BBC's Katty Kay: Obama Doesn't Want Media To Report Bahrain Rebellion
Despite our air attacks in Libya this weekend, most Middle East experts view the growing rebellion in Bahrain as being far more important to America.
Yet according to the BBC's Katty Kay, who was a guest on the syndicated "Chris Matthews Show," the Obama administration doesn't want the press reporting what's going on there (video follows with transcript and commentary):
KATTY KAY, BBC: Chris, we spend a lot of time on the program talking about Libya, but what’s happening in Bahrain is more violent and of much more strategic interest to the United States.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Because of oil.
KAY: Because of oil, and because of the 5th Fleet is stationed there. What happens in Bahrain is really critical to America, but it’s in Washington’s interest and the White House’s interest that we don’t report this story very much. They would like that one to go away because there’s no real upside for them in supporting the rebellion by the Shiites.
MATTHEWS: And not reporting it helps how? How does not reporting it help?
KAY: Because they just don’t want too much attention focused on what’s happening there because they don’t want to be having to be pushed into a position of helping the Shiite rebels there.
So what's so important about protecting the rebels in Libya, especially as we're really not sure who they are or what they stand for?
The Jerusalem Post reported last Sunday that an al Qaeda commander is backing the Libyan rebels. The perilously liberal Huffington Post reported Saturday that some of these rebels are radical Islamists with strong anti-American sympathies.
But the Obama administration wants the news media to ignore what's going on in Bahrain because they don't want to help Shiite rebels there?
Now, in fairness, there has been no media blackout of the Bahrain rebellion up to this point.
However, it's fascinating that a British Washington correspondent is aware that the White House wishes there was one, and it will be very interesting to see if they get their wish now that we've begun fighting in Libya.
Stay tuned.
- Noel Sheppard's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
so.....
Submitted by MidAmerica on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 9:29pm.
is there political calculation in driving all the attention to Gaddafi so that other troubled areas will be ignored?I've been watching Al Jazeera
Submitted by Van Halen on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 9:42pm.
I've been watching Al Jazeera live for over a month. (yeah, sorry, but someone has to do it.) You will hear none of this on the American news, but there are over 15 countries currently in some stage of revolution in the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. (They are Oman, China, Djibouti, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Ivory Coast, and apologies as I cannot remember the others, but wanted to provide some examples). Why did we pick Libya?We picked Libya because---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 10:19pm.
it spells out Lib - ya!
MD
Why Libya? It's a gift for
Submitted by stratman on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 11:01pm.
Why Libya? It's a gift for France - even they can win there.
Libya is flat, sandy, has little cover, a weaker military, and sorties and supply lines can be based out of nearby Italy. The Allies crushed Nazi and Nazi-sympathizing aholes there in WWII. Today, our tanks would rule, our air and sea would be devastating, and our ground pounders would finish the dirty work left to all ground forces in history to complete.
Ironic fact: Italy ruled Libya until the Allies kicked their tails out before kicking Rommel's Afrika Korps out. Now the Italians are helping us.
Many a great story, movie and TV show have been based on or around these events. Who didn't like Rat Patrol or Tobruk?
I think we are witnessing the birth of a regional caliphate
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 9:53pm.
...in the Middle East.
The more secular Arab leaders are being systematically driven out, and will most likely be replaced with true-believing, hard-core Camelus cleansers.
What is more, I believe Barack Hussein Obama is in on it, and has been for some time.
Seriously, what do we really know about this mysterious man?
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
What do we know about Obama?
Submitted by Radical1979 on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 10:00pm.
Which college basketball teams he likes.I must disagree with you, #4,
Submitted by Van Halen on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 10:11pm.
I must disagree with you, #4, as Obama picked the easiest teams to win. In other words, on the NCAA brackets, he voted 'present'.Rad,
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 10:19pm.
That is exactly it.
We don't know jacksh*t about this man, who a little over five years ago, nobody outside of Chicago had ever heard of.
What is more, no one at certain educational institutions he claims to have attended even remembers him.
Obama jumped right out of the gate and insisted that Mubarak just had to go - like right now.
Now he has done the same with Col. Daffy.
He is also taking a half-assed approach in Ashcanistan, which many far more intelligent and experienced people than me feel we are ultimately going to lose.
Pay very close attention to to which Arab leaders currently under siege that Obama winds up supporting, and which ones he throws under the bus.
My guess is the latter group will be heavily populated with milquetoasty, half-assed Muslim Arabs, and their replacements will be true-believers.
If I am right, the situation currently unfolding in that region is not going to end well, and if I were residing in the nation of Israel, I'd be getting more than a little nervous right about now.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Dave
Submitted by Radical1979 on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 10:28pm.
All of which you stated is why the media chose to follow his brackets, and will continue to do so. This is what most of the public wants. I was at a family lunch today. My sister in law spoke in great detail about a show called "Cupcake Wars". But I would bet $100, no, $1,000, that she doesn't understand any of what is going on in the mid east, and the implications for the future. Nothing about this administration is going to end well.Imam's Throw Assad Under Donkey Cart
Submitted by stratman on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 10:40pm.
Assad in Syria must be feeling a little betrayed now that al-Queda and Iran are supporting the protesters in his country. After all, he's done Iran's bidding for years.
Obama should take note that all the assistance, direct and tangential, he's giving the Muslim Brotherhood won't matter spit in the end when it comes to friendly relations or even his own life.
THE BROTHERS OF THE BROTHERHOOD.......
Submitted by Herbster on Sun, 03/20/2011 - 11:36pm.
By blindly supporting "Rebels" without knowing who they are, or who is behind them is another dangerous move by obambi and his merry men. Nature, (And politics) abhor a vacuum. Rest assured that the "Rebels" are the vacuum and the brothers of the muslim brotherhood will fill it - throughout the Arab world. We are being "Led" by naive, leftist ideologues whose major aim is a one world government and a very weakened United States. We now follow the lead of France, Britian, Spain, Italy and of course the Holy Church of the United Nations. This Lybia fiasco is just the beginning. Soon our only ally in the Middle East, Israel, will be thrown to the wolves of a brotherhood controlled Arab world. As this happems, Obama and his angry wife will head off on another trip - at taxpayer expense. Of course, our state controlled media will only report Goebbels-ized propaganda masquerading as news. PPRAY FOR OUR NATION.Ready and willing MSM
Submitted by tominhouston on Mon, 03/21/2011 - 6:17am.
Somewhere there is a little bird singing 'wag the dog, wag the dog'