“The KGB, I think, was an honorable place to work” with “worthwhile” achievements, CNN founder Ted Turner contended in an interview aired on Sunday's Meet the Press in which he blamed the U.S. for starting the battles with Vladimir Putin “by putting the Star Wars system in Czechoslovakia and Poland” and, when host Tom Brokaw recalled that Leonid Brezhnev reacted to Jimmy Carter's outreach by invading Afghanistan, Turner retorted with moral equivalence: “Well, we invaded Afghanistan, too, and it's a lot further -- at least it's on the border of the Soviet Union.” Brokaw called it “naked aggression on the part of the Russians at the time,” prompting Turner to charge: “Well, going into Iraq was naked aggression on the part of the United States.”Turner, who did the sit-down as part of the media tour for his new book, Call Me Ted, defended Putin's KGB background by comparing it to someone who worked for the FBI:
We have an FBI and, and, and, and, and we're not prejudiced against somebody who's worked at the FBI. It's an honorable place to work. And the KGB, I think, was an honorable place to work. And it, it gave people in the former Soviet Union, a communist country, an opportunity to do something important and worthwhile.
Yeah, like oppressing people in captured nations and running gulags to suppress political dissent.
Seven months ago, Turner similarly applied moral equivalence in describing Iraqi insurgents as “patriots” who simply “don't like us because we've invaded their country” and “if the Iraqis were in Washington, D.C., we'd be doing the same thing.”
In that same interview on PBS, Turner predicted global warming will soon lead to cannibalism. My April 2 NewsBusters item, “Turner: Iraqi Insurgents 'Patriots,' Warming Inaction: Cannibalism,” recounted with video:
Interviewed Tuesday for Charlie Rose's PBS show, CNN founder Ted Turner argued that inaction on global warming "will be catastrophic" and those who don't die "will be cannibals." He also applied moral equivalence in describing Iraqi insurgents as "patriots" who simply "don't like us because we've invaded their country" and so "if the Iraqis were in Washington, D.C., we'd be doing the same thing." On not taking drastic action to correct global warming: "Not doing it will be catastrophic. We'll be eight degrees hotter in ten, not ten but 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals."From the pre-recorded interview run on the Sunday, November 30 Meet the Press:
TOM BROKAW: You met Vladimir Putin when he was just an aide to the mayor of St. Petersburg. He picked up you and Jane Fonda, to whom you were married at the time. But as you have watched him since then, most people see not in his eyes a soulful person, but the eyes -- three letters, as someone has put it: KGB. That he is-
TED TURNER: Well, he had that background. But you know, we have an FBI and, and, and, and, and we're not prejudiced against somebody who's worked at the FBI. It's an honorable place to work. And the KGB, I think, was an honorable place to work. And it, it gave people in the former Soviet Union, a communist country, an opportunity to do something important and worthwhile.
BROKAW: But in the meantime, it appears that he's very much more interested in just causing difficulty for the United States, getting in our face in a manner of speaking.TURNER: Well, wait. We're the ones -- in my opinion, we're the ones that started that. We're the ones that started by putting the Star Wars system in Czechoslovakia and Poland when they wanted to be part of it. We've said that that system is only to protect us from Iran or protect Europe from Iranian missiles. So why didn't we cooperate with the Russians? Why have we constantly been pushing, we've been pushing on the Russians all the time.
BROKAW: Your friend, Jimmy Carter, tried to be friendly with Leonid Brezhnev, and for his friendliness what did Brezhnev do?
TURNER: Hell, I don't remember. It was before I got involved.
BROKAW: He invaded Afghanistan. He invaded Afghanistan.
TURNER: Well, we invaded Afghanistan, too, and it's a lot further -- at least it's on the border of the Soviet Union or the former Soviet Union or Russia. A lot of these countries have changed names several times.
BROKAW: But, Ted, don't try to go there in terms of justifying that. I mean, it is, the fact is that the Russians, it was a naked aggression-
TURNER: Why can't I try and justify it?
BROKAW: It was naked aggression on the part of the Russians at the time.
TURNER: Well, going into Iraq was naked aggression on the part of the United States.
BROKAW: Yeah, but big power politics and changing big power politics requires everyone to come to the table, and that includes the Russians, not just the United States.
TURNER: They'll come if we invite them, I'm sure.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center





TURNER: Well, wait. We're the ones -- in my opinion, we're the ones that started that. We're the ones that started by putting the Star Wars system in Czechoslovakia and Poland when they wanted to be part of it. We've said that that system is only to protect us from Iran or protect Europe from Iranian missiles. So why didn't we cooperate with the Russians? Why have we constantly been pushing, we've been pushing on the Russians all the time.















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Senile?
November 30, 2008 - 14:32 ET by jackie3Turner is sounding like a man with Azheimer's. His preceptions ore way off. We went to Afganastan becuase of Bin Ladin. Or did he fortget about the terrorist.
KGB is far from the FBI. A sercret ploice force that takes people out of the thier beds at night and those people are never seen again. Nope, Ted. You're insane.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Why do some people think
November 30, 2008 - 15:41 ET by motherbeltWhy do some people think that being rich and owning broadcast networks makes someone an expert on anything other than how to do business and make money???
Maybe he should consult Robert Redford (See previous posting) for advice about the financial markets.
The fault lies with NBC
November 30, 2008 - 15:49 ET by allanfThe fault lies with NBC. Why is that network so hungry to put a hateful deranged America basher with a thinking disorder on "Meet the Press?"
Every time this goof opens
December 1, 2008 - 10:32 ET by misterbee241Every time this goof opens his pie hole, I stand amazed that somebody that stupid could get that rich. God looks out for fools and drunks I guess. Btw - I'm not saying TT drinks. And I dont think TT has alzheimer's - I think he's just a dope.
TED TURNER & MEDS
November 30, 2008 - 14:47 ET by SgthulkaTurner is off his meds yet again. Lithium, to be exact.
I must say, I don't like the
November 30, 2008 - 14:55 ET by Lancasters Saved UsI must say, I don't like the Cut of this man's Jib. Sad he has some credibility.
Turner
November 30, 2008 - 16:42 ET by ahusseris one of those whacked out billionaire (I guess) commies (Soros, maybe even Buffet). Who I am figuring do not know how they amassed their fortunes. He was pulling this stuff in the 80's with the pre-cursor to AGW with his shows and 'documentaries' on Nuclear Winter. As well as his pushing of the Goodwill Games (or a variant thereof, my memory is faulty). He would be one of the first to go in a newly minted communist country, unless of course he could buy his way out.
Change: When the winds of change blow hard enough, the most trivial of things can become deadly projectiles. From a Poster
It's not known as the
November 30, 2008 - 14:54 ET by fitzfongIt's not known as the Communist "News" Network for nothing.
No bias? Bulls***!
"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
fitzfong.blogspot.com
I guess after 2000 it
December 1, 2008 - 10:37 ET by misterbee241I guess after 2000 it changed from the Clinton News Network cause they were sure in the tank for Slick.
Ted Turner is too crazy for
November 30, 2008 - 15:31 ET by suzycreamcheeseTed Turner is too crazy for words. So let's not waste any more on him.
suzycreamcheese,oh! baby,now,what's got into ya?
November 30, 2008 - 16:14 ET by sentforth5yeeyeeyeeyeye..ahh,Zappa..God I miss him.
This Turner guy needs to be dipatched, pronto.
He's a loon
November 30, 2008 - 16:57 ET by SavagefanNot only is Ted Turner too crazy for words, but he is also too much of a loon to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, he is just like everyone else: he's entitled to his own opinions (however loony they might be), but he's not entitled to his own facts.
In the immortal words of Hubert Humphrey, "the right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously."
Who cares what another
November 30, 2008 - 16:45 ET by jdhawkWho cares what another stupid liberal said about anything?
Do any conservatives not know what is going to come out of Ted Turner's mouth before he says it by now? What? No one!
What did these conservatives/Republicans say about the above subject:
John McCain
Mike Huckabee
Mitt Romney
Duncan Hunter
Tom Tancredo
Sarah Palin
Don't know? I'll bet most of you - conservatives that is - didn't even know some of the above people existed before this election cycle, let alone what they are thinking and why.
But, hey, NB, go ahead keep supporting the socialist press that supports socialist politicians and socialist entertainers and keep helping them put out their message.
From your efforts and many others to include Hannity, Rush, Savage, et al, we know line and verse what they are thinking but little of what conservatives are thinking and why.
Heck, in most cases, we don't even know who the conservatives are . . .
Want to know who the conservatives are before 2012 and before the main stream press picks our candidates for us like this election cycle? Yeah, me too, but something has got to change.
This isn't working . . .
Damn!
November 30, 2008 - 17:43 ET by sentforth5Good point.Damn. You're right. There's got to be a better angle than (dare I say) preachin' to the choir!
You want to talk about stupid leftists
November 30, 2008 - 23:24 ET by BobAnthonyFor you parusal (c/o Radio Equalizer):
"To display further why conservative talk radio is irrelevant. Every
last conservative claimed Obama was a Marxist..... yet he appointed
Reagan approved, free market economists. Lawrence Summers is a Marxist.
R. Rubin was a Marxist? The head of Citi-bank is a Marxist??
IF
this does not prove talk show hosts are irrelevant idiots, nothing will
prove it to you people. You have to be mentally retarded to believe
Obama is a Marxist.
Why would someone such as myself with an
IQ of 145 (higher than Obama and Bush) worry about a couple of idiots
on the radio who used to spin records, until they became political
gurus?
They are a joke. I'm not intimidated by retarded folk
with a microphone. They are either retarded or they intentionally LIED
and showed contempt to the listener.
Why would you listen to
people who showed you complete CONTEMPT. Limbaugh told you MARXISM is
coming if you elect Obama. He lied, or he is retarded.
So why do you embrace a LIAR?
Can anyone answer the question
Can anyone explain how a free market man like Obama is a Marxist-socialist such as myself?
Guess what the pig-man lied to you again. Limbaugh should be on his knees for Obama, he is another leader for the rich."
AND WOULD IT COME TO NO SHOCKER THAT THIS NUT IS A SOCIALIST?!
For the record, I am NOT RECOGNIZING BARRACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ODINGA AS
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! I would like to become part of a
secession front!
Oh, Ted
November 30, 2008 - 17:02 ET by northoneSeems like there never was a Communist or dictator that Teddy didn't (and still doesn't) admire. Why does he seem to have such disdain for his own country?
This is the same asshat
November 30, 2008 - 17:15 ET by Army Bratthat noted that the people in North Korea were all thin and healthy, and were happy and smiling every where he went.
How did this incredibly stupid man get rich? He must be an idiot savant of some kind.
Happy Trails...
This is how
November 30, 2008 - 18:04 ET by bmovies" How did this incredibly stupid man get rich?"
He was born into an already wealthy family, that's how. His Father owned and ran an already successfull billboard business. He worked for his Father untill his Father committed suicide, and he took over the entire business, and expanded from there:
"Turner's media empire began with his father's billboard business, which he took over at 24 after his father's suicide.[4] The business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, was worth $1 million when Turner took it over in 1963. Purchase of an Atlanta UHF station in 1970 began the Turner Broadcasting System"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner
The real mystery is, what with his disconnection from reality, how he didnt run the business into the ground.
well
November 30, 2008 - 17:48 ET by allahallahoxenfreeI dont give a damn why he has disdain for this country. We need to just ignore these jackasses in the media and Hollywood. They feed on the attention and grow more outlandish with their positions each time, trying to stay in the news. No attention is worse than death to these petty morons. It's like liberals trying to understand why the jihadis hate us so much. I don't care, they want us dead, so we need to kill them first. Simple as that
CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS!!!
BOYCOTT THE MEDIA!!!
touchhole
November 30, 2008 - 17:42 ET by allahallahoxenfreeI wish he and jane would just move to burma, at least I could respect their hatred of this country. Friggin cancers on society. The media is just as bad to give this dementia ridden moron a microphone. Journalists are actively fighting attorneys for the title of biggest parasite in American society.
CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS!!!
BOYCOTT THE MEDIA!!!
How does someone with such
November 30, 2008 - 17:58 ET by bmoviesHow does someone with such a diseased, warped mind get to be a billionaire?
***shakes head***
I do believe Turner has
November 30, 2008 - 18:16 ET by ConservativeRexI do believe Turner has turned the corner to insanity. He has always been an atheist.
I am not a Roman Catholic, but I do remember reading at one time that some of his employees came to work on Ash Wednesday with a cross on their foreheads made with some kind of ash and Turner asked them "what are so people, some kind of Jesus freaks"?
The media loves him! To them he is not some kind of Anti-American provocateur, he is just "eccentric". Maybe he will follow in the steps of his father.
"The KGB, I think, was an
November 30, 2008 - 19:04 ET by Carl Kolchak"The KGB, I think, was an honorable place to work”
From a CNN special about the Cold War, here is a quote from Oleg Kalugin an ex KGB spy.
“I think if we compare Hitler to Stalin, and the Gestapo to the KGB, the KGB was far more ruthless.”
http://www.cnn.com/S...
"Yeah, like oppressing
November 30, 2008 - 19:35 ET by celator"Yeah, like oppressing people in captured nations and running gulags to suppress political dissent."
Which is why Turner and Brokaw and the MSM so admire the KBG.
The New Socialist Man/Woman
November 30, 2008 - 21:08 ET by RR GOPThe New Socialist Man/Woman knows that money, education, politics, and the media are the keys to the success of the Revolution.
The AK-47 in the hands of the Proletariat Revolutionary is only a symbol, a diversion from where the real strides are being made.
And if the New Socialist Man works hard for the Revolution, who's going to begrudge them some personal wealth and comfort? That's immaterial as the Workers ultimately benefit.
BTW, the Soviet Union never 'collapsed'...they're simply re-tooling.
One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
Ted the foreign policy expert
December 1, 2008 - 06:51 ET by TheHistorianNow HERE is a Secretary of State for Obama. No more of this pussyfooting around. Just give away the country (weapons first) to the Russians and the honorable KGB.
It also proves that just because you have a lot of money doesn't mean you are happy. Ted would be happier over in Russia living in a Siberian town. Let's all chip in and buy him a one-way ticket to the Worker's Paradise.
"What experience and history teach is
this - that people and governments never have learned anything from history,
or acted on principles deduced from it."
G. W. F. Hegel
Good morning Brent
December 1, 2008 - 10:56 ET by cocodrieAfter reading all the posts it is obvious to me we need a contest to properly rename the Cuckoo News Network.
Turner and MTP
December 1, 2008 - 10:58 ET by SeashellWhat I don't understand is when some rich (liberal) person writes a book, they get invited to be on Meet The Press, a serious political news show. I can understand being on some of the weekly morning shows but not MTP. I don't think MTP should be promoting peoples books. That was the only reason Ted was on.
I think Ted ought to read
December 1, 2008 - 18:08 ET by Tim the EnchanterI think Ted ought to read Stanislav Levchencko's book, "On the Wrong Side", especially the part about how his family reacted when he told them that he joined the KGB. "Honorable profession?"
Remember that guy, who
December 1, 2008 - 22:48 ET by RR GOPRemember that guy, who tried to warn us...what's his name? Oh yeah, Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, won the Nobel Prize in literature, was all over the news?
I guess he was just full of it. I suppose Hanoi Jane/Hubby, Bill Ayers, Angela Davis, Ward Churchill and others would now label him as a Fascist Reactionary pig malcontent who took his opportunity to live in a true Workers' Paradise for granted.
One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.