Newsweek's Howard Fineman and Eleanor Clift could hardly contain their excitement over the "Power Outage" of the Republican Party. (Oct. 10 Issue). Indeed, by the time the first paragraph was finished, the GOP "Leadership" (put in quotes by Newsweek) was described as one that supposedly promotes a feeling of "awe and fear" by the "flock," the members not in the "Leadership." The meeting of "The Leadership" was dark and secretive enough to be analogously compared to the Baath Party:
"In the Tom DeLay era—now at least temporarily ended—a meeting of the House Republican Conference usually was a ceremonial affair, at which "Leadership" (always a single word, spoken with a mixture of awe and fear) clued in the flock on Done Deals. The proceedings had the spontaneity of a Baath Party conclave."
Then Newsweek goes on a shooting spree of name-calling, taking shots at one Republican after another. First they went after the "Vindictive DeLay" and quotes anonymous House Members who are fearful of DeLay should he return to power:
Some backbenchers were gloomy and resentful, but unwilling to say so on the record, for fear that the vindictive DeLay might survive. "Leadership has become ossified and hopelessly out of touch," lamented one such member. "They only care about one thing, hanging onto their own power. I'm not ready to take them on, at least not yet, not unless I have to!"
Newsweek goes on to call former FEMA head Brown "hapless yet arrogant" and then returns to normal MSM fare about no-bid contracts to Bush's friends:
"Questions have already arisen about no-bid contracts awarded to companies with ties to one of Bush's closest political friends from Texas, former FEMA head Joe Allbaugh, who has denied any wrongdoing—and who, in any case, has the hide of a rhino."
Just as Newsweek fails to mention DeLay's defense (a rabid Democrat Prosecutor) Newsweek goes after the so-called "princely" Bill Frist, only offerring allegations, and no defense about insider trading. Moving along quickly, Fineman and Clift return to the CIA leak and the release of Judith Miller from prison who had "cut a deal, winning freedom." Newsweek failed to note that her so-called source had given her "the deal" long ago, and he did not even know that was what she waiting for. Getting over-excited again:
"He is expected to conclude his work soon, and may issue a report. If he does, it can be expected to include potentially embarrassing, if not necessarily criminal, actions and phone calls by insiders such as Libby and Bush political consigliere Karl Rove."
Finally, the article spends a good deal of time on Jack Abramoff and his dealings. Newsweek consider Abramoff a "Republican problem" not noting that he and his associates have also had substantial dealings with Democrats, Minority Leader Reid among them.
And one last stab for good measure, the final sentence: "So the office will remain officially vacant. It's symbolic evidence of Leadership—or the absence of it."
