CNN Concerned Anti-Obama Book 'Might Catch on With Some Voters'

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.

Never Again!  Not the Holocaust.  We're talking about the MSM's determination not to let Barack Obama be "Swiftboated." In successive segments today, CNN provided a perfect example of the phenomenon. First, a one-sided trashing of Obama Nation, the anti-Barack book by Jerome Corsi, who co-authored Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry.  In the succeeding segment, anchor Suzanne Malveaux worried out loud to Paul Begala that Barack Obama might not be responding fast enough to attacks against him, thereby "falling into the same trap as John Kerry."

Introducing the first segment, Situation Room anchor Malveaux didn't hesitate to make unequivocal claims as to the Corsi book's inaccuracy.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX: There's a new book out about Barack Obama, and it is not flattering. The facts are mixed with accusations about Obama that are misleading or just flat-out wrong. Yet despite all of this, there is concern that author's claims might catch on with some voters.  Our CNN's Jessica Yellin joining me now, and Jessica, the author even admits that there is an agenda here behind this book.

View video here.

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

Eek: an agenda! CNN prefers its authors agenda-less.  You know, people like the perfectly non-partisan Sy Hersh and Ron Suskind, who get invited onto the network and accorded respectful treatment.  CNN didn't deign to have Corsi on, but played a brief clip from a Fox News appearance he made.  Malveaux then spoke with CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin.

JESSICA YELLIN: [The book] alleges Obama is on the extreme left of American politics and has extensive connections to Islam and with radical racial politics. This despite the fact that for months Obama's been explaining he's not Muslim.

Cut to clip of Obama . . . explaining he's not Muslim. Do I smell a straw man?  Corsi isn't quoted as claiming Obama is Muslim, only that he has connections to Islam, a different proposition.  Obama on the extreme left?  You mean, like having the most liberal voting record in the Senate, to the left of self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders?  Connections to radical racial politics?  What a slur! It's not as if Obama was married by and for 20 years sat in the pews of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, or was political buddies with Father Pfleger or anything.

Minutes later, speaking with guest Paul Begala, Malveaux's anxiety for Obama's sake shown through:

MALVEAUX: The Democratic presidential nominee of four years ago is trying to help the current presumptive nominee. John Kerry hopes what happened to him does not happen to Barack Obama. So Kerry and supporters roll out a website called "Truth Fights Back."  It promises to fight lies from what it calls the right-wing smear machine.  Joining me are CNN political contributor, Democratic strategist Paul Begala, and Republican strategist Kevin Madden, a former spokesman for Mitt Romney. Good to see you guys; thanks for joining us.

I want to start here by talking about this new website that John Kerry has up.  He's saying he's coming back and he wants to make sure that all these smears and lies basically are addressed.  Is Barack Obama, is he responding to some of these attacks quick enough, or is he falling into the same kind of trap that John Kerry was in at this time last summer [cycle?].

PAUL BEGALA: You know, a little of the latter. I think a lot of Democrats are worried and wondering if Obama is going to hit, and hit back hard. I think what Senator Kerry is doing is good; it's probably very encouraging to the Obama folks and to Democrats like me.  But you know, I'm a George S. Patton Democrat. Patton said the purpose of war is not to die for your country. It's to make the other guy die for his country.  Right. The purpose of a campaign is not merely to respond to every attack. So let's not overlearn all this rapid response.  I was part of that with Bill Clinton. How about rapid attack?

Let's deconstruct Malveaux.  Kerry wants to help Obama avoid "what happened to him"—as if "what happened" to Kerry is an agreed fact.  The Swift Boat Veterans would adamantly say, and many would agree, that they exposed the truth about Kerry.  But Malveaux is concerned that Obama might not be fighting back fast enough against "these smears and lies."   Which smears and lies?  Malveaux doesn't bother citing one.  And what "trap"?  How many days is it since John Kerry promised to release his full military record?

Note: I haven't read Corsi's book and am not vouching for its accuracy.  The point is that Malveaux trashed it while taking as received truth that John Kerry was falsely attacked four years ago.  By the way, a senior NB editor highly recommends another book that critically examines the Obama record: The Case Against Barack Obama, by David Freddoso.

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

If it's wrong, prove it. Hanoi John couldn't.....

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, if the book is wrong, prove it's wrong or you have already proven you are an idiot.

 Old, Retired and glad of it.

THE IDIOT MEDIA...

Scrapiron,

 Malveaux, like the rest of the MSM, really have no solid ground to stand on when it comes to reporting on the contents of this book. If the MSM had actually been doing their job, actually reporting actual news, there would be no need for this book.

The same goes for those in the MSM who still can't figure out how El-Rushbo became the monster(or is it a lovable little fuzzball) he has become, if they had done their job without the bias & the agenda, he would'nt exist. They also don't grasp the concept that they can't destroy what they did'nt create. Rush owes nothing to the MSM, so they cannot touch him, unlike Obama who is a totally media created smoke & mirrors fraud.

 

"...it's still We The People, Right?"  Megadeth 

It's already been done

It's already been done extensively

http://mediamatters....

Corsi does not represent Republicans. All he does is hurt the cause.

Corsi does not represent

Corsi does not represent Republicans. - I dont believe anyone said he did except for the leftists.  All he does is hurt the cause - You mean the leftists cause?  I can see that you are well versed in left politics as you seem to believe Media Matters explicitly.  I say we look at the facts and charges and make up our own minds.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

Wisdom, Your sources such

Wisdom,

Your sources such as LA Times, Media Matters, etc...will hardly serve as reliable here. Please try again.

let's see

A lefty writes a book about someone who heard someone else say Bush did something bad: bombshell.

A conservie writes a book about Obama's voting record and campaign information easily obtained: a bunch of lies.

 

Supposedly, OBAMANATION will be debuting @ #1...

...on the NYT's Bestseller list.

That is going to drive the Obamatons absolutely flippin' batty.

BTW Suzanne, I do not need a book written by Mr. Corsi, or anyone else, for that matter, to tell me that Barack Hussein Obama is wholly and completely unfit to occupy the Oval Office as anything other than a guest.

I figger'd that one out all by my lonesome self!  :-)

-Dave.

Obamaton

Today I had the chance to observe an Obamaton in his natural setting. Logic, common sense, and simple deduction were not strong suits of his argument. It went like this...

I stop by a clothing store to pick up a suit my husband had tailored. The clerk (an older black man) gets it from the back and sets to applying the plastic bag. As he works we start to chit chat about the weather, and somehow we end up on gas prices coming down.

Then out of nowhere this clerk tells me gas prices are coming down because Obama threatened to confiscate profits from Exxon. At first I say nothing because I'm shocked a random store clerk has decided to bring up politics. But instead of taking my silence as a hint, the guy keeps going on about evil Big Oil dropping their prices to fend off Obama's chastisement.

I ask him why they'd react so quickly when the election hasn't even happened yet. He said they needed time for the public to forget.

I asked him what Obama would do if Exxon moved their HQ to Europe. He said they couldn't do that because they'd lose all their business in America.

I then informed him that BP, Shell, and Citgo did plenty of business here while being owned elsewhere. He said the car manufacturers wouln't let Exxon leave because America has the biggest market in the world for cars - and also (according to him) Exxon supplies NASCAR.

(remember this whole conversation is still happening at the service counter in the store!)

I asked him when Obama planned to target NASCAR for their profits and wastefulness. He said that would never happen because NASCAR made too much money.

I asked him to explain exactly how that worked - Obama would punish Exxon because they made too much money, but he wouldn't punish NASCAR because they made too much money. He said it was complicated, handed me my bag, and dropped the conversation.

I told hubby if the suit hadn't already been paid for I'd have walked out.

hmmmm

sooooo, Exxon supplies NASCAR and the car manufacturers won't let them leave the US because the US has the biggest market in the world for cars?????????  That gives new meaning to the word unintellegible.  Better tell husband to check the measurements on that suit.  If the guy's math is as good as his economics, he may be out of business soon.

Your mistake is that you

Your mistake is that you used logic on a liberal. You might as well be saying, "Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalahhh."

My recent example is: a coworker is in my office and I have Rush (the fat faschist) on my hate radio. He says something like, "Listening to the drug dealer?"

I replied, "He never sold any drugs. He was addicted to painkillers that were prescribed to him."

His response: "Same difference."

Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala

  MSM - shaping all the perceptions you need to believe, then confirming it with a poll.

Liberal "magical

Liberal "magical thinking"....you gotta love it!

Don't forget, that Obama said Russia should back off from Ossetia.

Whenever that happens, the reason will be that Obama told them to.

Question?

Was there any tin foil anywhere near this intellectual giant? That gives a whole new meaning to the word "convoluted".

Can't really blame the man.

Can't really blame the man. He makes his living off of empty suits.

 

“it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.” - Justice Antonin Scalia

Gotta work that one into a

Gotta work that one into a good joke.  Was a really good one Ben. 

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

candance, that clothing store employee was a product of...

...government school.   :-O

LOL-Bet you knew I was going to say that, too, didn't ya.  :-)

-Dave.

Candace, you're a racist!

How could you disagree with that man's logic?  When so many people believe exactly the way he does?  Yep...you must be a racist!

Jeff Lebowski

www.angrywhitedude.c...

Prove It

I don't know if there are inaccuracies in Corsi's book or not.  My point is:  Prove it.  Show us the inaccuracies.  Just like with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, they are still waiting for the proof that what they said is wrong.  This is how the game is played.  Prove Corsi wrong.  Then you have legitimate arguments.

"Money is the scourge of the men who attempt to reverse the law of causality--the men who seek to replace the mind by seizing the products of the mind."  Ayn Rand 

There are many, many

There are many, many inaccuracies. In fact, it's out of control and embarrassing to the Republican base.

http://mediamatters....

Wisdom, Please stop

Wisdom,

Please stop linking to Media Matters. You are only embarrasing yourself.

alleges Obama is on the

alleges Obama is on the extreme left of American politics

Alleges?????

As in assert[s] without proof or before proving? (M-W online)

HAHAHAHAHA

Next thing you know, they'll be "alleging" he's an African-American!

The purpose of a campaign is not merely to respond to every attack. So
let's not overlearn all this rapid response...[ ]...How about rapid attack? -Begala

Attack???

Listen to Begala, suggesting that Obama partake of the "same old politics, that the American people are tired of."

Oh, my.

Oh this is too funny....I

Oh this is too funny....I just posted about CNN being desperate and in a tizzy all day in between breaking news segments about this book....I also saw this segment...Yellin is typical, so is Suzanne...

Worried little warts aren't they...hand in hand with the NYTs...

The numb-skulls do not even understand they are attracting more attention to this book and plenty of other inquiring minds will be buying this...keeping it Number One for quite awhile yet...changing or forming other peoples minds about voting for The Chosen One. 

Thank you msm for all you do....you are simply helping this book to catch on with some voters indeed. 

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Morning, bt....yes they are

Morning, bt....yes they are worrywarts. But you have to admire them: they are just concerned that those Bible-thumping, gun-clinging folks will fall for anything...you know, being ignorant, toothless inbreds and all, they can't reason logically.

They'll fall for all the "lies" in the book. Books by conservatives are always full of lies and attempts to brainwash the ignorant masses.

Books by liberal authors like Al Franken, etc, on the other hand, are valuable insights that everyone should read in order to be informed of the "truth" of what's going on in this country,

Malveaux just doing what she

Malveaux just doing what she can to protect BO while he is on holiday. There is no need to pretend about the "myth" any longer.

Speaking of Malveaux...like

Speaking of Malveaux...like mother like daughter.

Apple didn't fall far from that tree...after all the years Julieanne (sp) was on CNN, and elsewhere like msnbc is sure helped her daughter out now didn't it.

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Isn't that the point The

Isn't that the point

The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy

YOU PEOPLE!!!

are just mad cause Spkr Palosi's book sell selling ten times better then this Swiftie POS. 

Her book is so good that she passed the number 1 spot and is coming up to the top AGAIN

Ha 

 

Too Late!

This book might catch on with some voters? To late! Over 475,000 sold. New York Times reports:

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A book by a conservative author that claims to dish the dirt on Democrat Barack Obama is set to hit the top of the New York Times bestseller lists this weekend, the newspaper said Wednesday.

I think the word is out, and it's not good for Obama. What did Dennis Miller say tonight? Something about he'd call Obama an "empty suit" but that would be a dis-service to many fine clothes hangers?

BULK

sales drive the NYT list....This guy is a crazy and the people who buy it would never vote for Obama anyway or are just curious !!!!

Kerry wants to help?Ha!

I don't think I'd want Kerry to help cut the grass much less to help with a campaign.

Bring on the clowns.

John Kerry reporting for duty.

So Manner of Gengis Khan Kerry is going to school Obama on how to "fight the smears"......

Insert big *snicker* here.

Truth Fights Back? More like Fights Back Truth.

It looks like half of this segment was also just a promo for the website. Which was also featured in the flea flicker, I mean Political Ticker.

 

 

The left is stuck, do they

The left is stuck, do they fight the book and try to knock down its creditability or... try to ignore it and hope it goes away.

It does not look like either way is working .

 

 

Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.

Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.

 

Yeah it's a rock & the hard

Yeah it's a rock & the hard place.

You would think if they wanted to ignore it CNN wouldn't do a segment on it. But like I said I think they just bit the bullett, derided it as much as possible and gave free election advertisement air time to Kerry (some think it's just a stunt for a BO admin position) and the Fight Back Truth website.

KIND OF LIKE...

USA4freedom,

The will fight the book harder then they will when dealing with saaaaaaay, the Russians, who they left will try to ignore & hope it goes away. Putin is laughing his @$$ while saying "...who's next?".

 

"...it's still We The People, Right?"  Megadeth 

Looking at the site, it's a

Looking at the site, it's a blatant campaign funds exploitation. You have to sign in before you can view any of the purported "smears". They do have a movie of JFKII being a d_ck to John Kyl. Apparently, Lurch can't understand McCain's commercial referring to Obama's unwarranted pop status using Paris Hilton as an example of someone else who is famous for being famous without deserving it and being without substance. Way to go libs, keep up the staunch defense. If anyone has the stomach to be bombarded with donation requests and actually signs up, let me know how the smears are defended. I have a suspicion that the defense will be a bunch of "Oh no he isn't, didn't, won't!!" without any supporting evidence offered.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last."  - Sir Winston Churchill

Them Swiftboaters was wily!

Isn't it amazing how, 35 years or so before he ran for President, Kerry was ambushed by these people?  It must be they who arranged for his heroic tour of duty to be cut short after only a few months, assisted him to accrue multiple purple hearts without so much as a visible scratch.  Then they secretly filmed him with C-SPAN cameras testifying before Congress.  The film was then expertly doctored to insert Gengis Kahn and baby killers references.  Who knows how they tricked him into throwing his medals over the fence.    My copy of ObamaNation should be along from Amazon shortly.

Heaven Forbid They Look Into the Claims!

Of course it's below CNN to actually do any research and anaysis of BHO's record to verify if he's as LEFT as claimed.  No, they just use BHO's words to support his claim that he's not a LEFTY and not a Muslim.  

CNN:Yo, Bro Barck, you one of them muslim dudes? 

BHO: Wh no, I'm a God fearing Christian. Just ask my pastor Jeremiah Wright!.. Well, no, don't ask him, just take my word for it :>)

CNN:  You one of those Leftist I've heard so much about?

BHO: Why, no, I'm an American loving patriot!  Just ask my good friend, Bill Ayers, and lovey wife Michelle!  Ahhh, maybe you shouldn't bothe rthem, they're real busy.  Just take my word for it will yea? :>)

CNN: Reporting from Hawaii, this is CNN proving that BHO is a Christian Patriot!

CNN(Communist News Network)

I watched that last night while I was at the gym. I alomost threw my walkman at the tv.  She was critiquing the book without even reading it. I put CNN on the same level and CZAR Putin. Untrustworthy and corrupt.

HAHAHAHA, classic! And too

HAHAHAHA, classic! And too true...that's the extent of their "proof"

Malveaux

Malveaux continues her rapid rise in the MSM. I've said it before, she was on WRC doing stories on lost dogs not long ago. She and Soledad O'Brien two pods off the same tree in more ways than one.

By the way, Obama did not attend the KGB "sleeper" school and Corsi does not supply independent footnoted sources, as he claims. I await a response from Corsi, as yet I have not received any communication from him.

The one thing NO ONE

The one thing NO ONE mentions on the MSM is that the Swift Boat Veterans told the TRUTH...don't you think if it was all lies it could have been exposed rather easily? Same with everything said about Obama in both of the books out now...and gee, Pelosi's book sells 3000 copies while EACH of these books tops the New York Times bestseller list...so either most REAL Americans are completely at odds with the MSM (which we know to be true anyway) or conservatives are smarter and read more books than the commie left (remember that "study" a couple of years ago "showing" that liberals were smarter and read more than conservatives? *snicker*)

I heard Jerome Corsi on

I heard Jerome Corsi on Hannity a week or so ago. He said that all the stuff in his book was taken from Obama's 2 books. I wish for just once somebody would challenge people like "The Poodle" to give examples as to page and line in the book that is wrong. They won't. Most people commenting on it have probably never read it.

An example: Mr. Corsi said that Obama had marched in the 1,000 man march. This was in his book the Audacity of a Dope. Or how he was pals with Frank Marshall Davis, a commie bastard. This too was in one of his books. Or that Rev. Wright was a Black Muslim follower of Calypso Louie for years.

Be kind to your kids. They'll be choosing your nursing home.

Subliminal

If all we had was the MSM, most people would think the title of the book is "Obama Nation, Which Is Misleading And Full Of Lies And Distortions".  It's like Kevin Nealon's old "subliminal" routine.  "Jerome Corsi [liar], co-author of 'Unfit for Command' [hit piece], has released a new book [racist] on Barack Obama [blessed be his name]."

When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.

Obama hitting back?

Dems are wondering when Obama is going to hit back? Its kinda hard to hit back when the stuff that he is responding to is TRUE. what is he going to hit back with? "McCain is old"? "McCain actually likes his country"?

I would love to see that ad. That truth fights back website is going to be empty, cause the book IS the truth

Savage is Correct

Liberalism really is a mental disorder.

Oooooooh!  The author

Oooooooh!  The author admits there's an agenda....  Whoa!

That's more than CNN will admit! Airheads.

CNN's faux concern

"[The book] alleges Obama is on the extreme left of American politics and has extensive connections to Islam and with radical racial politics. This despite the fact that for months Obama's been explaining he's not Muslim."

That's understandable as:

1. Obama IS on the extreme left when it comes to his voting record. Don't believe me? Then I suggest you take a look at his PUBLIC voting record.

2. It’s reasonable that someone would think that a man with the name of Barrack Hussein Obama is linked to Islamic contacts as it rather hard to disassociate someone with a traditional Islamic (Arabic) name from, well, ISLAM! Don't believe me? Then I suggest you try disassociating a traditional Jewish (Hebrew) name, like Abraham Isaac Sharon, from Judaism even though that man insists he's a Buddhist. It’s natural for people to associate religious names with a given religion, so let’s give him a break on this one, ok?

3. Obama’s own (former) spiritual (and political!) advisor, close friend, and the man who both performed the marage ceremony for Obama and baptized Obama’s children, Reverend Wright, is the epitome of “radical racial politics”, as is the Obama’s (former) church that he attended for 20 years. I would call that an extensive connection, wouldn't you?

I suggest that CNN take their faux “concern” of this book and file it using the Dewey decimal system coding for "Opinions and not News Articles."

What I do.

When I am accosted by these non-thinking beings, I just laugh at them openly, and make an example of them to anyone in earshot, "That's why I make sure that my kids have a proper education. So they don't end up like that." Then walk away. If they respond, I just laugh louder or redouble my insults.

Facts and logic are lost on these carbon-based beings, and usually just wastes more time. I've quit being worried about being rude. I've put up with their rudeness and condescension for too long. Now I'm giving it back with both barrels.

The token conservative

The token conservative on the CNN network Glenn Beck even had the author David Freddoso of "The case against Barack Obama" on. Glenn actual calls BHO the leftist Marxist that his actions shows he is. The most damaging thing that comes from this book is BHOs Born alive opposition. That when a baby is born alive during a abortion the doctor can let that baby die in a sink. This should sink BHO and any one he touches. Not sure if this topic is in Obamanation I am getting mine on Friday.

I am pro choice in that the only choice one has when it is about creating a life is to have sex or not, once is it is created the choice is over. What will stop someone from killing a two day old and saying it is a very late term abortion and then legal.

The truth

hurts doesn't it Susan?

We can only hope that it turns some heads towards the truth!

Obami's voting record, etc...

I was reading this and found a lot of info, voting record (when he actually voted), interest groups, stands on issues. As left as they get. Just thought if anyone hasn't already found it and was interested.

"Nuke 'em 'til they... oh hell, just shoot 'em!"