied the country into war, and that Cheney and Rove and Libby were conspirators in the Plame thing (even though Richard Armitage was the leaker).
Unbelievable
May 28, 2008 - 21:17 ET by KC MulvilleUnbelievable. In more ways than one.
Who's Coordinating?
May 28, 2008 - 20:53 ET by CaringwhiteguyInterestingly the tack Couric took regarding talking points is exactly the same line of questioning Fleischer got during his "interview" with Chris Matthews?
So are the Administration defenders coordinating their responses, or is it MSM coordinating the inquisition?
Anyone remember GRAVITAS?
Campbell Brown asked the
May 28, 2008 - 20:54 ET by balboaCampbell Brown asked the same question of Ari.
My only regret
May 28, 2008 - 21:11 ET by BayshoremanMy only regret is that Ari didn't throw it right back at Couric by asking her how often her "peers" get their talking points from the DNC!!!!
As you well know, the
May 28, 2008 - 21:33 ET by fitzfongAs you well know, the President has very low approval ratings at this juncture.
Judging by the Nielsen's, Katie, they're no lower than yours.
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -Ronald Reagan
MSM is coordinating their talking points
May 28, 2008 - 21:50 ET by SupermanChris Matthews also asked Ari the same thing. I've also heard that CNN did the same as well. It looks like the MSM are the ones in the talking point coordination business.
So Couric does listen to
May 29, 2008 - 04:34 ET by Jack BauerSo Couric does listen to Limbaugh.
That's Rush's regular schtick -- except he plays so-called "unbiased" news reporters all magically repeating the same Democrat talking point phrase.
Slightly different from the folks she mantioned who are private citizens who worked with McClellan.
McClellan Is Navel Lint
May 29, 2008 - 07:46 ET by thoridflyWhat kind of a worthless, scumbag hypocrite treats a loyal friend the way ScottMac has treated George Bush?
And why didn't this spineless dirtbag bring things up at the time?!!
Hanging out with all these liberal cockroaches has destroyed any integrity he may have had.
More "the pot calling the
May 29, 2008 - 08:32 ET by mattmMore "the pot calling the kettle black" from the lying scumbag liberal media.
Something we haven't heard from the media
May 29, 2008 - 08:37 ET by sarcasmoOr here, from the media-critics (AFAIK) is that McClellan's mother, former Texas Comptroller & Austin Mayor Carole Keeton Strayhorn, ran for governor in '06. She was forsaken by the state RINO...er.."Republican" Party. This means that while money is certainly involved, as with any book, there's also possibly an element of political revenge as motivation for writing the book. It's not ever a good idea to mess with Mom.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Yeah, "with all due respect"
May 29, 2008 - 09:00 ET by SickofLibsYeah, "with all due respect" Katie, Rove, Bartlett and Duffy all met at Hooter's Tuesday night after bowling to coordinate their stories.
next CBS anchor will be...?