NPR Blithely Notes Clinton Saw 'Few External Threats' In Last SOTU

One last State of the Union note. I found this introduction to an NPR interview with a Clinton speechwriter and a Reagan speechwriter on Monday's Morning Edition on a two-term president's last SOTU a little odd: STEVE INSKEEP, anchor: It's a moment for any president to reflect on his accomplishments, as President Clinton did in his last State of the Union in 2000. CLINTON: Never before…
Tim Graham

Hillary's Manifesto

Covering Hillary's tricked-up "victory" event for a Dem Florida primary that was not supposed to be contested, even MSNBC co-anchor Keith Olbermann eventually got bored and pulled away. But before he did, the junior senator from New York began to lay out her plans for America. Though sheer ennui eventually drove MSNBC off, the network hung in for enough of Clinton's "victory" speech to give us a…
Mark Finkelstein

ABC Offers Dismissive Analysis of Past State of the Unions

Scott Whitlock

Florida Primary Thread

Discuss the results here or on the live NB chat.Update 21:48. McCain wins it.
NB Staff

CBS ‘Early Show’ Focuses on Hillary More than Republicans in Flori

On Tuesday’s CBS "Early Show," co-host Maggie Rodriguez reported from "Little Havana" in Miami, Florida at the top of the 7am hour, mentioning the tight Republican race only briefly before moving on to Hillary Clinton’s recent photo ops and fundraising efforts in the state:This is the biggest state to vote to date with the most delegates up for grabs for the Republican winner, 57. This morning it…
Kyle Drennen

Bozell Column: McCain vs. Limbaugh

You can tell a lot about how the news media feel about conservatives by watching how they talk about Rush Limbaugh. They want his influence curbed. They pine for the day his career hits the skids. They’re constantly looking for a moment where they can declare that conservatives no longer have – that Rush Limbaugh no longer has -- the Grand Old Party in a menacing trance. They don’t want…
Brent Bozell

Matthews Uses High Price of Gold to Bash Bush on Economy

Can you remember where you were at any point during the four years of the Jimmy Carter presidency? Most people who were alive don't look favorably toward the economic situation during those years. But MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, who was gainfully employed as a member of the Carter administration, might look back a little fondly. When he criticized President George W. Bush about the…
Jeff Poor

ABC Alone Covers Dem Mayor Accused of Perjury; Ignores Party ID

On Tuesday's "Good Morning America," reporter Dan Harris covered the growing sex scandal of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and, at the same time, skipped the fact that he is a Democrat. The story, which has, thus far, been ignored by both NBC and CBS's morning shows, relates to testimony Kilpatrick gave in the summer of 2007 when he denied having an affair with his chief of staff, Christine…
Scott Whitlock

ABC’s Newest Economic Indicator: The Big Mac

It isn't home foreclosures, high gas prices or even the stock market being used to show the economy is heading for hell in a hand basket. No, this time the culprit is "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun," otherwise known as the Big Mac. And ABC's Bianna Golodryga asks, "If Americans are saying goodbye to fast food, could we be saying…
Jeff Poor

CNNMoney, AP Downplay Good Durable Goods Number

Where did the story about the "durable" goods report go? Y'know, the one that I found out about in this CNNMoney e-mail this morning.... Even with a search warrant, the word "durable" could not be found once the reader got past the CNNMoney index page earlier today (middle story, middle column in the graphic that follows):
Tom Blumer

AFP: Same Story, Two Different Towns

Two Ohio towns. Identical story. That's what the AFP presented to us on Sunday and then again yesterday. On Sunday, we read this:The streets are empty. Trash rustles down the road past rusted barbecues, abandoned furniture, sagging homes and gardens turned to weed. This is Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland and a town ravaged by the subprime mortgage crisis roiling the United States. Faded "…
D. S. Hube

CNN’s Roberts Directs Tougher Questions to Rudy Versus Hillary

CNN’s John Roberts, in the course of two interviews of presidential candidates in the month of January, directed substantive questions to both candidates, but was tougher on the Republican candidate. On Tuesday’s "American Morning," Roberts questioned Rudy Giuliani on the decision during his tenure as mayor of New York City to locate the Big Apple’s primary emergency command center in the 7 World…
Matthew Balan

MSNBC's Matthews Blames Higher Gold Prices on Ailing Bush Economy

'Hardball' host forgets how it was like when he worked for Jimmy Carter.
Jeff Poor

Bush 'Overshadowed' By Primaries... One More CNN Kick Before He Leaves

Give CNN points for stating the obvious, if points are deserved for such a prosaic report. But, don't forget that by doing so, it is their gleeful kick in the ribs to George W. Bush and that particular aspect was the goal in the first place for reporting that the race for the White House "overshadowed" Bush's State of the Union speech. From the headline to the last word of the piece, there is…
Warner Todd Huston