In one of the most egregious examples of MSM bias I've seen lately, Tim Rutten of the L.A.Times has blatantly lied about remarks that Vice President Cheney made at CPAC in a February 8th piece headlined "Bush's message for McCain." Rutten makes the outrageous claim that Cheney said he was "glad the administration had tortured people" during the Conservative Political Action Conference, but a review of the transcript of Cheney's remarks easily shows that this is not what he said at all. Rutten simply reorders the VP's words to get his desired meaning quite despite what was really said.
Here is what Rutten wrote on the 8th:
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Vice President Dick Cheney was addressing the meat-eaters at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He told them that he was glad the administration had tortured people and that he'd do it again: "Would I support those same decisions again today? You're damn right I would."
Over at Patterico's Pontifications, however, we get the real words Cheney spoke at CPAC.
The United States is a country that takes human rights seriously. We do not torture -- it’s against our laws and against our values. We’re proud of our country and what it stands for. We expect all of those who serve America to conduct themselves with honor. And we enforce those rules. Some years ago, when abuses were committed at Abu Ghraib prison, a facility that had nothing to do with the CIA program, the abuses that came to light were, in fact, investigated, and those responsible were prosecuted.
Mr. Cheney is obviously proud of the country, but he stressed that we do not torture. There is no passage where he said that we "torture people" and that he is "glad" that we do it. Not one such passage occurred in the Vice President's remarks.
So, where is it that Cheney said he was glad we tortured and he'd do it again, Mr. Rutten? How the heck did you misconstrue that claim?
The only way that Rutten could have gotten a support of torture out of what Cheney said is to splice another section of Cheney's speech to Rutten's own interpretation that this country does torture people. Here is that section (my emphasis):
From the very morning our nation was attacked on 9/11, the President of the United States has had to make some immensely enormous decisions. Every day he faces responsibilities that others would pale before. I’ve been there with him. I’ve seen him make the tough calls, and then weather the criticism and take the hits. President Bush has been tough and courageous. He’s made the right decisions for the right reasons, and he always reflects the best values of the American people. I’ve been proud to stand by him and by the decisions he’s made. And I would support those same -- and would I support those same decisions again today? You’re damn right I would. (Applause.)
Here the VP is saying that he would make the same decisions he made again, that he is proud of the Administration's actions. So, yes, the VP did say "You're damn right" that he'd make those decisions again, but no where did he link that surety to an admission that he was "glad" he "tortured people."
As Patterico says, "Rutten has told a lie. And he should be called on the carpet for it."
I couldn't agree more. How about you?
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Warner - thanks.
February 10, 2008 - 12:44 ET by Gary HallWarner - thanks for the piece. I fought my way through that slimy article yesterday, and got sidetracked on different issues that I felt were misrepresented. Imagine what the gullible and angry readers come away with.
By the way, the on line headline was different than the print edition, where the headline was: "The Imperialist presidency strikes back."
Interestingly enough, the LA Times cut right into the bottom right corner of Rutten's garbage with a rather bold correction box "For the record". Seems they thought that lelftie contibutor Michael Kinsley had made a slight mathematical error in his completely out of context comparison (Clinton vs Reagan era) of tax revenue. The correction, naturally enough, supported that Clinton was better.
Will be curious to see if the LA Times is so quick to print a correction on Tim Rutten's lie - so prominately. I'll bet that they are not loosing any sleep over this one, after all, no one made an "unacceptable error" like suggesting that something about Clinton's tax revenue was flawed. (;~> gary
Lemme echo Gary ...
February 10, 2008 - 22:11 ET by Dave PierreA+, Warner.
I read Rutten's piece yesterday. When I read that line ("Would I support those same decisions again today? You're damn right I would."), I, too, assumed that Rutten was honestly quoting Cheney about torture. I now see that that was a lie.
The LAT and Tim Rutten owe their readers a correction.
Frankenlies.com: The truth about the lies of Al Franken; Al debunked ...
I suspect there will be a
February 10, 2008 - 12:49 ET by ConservativeRexI suspect there will be a retraction and apology forthcoming from the LAT.
<sarc off>
Let me ask a question?
February 10, 2008 - 12:53 ET by c5thenIsn't making up something that a public official never said, in order to criticize them for it the same thing as liable or slander?
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
The press is getting cocky
February 10, 2008 - 13:04 ET by Britcombecause they think their man is going to win the election.
---
Huckabee/Hunter '08
Bill Clinton believes in Killing...
February 10, 2008 - 13:04 ET by Gary HallBill Clinton believes in Killing...
I can't help but ponder.... Back in the beginning of the Clinton presidency, George Stephanopoulos wrote about the Somalia crisis in "All Too Human," page 214. He told us this:
One has to wonder, if anyone else in the media ever repeated that line. If it were Cheney or Bush that said that, we'd hear it day in and out - instead, the media makes up lies to promote about Cheney and Bush, while they supress the truth about Clinton and others.
The next 7 years of his presidency acutally showed that not only did he belive in killling, he couldn't act in the face of some of the world's most horrific civil wars and genocides in history; Rwanda, DR Congo, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, etc. Clinton was like a bad angry little boy when something went wrong - he'd get mad and hit. President Bush would latter make reference to it as "swatting flies;" Bush desired to solve the issue, not swat at it. Do people understand any of this? Clinton would react - he had 5 named bombardments in Iraq - but in the end, there was no plan in place - not for Iraq where the inspectors were pulled out for the final years and not for Al Qaeda. Clinton ordered the launch of some 984 cruise missiles during his tenure in the white house. What was the plan, other than "wanton killing" (Helen Thomas)?
Siiggghhh..
February 10, 2008 - 13:09 ET by dervish...old news.
<MSM off>
The whispered "BS" between
February 10, 2008 - 14:03 ET by NortoThe whispered "BS" between GW & DC about some journalist caused quite a stir if I remember.
I had never seen the Clinton quote b4, thanks. Kind of like hearing that Oprah said she would love it if her parents could have whites for servants. Hope that is accurate.
Rutten is like your ex wife
February 10, 2008 - 13:18 ET by Lame CherryYou have to understand liberals are like ex wives. They are all for the party to go and get bin Laden as it sounds fun, but when you get there they change their mind and by the time you get home.........she wants a divorce ..........and is telling the judge she heard you say, "Parties are for US soldiers raping women, blowing up babies and you like torture".............when you really said,
"bin Laden deserves a party from US soldiers to stop the Taliban from raping women, blowing up US babies and Muslims like torture".
Rutten honestly "heard" all of that just like crazy ex wives end up in court and hear all sorts of things.
While not a Charlie Sheen fan, look at goofy crap his ex wife came up with in court........what was "interesting" to her in his photos of Nichole Brown Simpson, all of a sudden when money was involved became lunacy.
Rutten is a liberal girl in mind. Little girls always hear things and make things up just like all liberal women do.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
First you write baloney, then you eat the sandwich later
February 10, 2008 - 13:25 ET by JayTeeIt's a self fullfilling Prophecy..........you write lies, wait 5 years, and suddenly you believe what was written 5 yrs ago and proceed to re-enforce it even more by quoting the lies.
One gets the feeling that all this Baloney generated by the MSM over the last 8 years (600,000 Dead Iraqi's, No WMD's, War is Lost, Gitmo Torture) is suddenly accepted by the Media and they can use it as correlated news whenever they need to emphasize another MSM talking point.
Quoting Dick Cheney "We expect all of those who serve America to conduct themselves with honor"
--Well the MSM is not serving America, they are rather self serving --and some have no Honor that I can recognize
Anyone wanna mention we "Water Boarded" our own Agents/CIA to train/prepare them for whatever was to come in the line of Duty ? You can be water boarded on Tuesday, and be back to work on Wednesday ..... but if they Break your friggin Arms you show up as a Presidential Nominee 30 years later a little worse for wear and tear....I'll take water boarding -over- broken bones any day.
40 years later
February 10, 2008 - 14:17 ET by IamTinmanThe lies that were spread about Vietnam are repeated as if they were gospel so this latest batch of lies should come as no surprise. In a sane world the public would have driven John Kerry out of politics long ago for the lies that he spread about our troops with the active support of a media willing to believe the worst and too lazy or too agenda driven to investigate. Many thanks to NB for their bovine excrement detectors without which we wouldn't have the ability to rebut these slimeballs.
Remember in the eyes of the dems and the media perception is everything. It doesn't have to bear any resemblance to the truth.
More logs on the fire
February 10, 2008 - 13:26 ET by rammingspeedSlowly but surely bits and pieces of evil like this will stoke the demise of liars on the Left. It is the way of life, since time immemorial, although waiting for it to happen can be torture.
Corrections in American politics and social values takes place over decades - perhaps even generations. But it happens. The fact that the US is standing stronger than ever since its inception is proof of that fact.
Come now...rutten and the
February 10, 2008 - 14:03 ET by bigtimerCome now...rutten and the LAT's make any correction or apology...I'm not holding my breath.
Btw...as far as what Rutten wrote....
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Vice President Dick Cheney was addressing the meat-eaters at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He told them that he was glad the administration had tortured people and that he'd do it again: "Would I support those same decisions again today? You're damn right I would."
...Sounds good to me!
bt. One might wonder if, say Hillary was...
February 10, 2008 - 14:17 ET by Gary Hallbt. Re: ". addressing the meat-eaters."
One might wonder if, say Hillary was addressing a group of lesbians, if the media would be so easily inclined to say. "... addressing the ___ ____ers." I'm not going to go there. (;~> gh
Good afternoon
February 10, 2008 - 14:27 ET by bigtimerGood afternoon Gary...
That too crossed my mind while reading this...LOL!
LOL Gary
February 10, 2008 - 14:41 ET by acumenYour scenario certainly seems a more fitting description than what Rutten offers about CPAC attendees Gary. On the other hand, actually I don't really have a clue what Rutten is implying with the "meat-eaters" remark.
By comparison Rutten having mangled Cheney's remarks so poorly I guess my loss at Rutten's "meat-eaters" slam seems insignificant.
I am sure that by
February 10, 2008 - 14:49 ET by Warner Todd HustonI am sure that by "meat-eaters" Rutten was trying to make a fresh stab at the old "red-meat" bromide when people are hearing what they want to hear.
Thanks WTH... By the way
February 10, 2008 - 14:53 ET by bigtimerThanks WTH...
By the way I think that bromide belongs with the leftist lemmings.
Just a thought...
Aha
February 10, 2008 - 15:03 ET by acumenThanks for the interpretation guys. I knew it had to be demeaning but not the specifics.
The leftist ingratitude at this administration for preventing another terrorist attack on our soil is mind numbing.
Well, I know what he is referring to...
February 10, 2008 - 14:53 ET by Gary HallWell, I know what he is referring to.. but there is truly no historical context, favoring one group over another, that he can bank on here.
Even in pure literal sense, being one with a reputation around town regarding some of finer skills in outdoor meat preparation, and having the inevitable broad base of acquaintances from the far left enjoying the fruits of said skills and labor, I've watched many a "peace loving" socialist's upper lip swell, rise and quiver with wild dog anticipation as their incisors are wildly exposed as they pulled a piece of hot meat close to their mouth. .. but then again, some have the gall to blame the Holocaust on meat eating.
Meat Eaters
February 10, 2008 - 15:02 ET by capavWell, he's obviously an apple pie and ice cream and cake and cookies and candy bars and chips and fritos eater. Looks like he has a hard time buttoning his shirt collar.
FAT BASTARD
February 10, 2008 - 19:25 ET by shannon20capav... that's exactly what I was thinking.
Tim "Rotten" and the LAT
February 10, 2008 - 14:32 ET by Guy Arthur ThomasLAT give a crap about this? LOL, right. But the reality that the LAT and the rest of the MsM doesn't care about their lying, deception, sins of commission and omission should never deter the work of NB. The heat is being felt, regularly.
Of course the LAT is dying as we write (revenue loss since '06 is staggering) and garbage articles such as this from Tim "Rotten" are part of the disease causing their death. Even many liberals see through this crap and THEY don't even want to read it. But do the powers that be at the LAT care? Do they really give a crap? Nah.
Shut up and blog! If you claim to be a conservative, please don't disgrace yourself and conservatism by thinking and arguing like a liberal.
Looks to me that Tim will
February 10, 2008 - 15:46 ET by Roger the ShrubberLooks to me that Tim will "sell no wine before its time"...
The reflexive property of the Big Lie
February 10, 2008 - 16:15 ET by KC MulvilleRutten's hazy mixture of assumptions, stewed long enough in the liberal mental crock pot, displays the reflexive property of the "Big Lie." We assume that if you tell the Big Lie often enough, it's designed to convince others of something we know to be a lie.
However, more often than not, it's the other way around. When they repeat the lie often enough, they come to believe it themselves. They reflexively deceive themselves.
Another word for this is ... self-delusion, or more colloquially, "stupidity."
New motto for the Loose Anal-ysis Times:
February 10, 2008 - 20:13 ET by R D Helm"Reading comprehension is over-rated."
None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free. -J.W. von Goethe
Meat-eaters, eh? Leaving
February 11, 2008 - 00:08 ET by fitzfongMeat-eaters, eh? Leaving aside the fact that Tim Rutten is attempting to be snidely dismissive, it appears that he could stand to lose a few. From his picture, it looks like Tim Rutten eats meat-eaters.