On Friday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Julie Chen read some viewer email, including a question from one woman who asked: "Would you be willing to jeopardize your job to report something your bosses or the government wanted to keep hidden?" Co-host Harry Smith used the question as an opportunity to voice his opposition to the Iraq war:
You know, I remember being in Iraq before the war started, we were there just a couple of -- a couple of weeks before the war started and it came, it was really, really clear to me on the ground that this didn't make any sense. And I remember coming back, but there was all this sort of preponderance of opinion that this -- this thing should go on. And I kept thinking to myself, 'this doesn't -- there's -- I'm not connecting the dots everybody else is connecting.' And if I have a regret in my reporting life that I didn't stand up then and say, 'this doesn't make any sense.'
While Smith may not have expressed outright opposition to the Iraq war early on, just days after the invasion in March of 2003, he was very sympathetic to then-Democratic Senator and war critic Tom Dashcle: "You were under a certain amount of criticism especially directly from the White House as the day before the war actually began you talked about the failure of diplomacy. Did you feel along the way, and especially in the hours after that, that some Republicans were actually questioning your patriotism?"
Chen agreed with Smith’s assessment and backed up his assertions, declaring: "Yeah, I remember, I was there, also, and I asked, I'm blanking on his name now, ooh, he was in command there at CENTCOM, and I said -- he said 'connect the dots, connect the dots,' I said 'connect them for me. I can't connect them.'" Smith replied: "Yeah...Well, that's sad."
Co-host Russ Mitchell also replied to the viewer email, explaining: "I think it's a little more complicated. The government, Yes. Well, your boss is a different -- because we have a system of checks and balances here. You have to have at least one champion before you can just put something on television." Apparently that’s how stories like how to feng shui your home for pets get on the air while little attention is paid to the Supreme Court overturning the Washington D.C. gun ban.
—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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And if I have a regret
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:03 ET by MidAmericaAnd if I have a regret in my reporting life that I didn't stand up then and say, 'this doesn't make any sense.'
Smith is a reporter? Who knew? I always thought he was a spokesman for the DNC.
Harry Retro-Smith
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 11:18 ET by GalvanicWhy would a reporter regret having not expressed his opinion on something? Opinion ain't news.
Better yet, why didn't anyone sharing the stage with him point this out?
My Reaction
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 13:39 ET by Wildcatter1980My reaction to ol' Smitty's comments are that they are akin to him saying, "I wish I had not lined all the airplanes up wingtip to wingtip." AFTER the Japanese were able to destroy most of them by among other tactics, strafing runs during their surprise attack on Pearl Harber and the other military facilities in Hawai'i in December 1941.
--
We already have term limits. They are called elections. We can & should vote out those who do not represent & serve us! - Me
Harry was against the war....?
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:10 ET by superconWho knew?His reporting is often so impartial and neutral you just never know what his political leanings are or who he may vote for.
Not.
Listen to Harry once again put himself and his opinions into a story.He all but admitted that he has no problem using his position as an anchor to be an advocate.Not that anyone at CBS would care because that seems to be corporate policy there.They are an advocacy group for the DNC that happen to own a television network.
It is an absolute joke for Harry to act as if he stood by and did nothing to stop the war in Iraq.CBS did everything they could to sour the American public on that war and led the charge with the Abu Ghraib story and beat the nightly drum of bad news and defeat for years.
"I have a regret in my reporting life that I didn't stand up then and say, 'this doesn't make any sense.'
You said it every day for years you jerk.
Hey Janet Napolitano...I'm proud to be a Right-winger.
I always knew Harry Smith was a Saddamite
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:11 ET by R D Helm-Dave
America has gone totally insane
Dave... You got me
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:14 ET by bigtimerDave...
You got me laughing here...that was a good one.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
bt,
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:22 ET by R D HelmLOL-Yeah, sometimes the truth can be hilarious.
-Dave
America has gone totally insane
Harry cheer up! It's
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:20 ET by MidAmericaHarry cheer up! It's not too late to be against a war! Obama is flailing about in Afghanistan. You can even do a special report on how the Whitehouse is escalating the war and hasn't made the case for how it plans to win. It's perfect for you Harry! Get out there and oppose this war! Interview war protesters. Show pictures of civilian casualties and bombed out homes. Give a daily body count. Show pictures of dead and severely wounded soldiers and interviews with crying parents of these soldiers. Show anti-American demonstrations as Muslims shout 'Death to America' and burn the American flag. We're counting on you Harry.... stop this war!!
A clue for Harry
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:21 ET by Kat Outta the BagYou're a reporter, Harry. Not a commentator, but a reporter. You're supposed to report on things that happen and keep your yap shut about your opinions on them. Yes, I know all the other kids in the news media run their mouths on things they don't know anything about, but that doesn't make it right, now does it?
Why do these "news" people
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:27 ET by DaBirdWhy do these "news" people always insist it is their job to give their opinion on US foreign policy, or anything else for that matter? They actually think that what Walter Cronkite did 40 years ago was noble. Hey Harry, it wasn't noble then, and it isn't noble now.
Yet one more example of 20/20 hindsight.
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 17:51 ET by IamTinmanDid Harry have anything published before the start of the war? Did he in fact say anything negative before the war became unfashionable?
You haveto be impressed
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 18:07 ET by snaggletoothieYou have to be impressed with the intellectual depth of his opposition: "it was really, really clear to me on the ground that this didn't make any sense. . . And I kept thinking to myself, 'this doesn't -- there's -- I'm not connecting the dots everybody else is connecting.'" Yes, it's a great tragedy that he denied us his blinding insight.
st...a tragedy
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 18:13 ET by bigtimerst...a tragedy indeed!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
You haveto be impressed
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 18:05 ET by snaggletoothieYou haveto be impressed with the intellectual depth of his opposition: "it was really, really clear to me on the ground that this didn't make any sense. . . And I kept thinking to myself, 'this doesn't -- there's -- I'm not connecting the dots everybody else is connecting.'" Yes, it's a great tragedy that he denied us his blinding insight.
He couldn't connect the
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 18:10 ET by RESTLESS 1He couldn't connect the dots if only given two.
"This
liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about
basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."-Maxine Waters 2008
Last time I checked.......
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 19:53 ET by big.league.sliderLast time I checked, the US was still involved in a war in Iraq and Afghanistan. So it's still not too late for Mr. Smith to denounce President Obama and the Democrat controlled Congress for our continued military involvement over there. He should be even more vocal about it now that Congress has just re-funded the war effort for another 6 months.
If I were Harry Smith, I would immediately resign in protest.
"Fascism is rightly seen as the merger of the Corporation and Government." -B. Mussolini
big league is on to
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 20:54 ET by snaggletoothiebig league is on to something. There are millions of lefties who bad mouth Bush and Cheney endlessly. If these morally superior libs would just watch the news closely and continue to be deadly serious about their mission to save mankind from the evil American government they will see another chance to display courage in their great battle with evil.
snaggle,
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 22:15 ET by big.league.sliderHere's another way MSM leftists like Smith can put their money where their mouth is: These hypocritical useful idiots in the MSM are constantly harping about the disparity in pay between corporate CEO's and their underlings. How about if we reduce the compensation of the typical congressional house member, like say Rep. Pelosi, to match that of the typical member of our armed services, like say a USMC Lance Corporal.
After all, it only seems fair. The Marine LC is on duty 24-7, voluntarily risking his life each day, enduring the most difficult of conditions, all in service of his country. And making the princely sum of about $30K/yr.
While madame Pelosi works only a few hours each week, resides in a luxurious townhouse paid for by taxpayers, eats catered meals, flys on private jets, and has a staff budget in excess of $1 million dollars.
At least the Marine LC provides a valuable service in return for his pay. The same can't be said of speaker Pelosi. That's why David Feherty's elevator joke was so spot-on.
"Fascism is rightly seen as the merger of the Corporation and Government." -B. Mussolini
Hate speech?
Fri, 05/15/2009 - 23:12 ET by ZuccoZoidI'm beginning to believe these "reporters" and "journalists" in our MSM actually HATE US; and I use that term carefully; "hate" is a hot term and implies intention to do harm, which I think they are doing; they've gone beyond CONTEMPT (active disrespect) to rewiring fundamentally bad policies and decisions, simply because they favor Democrats and liberals, no matter what the price;
Imagine if George Bush had "buzzed" NYC for a photo op, scaring the hell out of everyone; what was that, a one day item? He would have been pilloried, and rightly so; Obama gets a pass; oops!
Releasing confidential information that could compromise OUR OWN SECURITY is just ok; Cheney defends, he's given the journalistic equivalent of waterboarding; Obama releases terrorists and he's "enlightened".
Funny how these "enlightened" people don't want Gitmo killers in THEIR neighborhoods...
Muslim killers run amok in the UK (soon here) but Michael Savage is BANNED - !
And as Joe Biden said to the entire world - the more taxes you pay the more "patriotic" you are - a more willing subservient ward of the State.Yet they wallow in money and don't pay taxes at all - you can even be promoted to Sec of Treasury!
Goodbye, America
You mean if Harry Smith had just said no...
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 05:15 ET by Red Jeep...there would have been no war in Iraq? You mean Harry has such great vision that from just a visit to Iraq he new war was futile?
What does this guy carry his ego around in, a tractor-trailer?
And What About Now
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 07:04 ET by rightwingidiotAnd what about now?
Can't Harry connect the dots with our lying sack of crap of a president, now? Can't he see that there's a problem with what Obeyme says and what he does? Is Smith at all interested in "reporting" fairly on the Liar in Chief?
Smith is irrelevant. He doesn't even fake a reporter well.
Isn't there some kind of
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 10:15 ET by freecitizenIsn't there some kind of journalistic rule against making yourself the story? So much for the impartial observer.
Liberal: remove all that's Right, and this is what's Left.
But it seems to me
Sat, 05/16/2009 - 10:36 ET by mothergooseBut it seems to me his answer to the question is "NO". "Would you risk your job to report something your boss or the government wanted to keep hidden?" He says he had all these bad feelings about this war, but he didn't voice them until he had decided it was politically correct to do so. It's like nazis saying after the war that they never really thought gassing all those jews was a good idea. Where were they when it was happening? The viewer is asking about courage to say what you believe is right even if it is dangerous to your own welfare...........and, in effect, he is admitting he did not have the courage of his convictions....if he actually had those convictions.
Mr.Harry Smith regrets about his Stress and Anxiety.-
Wed, 05/20/2009 - 22:45 ET by Charles H. GarridoHello Mr. Kyle Drennen thanks your column.- May 20th/09 22:00 Hours.-Ref: "Yellow PRESS Fourth Branch" Always Monday Morning Quarterback what? they always will "Replay" the mistake again and again.-.President Jackson "Old Hickory" at the time, mistakes had the Honor a duel also problems to Florida against the MICOOSIQUE Indians.- General Eisenhower, problems with making history to addressed the troops before day June D- President Nixon had his mistakes but all were brave, decent, & honest.- History will continue "Parabola" Colleagues Fellows, Maggie Rodriguez, Couric, Ricky Sanchez, "Blond" Matthews, Chen, finally Mr.Harry Smith. You will interview THE Queen Isabel and King Fernando(Spain). BUT FIRST should be the question from the MANAGEMENT... differents maybe are Demagogues, Hypocrisy, Cowards, Bedfellows ABC/NBC/ABC/CNN, etc Manager your boss shows the point men/woman.- Anchors,Columnists "Yellow Press" will finally to interview SAID: Please QUEEN ISABEL do you think that Almirante Cristobal Colon should takes their Ships Santa Maria, La Pinta, La Niña directly to China or to Japan? SAID: NEED FROM KING FERNANDO Please? BUT HOW CAN CREWS BRINGS FROM WHERE? KING FERNANDO answer easy all prisoners JAILS from ABUDA-JIRAB all CREWS by the faith ROME CATHOLIC, JUDEA PALESTINE JEWS, or North African from MOROCCO. Thanks & Cooperation Charles H. Garrido, Miami Fla.-