Asked “why does it matter” what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “knew or did not know” about the “enhanced interrogation” of terror suspects, Newsweek's Evan Thomas and NPR's Nina Totenberg failed to address Pelosi's hypocrisy in now condemning others for what she knew about years go, as both dismissed the relevance of her evolving memory.
On Friday's Inside Washington, Thomas insisted “it doesn't” matter, maintaining “this is all noise, this is all noise.” Totenberg declared “I don't think it matters, except that it is a diversion that is encouraged by former Bush people who don't want to have this conversation.” On the facts, Totenberg came down on Pelosi's side as she charged the CIA “did mislead” the Speaker: “I think it's entirely plausible -- and maybe even probable -- that the CIA told the technical truth in a way that did mislead Nancy Pelosi.”
Thomas, Editor at Large with Newsweek after stints as Assistant Managing Editor and Washington bureau chief, contended “Rush Limbaugh is good” for the Republican Party since he'll “take it down as low as it can go” so Republicans “make complete fools of themselves” and “then maybe,” Thomas yearned, “a moderate can come in and rescue them.”
Commenting two weeks ago, on the same program, about Senator Arlen Specter's switch from the Republican to Democratic Party, Thomas declared Republicans are now “exactly like the Labor Party in England in the 1970s. They're letting their extremists take them straight down.” As if that would upset Thomas and the Washington press corps.
Inside Washington is a weekly show produced and aired over the weekend by Washington, DC's ABC affiliate, but first broadcast Friday night on the local PBS station.
From Inside Washington aired Friday night, May 15:
GORDON PETERSON, MODERATOR: Why does it matter what Nancy knew or did not know, Evan?EVAN THOMAS: It doesn't. This is all noise, this is all noise. I mean, it was inevitable that we were going to do bad things. We did them. It was also inevitable that at that time, policy makers were going to go along with it, as did journalists. You go back and look at that period, and lots of people were talking about well we're going to have to do some rough stuff here. For us to all to be all righteous about it now I think is really a waste of time.
CHARLES KRAUTHMMER: That's why it is important, because everybody now is righteous. We forget that, as Evan says, at the time, under those circumstances, given the blindness that we had about al Qaeda and the threat out there and the prospect of getting real information out of three guys who knew a lot, it was a reasonable thing to do. And Pelosi's acquiescence, as with the acquiescence and even encouragement of many in the press and all over America, indicates that at the time, a reasonable person, as she is, would have concluded it was the right thing to do. That's why it's important.
NINA TOTENBERG: I don't think it matters, except that it is a diversion that is encouraged by former Bush people who don't want to have this conversation. And I think it's entirely plausible -- and maybe even probable -- that the CIA told the technical truth in a way that did mislead Nancy Pelosi. But there are some people who should just stay off television, and she's one of them.
....
THOMAS: Rush Limbaugh is good for the party. Drive it all the way down, take it down as low as it can go, make complete fools of themselves, because it's always darkest before the dawn, and then maybe a moderate can come in and rescue them.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Look! Up in the sky! It's a
May 16, 2009 - 14:02 ET by Chris NormanLook! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Super Moderate! Here to save the Republicans from the evil clutches of Lex Limbaugh! Yes, Super Moderate! Strange visitor from the reasonable center of the Republican Party. Able to compromise with Democrats and criticize those evil conservatives in a single bound - as he fights for weakness, self-loathing, and the Liberal Way!
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Sounds familiar
May 16, 2009 - 14:35 ET by ReaverI thought John McCain was the supermoderate who was going to rescue the Republican Party from the evil conservatives. Except he lost the election and failed in his bid to unite the party behind him. Of course this is Thomas' agenda.
If stupidity got us into this mess,
then why can't it get us out?
--Will Rogers
Yep. Another name for a
May 16, 2009 - 15:23 ET by Chris NormanYep. Another name for a moderate Republican is "loser" - the only kind of Republican the media likes. Well, that, and the moderates in Congress who function as stage props only.
Liberals Care Only About ...
May 16, 2009 - 15:37 ET by allanfthe ultimate victory, not how they get there. So they are willing to forgive a fellow socialist for a few transgressions.
you've got to be kidding me.
May 16, 2009 - 13:59 ET by puredmashiethe cia has already began strategically leaking documents which prove conclusively that madame speaker lied. totenberg's comments shows she thinks that she and her liberal pals in the msm can just squash this story and it will go away. she is wrong. this story will not go away, and when it doesn't she'll be forced to cover it, despite her misgivings.
it's really a great example why fox news channel is #1.
swing hard in case you hit it.
As usual Krauthammer is the
May 16, 2009 - 14:00 ET by bigtimerAs usual Krauthammer is the only one with a brain that works well.
Now we all know the left would be circling the wagon for the Lying Speaker of the House...and it will continue onward...talking points in place.
What really irks me is the constant blathering from the left telling us who to listen to, who to have as OUR candidates, how we have to be moderates/centrists blah blah blah... unfortunately some of the powers that be behind the scenes in the RNC are in the same mind-set...
Funny how that never works out...memories seem to fade so quickly since just the last election.
...and these very people are the ones who don't understand what the Tea Parties are all about.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
It won't be long before
May 16, 2009 - 14:39 ET by ThisnThatIt won't be long before someone suggests that Pelosi's actions are a private matter, and we should just move on.
And it really is tiresome to hear the same old "Bush was at fault" rants by these people. Even now, nothing was Clinton's fault. Not the Cole; not bin laden; not even Lewenski. Yet, if there is a thunderstorm over D.C. tomorrow, it will be Bush's fault -- somehow.
___________________________________
The challenge is to follow a consistent plan despite inconsistent prices - Sarah Palin, State of the State of Alaska speech
Hear Hear...
May 16, 2009 - 18:26 ET by jdlybrandCan't believe they didn't try to blame the swine flu on 'W'. Something like, "Bush said achoo and people got the flu".
BT, I have a saying, "the
May 16, 2009 - 17:22 ET by dscottBT, I have a saying, "the devil screams the loudest when you're closest to the mark."
All of this proves liberals are really, really concerned about Limbaugh, Cheney and Palin. They viciously attack those who represent the greatest threat to their agenda. When liberals call me a bigot for disagreeing with Obama, I know what I said has struck deep and wounded their argument mortally.
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
Howdy dscott.... You hit
May 16, 2009 - 17:28 ET by bigtimerHowdy dscott....
You hit the nail on the head...
I love your saying...it's right on the mark too.
Be a great tag-line...may use it someday if you don't mind. ;-)
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Go for it! Nancy Pelosi
May 17, 2009 - 08:37 ET by dscottGo for it!
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, starving the poor one gallon of ethanol at a time. Fill your tank with E85 and cull a village.
10-4 on the E-85 comment.
May 16, 2009 - 18:42 ET by nadadhimmi10-4 on the E-85 comment. Also, don't forget to empower Rachel Carson to kill hundreds of millions of Africans with Malaria by outlawing DDT, After all, aren't birds much more important than Black Africans??? Hey, they're just blacks and ALL blacks in the USA vote Liberal anyway, so why worry about them? Right Rachel? Oh, I forgot to mention that it's the Conservatives that are the "racists".
"THOMAS: Rush Limbaugh is
May 16, 2009 - 14:02 ET by Indiana Joe"THOMAS: Rush Limbaugh is good for the party. Drive it all the way down, take it down as low as it can go, make complete fools of themselves, because it's always darkest before the dawn, and then maybe a moderate can come in and rescue them."
Okay, can anyone who reads this now accept that it bypasses "journalism" and even "editorializing" to become outright Democrat advocacy?
This, remember, is the editor of a weekly news magazine.
And just btw, Rush is good for the Republican party. Just not in the way Thomas thinks.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."-John Adams
Why it matters
May 16, 2009 - 14:09 ET by KC MulvilleThe Democrats and Obama have been demogoguing this issue now for several years. Now it turns out that they were complicit in the very actions they claim to abhor. That means that their opposition to the interrogations were entirely political. It had no moral substance to it.
But ... and here's what drives me crazy ... the media knew about this years ago. Over the last couple of years, when the Democrats were accusing Bush of every dark crime in the middle of the night (renditions, torture, etc.), it was already known that the Democrats were briefed on them. The Democrats knew it all the time, and no one in the media pressed them on it.
I'm a very cynical guy. The deep cynic in me thinks this is a setup. We all hear that Obama and Pelosi don't like each other. Now, suddenly, the pro-Obama press is attacking Pelosi, and lo and behold, they're getting help from the administration (Panetta, others). If I was Pelosi, I'd be looking behind me right now, looking for the White House knife.
I Got Your "Moderate"...Right Here!
May 16, 2009 - 14:39 ET by Tyler DurbinMaybe a "moderate" will save Newsweek from irrelevance and bankruptcy.
I am rather hoping Rush can save the GOP from the moderates
May 16, 2009 - 15:12 ET by R D HelmWe don't need two democrat parties, which is essentially what we currently have.
-Dave
America has gone totally insane
Rush Limbaugh is good for
May 16, 2009 - 15:19 ET by fitzfongRush Limbaugh is good for the party. Drive it all the way down, take it down as low as it can go, make complete fools of themselves, because it's always darkest before the dawn, and then maybe a moderate can come in and rescue them.
Well, what do you expect from a Newsweak shill like Thomas and an NPR parasite like Totenberg? Backed into a logical corner, having twisted themselves into irreversable pretzels in an absolutely ludicrous attempt to protect Madam Botox, Thomas conjured up a super hero to save the Republicans from themselves. Seems to me that if he replaced "Rush Limbaugh" with "Nancy Pelosi", he'd actually have some credibility.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Double post
May 16, 2009 - 15:25 ET by fitzfongDouble post
NINA TOTENBERG:............
May 16, 2009 - 15:36 ET by MidAmericaNINA TOTENBERG:............ And I think it's entirely plausible -- and maybe even probable -- that the CIA told the technical truth in a way that did mislead Nancy Pelosi.
Well if Ms. Nancy is that easily fooled she must be on the wrong committee and is unqualified to be Speaker of the House.
Apparently NPR hasn't
May 16, 2009 - 15:43 ET by fitzfongApparently NPR hasn't taught Nina Totenberg the meaning of the word "is", either.
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." -Winston Churchill
Totenberg Prejudice
May 16, 2009 - 16:45 ET by KC MulvilleThis is exactly the definition of liberal prejudice: the fact is, Totenberg wasn't there. She's working entirely on her assumptions of what might have happened, and to no one's surprise, Nina Totenberg assumes that the CIA was misleading, even though Nancy Pelosi has changed her story three times.
Her depiction of what went on (and what she's willing to report) is entirely colored by her prejudice in favor of Pelosi and against the CIA.
Prejudice = bias = lack of credibility.
What does it matter?
May 16, 2009 - 15:45 ET by bknownstIsn't it hilarious how liberal media scum write off any dispicable thing one of theirs does but condem conservatives. Scooter Libby had to be prosecuted and go to jail for the crime he didn't commit - lying to congress about the CIA bimbo desk jockey. Princess Nancy can lie to everybody but that isn't a crime?
The left is a completely different world than the real world
And this is just another
May 16, 2009 - 16:01 ET by d1carterAnd this is just another example why Newsweek has become the equivalent of Marvel comics...Have you seen it lately? It is comical.
As a fan of Marvel comics,
May 16, 2009 - 20:05 ET by Indiana JoeAs a fan of Marvel comics, I have to take exception to your remark.
Don't try to drag them down to the level of Newsweak! ;^)
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."-John Adams
Thomas
May 16, 2009 - 16:04 ET by jessieHjessieH It matters because she is an elected official. It matters because she lied to EVERYONE. She passed the buck, poorly, to the CIA. She wants Bush in prison. Yet she backs the biggest lie in history- Barack Obama. She pals around with Frank, Reid, & Dodd, the biggest swindlers in history. She has all but destroyed California. How long are WE going to put up with this B.S.? P.S. See you in septenber, Washington!!!!!!!!!!!
Evan Thomas of Newsweak--a
May 16, 2009 - 16:05 ET by Andrew H.Evan Thomas of Newsweak--a propoganda rag I never buy. What a know-nothing tool. Thomas is as transparent as Pelosi promised the government would be--only for real.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
NPR is all French...
May 16, 2009 - 16:12 ET by SlyrrBackstabbers, the whole lot of them. But isn't it sweet how all of these kind, wonderful, loving media slaves to Obama and the socialist/communits of liberalism are all so very VERY concerned about 'rescuing' the GOP?
And what is this 'rescue' for which they are openly lusting? For the GOP to totally abandon all aspects of morality, virtue, decency and honesty and become like THEM - a pack of wishy-washy, weak-kneed, ankle-grabbing wimps.
Isn't following the media's lust for a GOP 'moderate' what landed us with that stupid moron idiot McCain?
Yeah, they've LOVE for him to be nominated again in 12.
These idiots are quaking in their boots, living in daily terror of the next strong GOP leader, because they know whoever it is will galvanize the party and drive these commie wimps back into the desert.
If the media is telling you to nominate such-and-such a person, then that should be a clue you should go out and find the exact OPPOSITE of the person the media wants...
Stand firm, GOP. Show some backbone. And yeah Steele, I'm talkin' to YOU.
On the other hand
May 16, 2009 - 16:14 ET by slickwillie2001In tornado alley we say 'it's always the darkest just before a big f'n storm kills you'.
But we had as moderate a moderate as the Republican Party is ever going to have in McCain, and what did it get us?
slick, In all fairness to
May 16, 2009 - 16:27 ET by Chris Normanslick,
In all fairness to the media, the moderate McCain ran as a hard core conservative, proven by the fact he didn't endorse Obama for President.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Bah
May 16, 2009 - 18:55 ET by GhostbusterThe GOP is unpopular because they have strayed away from conservative principles. The libs try to label the GOP as too conservative, when the real problem is they aren't conservative at all.
Someone point out to me exactly when the GOP has done anything that remotely resembles following Rush's lead. They DON'T stand with Rush... and look where it got them.
Now, if the GOP did actually share some of the principles that Rush and his listeners have, and stuck to them, they would be successful in actually winning elections and fixing the country.
-Ghostbuster
Ghostbuster... Yep...simple
May 16, 2009 - 18:58 ET by bigtimerGhostbuster...
Yep...simple as that.
Instead we see the opposite still happening.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
My opinion of obama might
May 16, 2009 - 19:36 ET by George S PattonMy opinion of obama might slightly increase if he started his budget cuts by defunding NPR.
Media double standards
May 16, 2009 - 23:00 ET by ruffedgeOkay, so will someone explain to me why it is that right wing conservatives are the destructive force on the fringe of the Republican party yet liberals and socialists to the left of Karl Marx are considered the driving force of the Democratic party.
Evan Thomas hopes the
May 17, 2009 - 07:32 ET by nadadhimmiEvan Thomas hopes the Republicans continue to alienate their conservative base. These liberal Republicans are reviled by the majority of the party. The ones that don't pray to be included in Manhatten and DC cocktail parties. People like Peggy Noonan and her liberal, Obama worshipping ilk are despised by conservatives.
Please, GOP, pick a conservative next time.
May 17, 2009 - 09:32 ET by nkviking75I hope the GOP nominates a strong conservative who kicks Obama's butt in 2012. Obama should have been beatable the last time around, and next time he won't be able to run on his image because he'll have a crappy record to defend. Then I'll enjoy watching Thomas and the other MSM weenies trying to explain how the e-e-e-e-vil conservative pulled some dastardly tricks to steal the White House from The One.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Senator Arlen Specter's switch
May 17, 2009 - 15:32 ET by fastfoodDemocrat or Republican, friend or foe, I figure when it comes down to brass tacks no one really trusts a traitor.