Yesterday John Gibson, host of "The Big Story" on Fox News, wondered if a national TV network, NBC, should make the country's foreign policy.
Let me introduce you to somebody. His name is Robert Wright. He is the chairman of the NBC television network, which is actually a few networks including CNBC and MSNBC. In essence, he runs those networks.Since I used to work over there and know Mr. Wright and know how things work somewhat, I am confident I am right when I say Bob Wright decided, or at least approved, NBC's policy to refer to whatever it is that is now going on in Iraq as a civil war.
The Pentagon doesn't think so. The White House doesn't think so. Even CBS Evening News Executive Producer Rome Hartman said he thought NBC's decision wasn't so much a news judgment as a political judgment.
I think Mr. Hartman is correct. And it raises the question: Can an American network decide when the U.S. surrenders in Iraq? Can that network decide when the U.S. leaves Iraq and under what conditions? Is NBC covering the news or creating the news?
NBC now calls it a civil war, and The New York Times has followed suit. (Maybe Bob Wright knows a lot about civil war because that is apparently what has been happening inside NBC News.)
Anyway, so now does NBC say if America gets into a war or not, or can NBC say when America is going to leave a war or not? Does Bob Wright now get to make the call?
I worked at NBC News a short time. I've talked about it so much I can't imagine there isn't anybody who doesn't know NBC — and I suppose that means Bob Wright — actually fired me twice.
No hard feelings, honest. I'm really glad I'm at FOX.
But I do have to wonder what Bob Wright is up to. I have to wonder if it would be possible for FDR to have conducted World War II under the kind of questioning that the administration gets from "Meet the Press." Could Eisenhower have ordered D-Day knowing he'd be held responsible for so many American deaths and probably not given much credit for a successful invasion? Could Lincoln have conducted the Civil War under this kind of scrutiny? Could Lincoln have suspended Habeas Corpus and arrested his political opponents if he had to face the outrage that would have come from the studios of an 1860s NBC News?
People are entitled to their opinions, even network chairmen. But you have to wonder if it's such a great idea for network chairmen to decide when it is we have lost a war.
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If we listen to the media and
November 30, 2006 - 13:03 ET by newstalkmachineBush is the presently the clo
November 30, 2006 - 14:09 ET by GalvanicBush is the presently the closest thing we currently have to Churchill.
Ouch. That should make everyone feel uncomfortable.
I think he is furious at the thought of negotiating with Iran and Syria, Democrats demanding cut and run, liberal media doing everything they can to undermine our poisition in the war on terror. Bush, thank God, holding out, thank the Lord at least we have him.
I can respect him for not caving in. With our troops in the field against the enemy, we need a Commander in Chief who doesn't bounce from poll to poll with ambiguous strategy and contradictory decisions.
But taking it further, he and his advisers seem to have run out of steam months ago. We 've lost the political initiative in Iraq, and the outcome will be determined by the politics, and not the military activity. The 'leak' of the memo slamming the Iraqi PM for lack of action, may have been their intentional prod to get the Iraqis moving toward taking over their fate.
Hopefully this would be only
November 30, 2006 - 13:04 ET by ucHopefully this would be only after the fact and just a matter of reporting. It really isn't about surrender as really just letting locals find their own way. Taking down Saddam Hussein and having him found guilty by his "subjects" is a monumental accomplishment for the history books. What Iraq wants to do next is by our President's compationate conservativeness up to the Iraqi people to such now debating levels of putting further american lives at stake in such endeavors. We caught the crook and hopefully you don't want to be like him - Saddam Hussein that is.
Korea
November 30, 2006 - 13:07 ET by iveseenitallLet me quote from a book I'm reading about the "Frozen Chosen" in the Korean War:
For no one in the world, except those Marines and their
commanders, seemed to think it possible (to escape)..In
Washington the Joint Chiefs of Staff considerd the breakout
impossible. In the States newspapers were chanting a gaudy
requiem and editorial writers were angrily flaying everyone but
the Communists Chinese for the disaster then impending.
Guess what. America came throught it with flying colors. Our liberal media has never changed and never will. They are overwhelmingly liberal losers.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal
If only the Iraq situation we
November 30, 2006 - 15:10 ET by GalvanicIf only the Iraq situation were as clear as battling through Chinese armies at the Chosin Reservoir, the public would understand, and our military commanders could realistically assess progress.. But Iraq and Korea are like night and day.
For the near term, it's not the military aspect of Iraq that's the problem --- it's the political aspect. But if the political situation doesn't progress, the military situation will eventually erode, and we'll lose any leverage we have in shaping the new Iraq.
Are you saying we came out of
November 30, 2006 - 15:25 ET by blingbling65Are you saying we came out of the Korean war with flying colors?
I think most (rational) people thinks we lost that war, thats why NORTH Korea is still a threat.
How can you demonize liberals when you can't even tell your head from your ass?
You are so right, bling...tha
November 30, 2006 - 16:43 ET by UnsaneYou are so right, bling...that final NK offensive that broke through the Pusan (or is that Busan?) Perimeter cost us a sure victory by pushing our forces into the sea!
Wait a minute...
bling, as one who has spend most of this year in Korea, I can assure the United States indeed won that one, as we restored the status quo ante bellum to the peninsula. You may want to study your history before you post such embarrassing posts as yours. I suggest Max Hastings' The Korean War, T.R. Fehrenbach's This Kind Of War, and just for fun, watching the movie Tae Guk Gi.
"Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the gospel of envy." -Sir Winston Churchill, British statesman (1874-1965)
Greg.. and J Carter also denied Civil War
November 30, 2006 - 13:38 ET by Gary HallGreg. Somewhere here in the last few days, I believe I saw or read where Jimmy Carter clearly stated that the situation in Iraq did not meet the criteria for a civil war. Odd for the so many in the media to get so far out of step. hee hee. Perhaps, JC will watch NBC for a day or two and change his mind... "we've got to be together, here."
The Democrats....They've got
November 30, 2006 - 14:00 ET by ArmedDadOnce again Gibson nails it.The question is who will lead the attack against Gibson to marginalize him and deflect attention from his insights?
ArmedDad
November 30, 2006 - 14:07 ET by Gary HallOh, I suspect that within days, Gibson's name will be added to the short list for whom the MSM, the Democratic party leaders and congressional folks, and the leftist man and woman on the street, keep blaming all of America's problems on: Chris Wallace, Rush, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Is it not amazing how just a handful of journalists and opinion pundits, could suddenly scare the entire MSM?
Yeah, they sure are a cowardl
November 30, 2006 - 14:34 ET by ArmedDadYeah, they sure are a cowardly bunch even though the left claims the moral high ground and to have self evident truth on their side.
Out of Control
November 30, 2006 - 14:21 ET by acumenThanks for posting this piece Greg. Does Mr. Wright also make the call concerning organizational civil war or just civil wars in foreign countries?
Civil War - A state of hostility or conflict between elements within an organization.
It seems the majority of members at our local vegetarian food co-op emphatically want to exclude poultry from being sold at the site. The minority of members passionately declare that poultry is not actually considered meat. This hostility has been going on for quite some time beginning with the free reign issue and seems to be escalating.
The poultry issue has now spread to the question of selling eggs. It's getting out of control. A supporter of eggs that also happens to be fairly high in the co-op pecking order had her Segway egged yesterday while she was distracted squeezing melons. This started an ugly debate about which came first; the human or the embryo?
Most members don't necessarily want to cut and run but preferably re-deploy to another store location. However, they state that they will only do so if this particular situation has morphed into a civil war.
Which leads me back to my original question; Does Mr. Wright also make the call concerning organizational civil war or just civil wars in foreign countries? If Mr. Wright is available for personal engagement please provide a method of getting in touch with Mr. Wright. A lot of good eggs are axiously awaiting Mr Wright's decision.
Tempest in a teapot!
November 30, 2006 - 14:35 ET by misterbillTempest in a teapot! I don't care what Wright wants to call it. I only care that he gets to call it that to a large portion of the population. I consider that totally unfair. I would like to call it terrorist attacks and civil unrest, but I don't get to say that to the nation. NB ought to deluge Wright with emails stating our position.
I got lucky yesterday on my o
November 30, 2006 - 17:12 ET by bigtimerI got lucky yesterday on my out of the house here to do some work and caught Gibson's "MY Word" segment....
He is correct, he usually is in my opinion.
The politico's are out in numbers to try to attempt to shut up FOX coverage as it is...they want to control it...Bill Clintoon led the way with his interview with Wallace...it has been non-stop with the defeatocrats attempting to shame Fox somehow...to report the news like the rest of the networks, so they have control of how they report the news...not going to work though. It is funny to me, because Fox is not conservative, but they have both sides of the issues on the show and let you decide the facts as presented...something the other networks refuse to do at their own demise with time....
By the way, the dem's are doing this more openly and in numerous numbers now since they have won in the mid-terms...it is obvious for all to see if you are a regular viewer with the channel.....
Keep up the good work Gibson....truth to power!
bt...Once our president is ou
November 30, 2006 - 17:21 ET by Clear thinkerbt...
Once our president is out of office I expect to see a full court press by the libs to destroy Fox news. Their hatred for Bush will have nowhere to go after he is gone so they have to find something else to hate, and according to libs, everyone should hate Fox.
With that being said, Fox news won't be going anywhere except higher in the ratings.
Interesting. From the mouth
November 30, 2006 - 17:18 ET by JDWInteresting. From the mouth of Mr Dean in reference to FOX; Won't Fox News hate this...
What can FOX decide?
JDW
Kerry: "You know, education, if you make the most of it ... you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."