Is there no bridge too far for Joe Scarborough to cross in defending charges of liberal bias against his NBC/MSNBC employers? On last night's Scarborough Country, Joe adopted a position so sycophantish, even Keith Olbermann might have been embarrassed by it.
Scarborough suggested that NBC News had done the right thing in assembling a panel on the Iraq surge composed exclusively of experts hostile to the President Bush's proposal. Scarborough's suggestion came in the course of a segment on Bill O'Reilly's revealing interview with Andrea Mitchell last week, during which he confronted her on NBC's liberal bias. Video: Real (4.3MB) or Windows (5MB) Plus MP3 (795 KB)
Scarborough was debating the issue with the smart and plucky Bob Kohn, author of Fraud: How The New York Times Distorts the News. Scarborough had actually engaged in a bit of panel-packing of his own, with Kohn left to assert NBC's liberal bias alone against three others that denied it: Paul Waldman of the liberal Media Matters, MSNBC consultant Craig Crawford and of course Joe himself.
Kohn kicked off the exchange with Joe this way:
"I watched NBC Nightly News, and Brian Williams this evening had a story about Bush's proposal to increase troops in Iraq. He had three experts on the air discussing that proposal. Not one of those experts supported Bush's plan. They all were against it. So that's bias."
Scarborough's first ploy was to assert that in light of weak public support for the surge "it's kind of hard to get somebody that's going to go on as an expert that's going to support a troop surge."
Kohn laughed that lame line out of the water: "Oh, come on, Joe. Tell me that NBC News couldn't find one person in Washington, one expert, who could have supported the administration. Give me a break."
Defeated on that notion, Scarborough hit a new low with this outlandish assertion: "I guess the more important question is: should they? When you're talking about a surge where all five Joint chiefs are opposed to it, where 12% of Americans support it?"
That's right. Self-proclaimed conservative Joe Scarborough suggested that NBC News did the right thing in assembling a panel on the surge that excluded any supporter of President Bush's proposal. What some guys will do for a paycheck. Joe, this is sad.
Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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I don't like to talk like t
January 9, 2007 - 11:38 ET by kathleenirishI don't like to talk like this (yeah,right, you say), but this guy, and all the other presenters on MSNBC are whores for NBC. NBC sends them out to put out this b.s. on their behalf, and they oblige. Low.
"He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, and he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere" -Ali ibn-Abi-Talib, 4th Islamic Caliph
Scarborough now reminds me of David Gergen
January 9, 2007 - 15:22 ET by seabreezeIs Kohn's book out of print
January 9, 2007 - 11:50 ET by MightyMouthIs Kohn's book out of print? Amazon is selling new and used in the $0.28 range. The comments seem to indicate some sort of vendetta Kohn has with the NYT.
Interesting that a book would be selling for less than it costs to ship...hmmmm..
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
That's the way it is with so
January 9, 2007 - 11:57 ET by kathleenirishThat's the way it is with so many used books on Amazon (and elsewhere). And, why wouldn't someone have a 'vendetta' against the putrid NYT? More needs to be said and done about them. Where are the indictments? I honestly admit I hate that paper and it's traitorous behavior.
"He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, and he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere" -Ali ibn-Abi-Talib, 4th Islamic Caliph
I hear ya Kathleen, about t
January 9, 2007 - 12:06 ET by MightyMouthI hear ya Kathleen, about the NYT, but Kohn has made it personal with regard to the Times. Something about them ruining his paper ? In addition the book seems to be poorly written and a boring read. I suspect Kohn is a liberal with a chip on his shoulder. That kind would have no compunction in playing against bias if it would get him on the air.
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Well, 'It takes a village" Paperback from 1.97 and...
January 9, 2007 - 11:58 ET by acaiguanaWell, 'It takes a village" Paperback from 1.97 and...
"It takes a village idiot" from 2.94.
:-)
ACA
...
Acaiguana says: "Which city is next?"
Ah, a little research seems
January 9, 2007 - 12:21 ET by MightyMouthAh, a little research seems to confirm my initial feeling. Take this with a grain of salt, but it seems Kohn is somewhat of a paper tiger! ("Wikiality", what will they come up with next?)
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
By that logic, Al Franken h
January 9, 2007 - 12:41 ET by MyKindaSpamBy that logic, Al Franken has a vendetta against Fox and another against Rush Limbaugh, David Brock has a vendetta against Republicans in general and Paul Krugman, Maureen Dowd and Michael Moore all have a vendetta against Bush...hmmmmmm.
I used to think that Joe was
January 9, 2007 - 12:11 ET by paperheadI used to think that Joe was a stand up guy trying to balance the bias of Wallace and KO for MSNBC. Apparently, he has been in the business too long and his mind has turned to liberal mush. I still love how liberals will always argue that NBC is conservatively biased becuase of its parent company GE.
That's a good point paperhead.
January 9, 2007 - 12:15 ET by acaiguanaThat's a good point paperhead.
Liberals always point to the ownership of a publication as proof that it is promoting one point of view or another. The Washington Times has this millstone about its neck.
Personally, I don't really care who owns what. The proof is in the print or the garbage coming out of the mouth.
"I may have called you a stupid SOB and a child molester, but...
that isn't me." <example>
For example.
ACA
...
Acaiguana says: "Which city is next?"
Scarborough One Lame Duck
January 9, 2007 - 12:37 ET by emjem24Yet again, Joey Boy has reasserted his irrelevance. How out of touch can you get? As Bill O'Reilly has recently observed to Andrea Mitchell, "Where's the diversity?" Joe, you cannot defend the indefensible. You might think all is right in La La Land along with most of America (it's all right to turn tail and run, huh, folks) but there are a few of us that prove otherwise. When will America wake up to nitwits like Joe Scarborough?
The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer. Air Force Motto
Hey Mark, NBC's "Anti-Get al Qaeda Bias"
January 9, 2007 - 13:02 ET by Gary HallHey Mark, NBC's "Anti-Get al Qaeda Bias"
Yesterday on Hardball, when the show was interrupted for the breaking news on the US strike on al Qaeda (suspected ring leader) in Somalia, Jim Miklaszewski, chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News, summed up the attack by saying this: "So i suspect that some point, the U.S. Military and/or pentagon is going to have to confess to what they've done."
All this time, I thought the media had been (from their own ignorant corner) attempting to make the case that the administration had been ignoring al Qaeda, lost instead in Iraq; yet now, when we go hit a suspected high value target, we're going to have "to confess to what they've done?"
Oh my goodness, just what did they do? Hit the terrorists responsible for killing hundreds of innocent civilians? Who's behind this atrocity? And tomorrow night, we'll take a look at why Bush's record of acheiving lower unemployment has been very bad for workers.
I'm surprised the MSM isn't a
January 9, 2007 - 14:48 ET by RunningBeerI'm surprised the MSM isn't accusing Bush & Co of planning the Somalia attack just to bolster his position for the troop surge in Iraq. Give it tiem, I'm sure they'll get around to it.
By that logic, shouldn't the
January 9, 2007 - 16:15 ET by JimboBy that logic, shouldn't the MSM have made a big issue over the fact that President Clinton lobbed a few cruise missiles at some camels the night before his impeachment hearing? Don't recall hearing the uproar.
No uproar but I do recalI a
January 9, 2007 - 16:54 ET by RunningBeerNo uproar but I do recalI a slight rumbling from the right... outside of the MSM of course. MSM wouldn't dare say anything negative about Clinton.
Anyone who denies the liberal
January 9, 2007 - 13:15 ET by mattmAnyone who denies the liberal (leftist) bias of the MSM is a raving lunatic, an imbecile or a deceiver.
"Ignorance has a well known liberal bias." - Publius
even Keith Olbermann might ha
January 9, 2007 - 13:36 ET by Parkerzeven Keith Olbermann might have been embarrassed by it
I'll bet he's not embarrassed by it, it is K.O. you're talking about here.
I'm guessing even KO would
January 9, 2007 - 14:14 ET by Mark FinkelsteinI'm guessing even KO would have been embarrassed by the "NBC couldn't find a surge supporter" argument. How lame was that?
I'm guessing KO wouldent be e
January 9, 2007 - 14:27 ET by bassndudeI'm guessing KO wouldent be embarrassed if he was caught on a stand on a short stool, behind the milk cow, with his pants down.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
So at what point are these kn
January 9, 2007 - 16:16 ET by dscottSo at what point are these knuckle heads going to discuss the pros and cons of the much anticipated Bush announcement on Wednesday? How can you discuss what Bush has proposed when he hasn't even proposed it yet? I for one will wait till Wednesday, listen to what the man has to say and then judge for myself if it makes sense. All we have is lots of speculation and blogging on speculation.
What is Bush going to propose? Any specifics? Are we talking about re-deploying the existing troops all to Anbar and Baghdad? Are we talking about upping the existing force by some percentage? Are we talking about bringing in all the AC130's and laying waste to some area? What are we talking about?
Finally, will someone please turn off the talking heads and ask the proper questions? What are we doing that is working in Iraq? Of those things that are working, will increasing manpower and or funding make a difference? Is the civilian population giving enough tips on catching the terrorists? Will offering more inducements make a difference? What are we doing successfully in shutting down the militias? Are we running around with bomb sniffing equipment in the vehicles to root out bomb making factories? Are we flying predator drones 24/7 over every road and destroying every vehicle that sits on the road planting IEDs? Do we need more predator drones? How many? How much longer to get them there? Are the berms completed around Baghdad yet? Are we manning the check points into the city 24/7? If not, why not? If someone is opposing that idea, why aren't they in the news being put on the hot seat every time someone dies to make the point?
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius
Scarborough has turned into a
January 9, 2007 - 16:56 ET by bigtimerScarborough has turned into a pile of steaming shite.
Period.
Selling you soul comes cheap for some creatures.
"If we ever forget that we are a Nation Under God....then we will be a Nation Gone Under." Ronald Reagan
Another idiot on MSNBC, what
January 10, 2007 - 13:25 ET by sembyAnother idiot on MSNBC, what a surprised - in order for Joe to get a paycheck he has to hate Bush; and be a slave to his masters at MSNBC