NB Extra

• Number 1 -- She runs an operation that's so intimidating that people within her company who knew better felt they couldn't speak out.
• Number 2 -- She knew about Frey's Lies and has been an active though conceivably unwitting (words added today--Ed.) participant in a monumental literary hoax.
• Number 3 -- (The one used by Oprah -- see Update 3 at this post and this New York Times article from earlier today) Despite the fact that her producers knew and informed her that counselors at Hazelden in Minnesota cast significant doubt on Frey's story of his time there a full month before his first Oprah TV appearance, Oprah went ahead because Frey's publisher "reassured" her that the book was accurate.

"The National Tracing Center database is an essential resource for law enforcement. Beyond enabling law enforcement to trace the history of a gun linked to a crime, it helps identify patterns of gun theft and trafficking. And that information can help local law enforcement — like the NYPD — in stopping illegal guns before they're used to commit crimes.

Yet the NYPD — along with every other branch of law enforcement in the nation — is being denied the information needed to get illegal guns off our streets: There is no requirement that stolen guns or guns used to commit crimes be reported to the National Tracing Center database.

MRC's Free Market Project just released its first major study of 2006,  "Hit Job: Networks Emphasize Layoffs In A Year of 2 Million New Jobs." Dan Gainor and R. Warren Anderson found:

More than 2 million new jobs were created in 2005 but that wasn’t the story presented by the evening news. The three broadcast networks downplayed strong growth and, instead, emphasized negatives such as corporate layoffs and outsourcing in more than half the stories about jobs or unemployment. As Trish Regan of “CBS Evening News” put it in the July 20 broadcast, “Twenty-five thousand layoffs and more on the way. I’m Trish Regan with why the jobs picture is looking very ‘pink’ these days.”

A New York Times report today (HT Lucianne) by Edward Wyatt is shredding Oprah Winfrey's defenses relating to what has turned out to be a largely false book (third item at link), namely James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces."

Straight to the point: Oprah has a lot of explaining to do. After reading the article, you're almost forced to conclude one of two things:

• She runs an operation that's so intimidating that people within her company who knew better felt they couldn't speak out.
• Or, she knew about Frey's Lies and has been an active participant in a monumental literary hoax.

Specifically, addiction counselors at the rehab center where Frey was treated, including a frequent guest on Oprah's show, are outraged at Frey's descriptions of what happened there; are concerned that Frey's Lies may keep others from getting needed treatment; and claim that Oprah's people, if not Oprah herself, knew well in advance that the parts of Frey's book relating to his rehab were largely false (free registration required; link within story added by me; bolds are mine):

Bush himself has said that he doesn't recall meeting Abramoff.

Both Washingtonian and Time magazines have reported the existence of about a half-dozen photos showing the two together, however.

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO - RUNNING TIME 1 1/2 MIN

John Kerry bloviates about how he sees the current Bush administration calling the Administration "incompetent" on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

George Stephanopoulos: Let's talk about another issue you raised. Jack Abramoff. They say Democrats are implicated in this as well and point to the fact your 2004 campaign got about $100,000 from what they call Abramoff affiliated lobbying groups. How do you respond?

John Kerry: I respond that's another one of their swift boat tactics where they try to throw up the mud and stick it and I'm going to stick it right back at them. >I've never met Abramoff. I never had a dime from him come to me and I won't stand for them suggesting just because someone somewhere in the country gave my campaign some money because they thought we could move the country in a better direction without being held up the way Abramoff holds them up that we somehow are implicated. This is a republican scandal.

Seemingly lost in the media controversy of the comments from both NOLA Mayor Ray Nagin and Senator Hilary Clinton is the issue of the religious nature and/or setting of their comments. 

Cathy Young covers that ground on Nagin today and concludes:

When a conservative minister says this kind of thing about George W. Bush, it's widely taken as a sign that America is sinking into a Dark Age of religious fanaticism. Somehow, the rhetoric of the "religious left" -- aside from an over-the-top rant like Nagin's -- is not met with the same condemnation.

I addressed the issue elsewhere Wednesday and noted:

Earlier today on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, contributing correspondent Bruce Morton hosted a  list of "political  gaffes." Noticeably missing from the list was former President Clinton and VP Al Gore, as well as Al Sharpton and a long list of other Democrats.

While CNN set up the piece with the latest outlandish comments from Hillary Clinton and Mayor Nagin, I do find it telling that they picked on Pat Robertson while they had only a millisecond of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Highlighted gaffes included: Republican Trent Lott on Thurmond, Bush Sr. - No New Taxes, Rev.  Pat Robertson, Jesse Jackson calling Jews hymies, former VP Dan Quayle on Murphy Brown, and James Watt, former Secretary of Interior under Reagan.