Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer on Friday marvelously exposed NPR's Nina Totenberg as one of President Obama's shills in the media.
When Totenberg - appearing on PBS's Inside Washington - tried to make excuses for why Obama is totally in favor of raising the debt ceiling today despite having voted against doing so when he was a senator, Krauthammer scolded, "Don't cover for him" (video follows with transcript and commentary, file photo):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: More on the debt ceiling debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: America cannot afford another debate with this Congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they’ve already racked up. The financial well-being of the American people is not leverage to be used. The full faith and credit of the United States of America is not a bargaining chip.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PETERSON: Quote: "America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit." Senator Barack Obama, March 16, 2006. How about them apples?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Oh, come on. He said what he said.
TOTENBERG: Of course he said what he said.
KRAUTHAMMER: Don’t cover for him.
TOTENBERG: I’m not covering for him. I’m just saying people do different things at different times.
Actually, she was covering for Obama just as the rest of her colleagues in the media have concerning this issue.
On March 16, 2006, Obama said the following on the floor of the Senate:
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA: Mr. President, I rise today to talk about America's debt problem.
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies.
Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion. That is "trillion'' with a "T.'' That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President's budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion...
Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here.'' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit.
If Obama were a Republican, every media outlet in this country would refer to this speech and vote in 2006 in every story about today's debt ceiling debate. They also would have done so during 2011's debt ceiling debate.
They would bludgeon the current president for his flip-flop on this issue.
But because he's a beloved Democrat, Obama gets a pass from his fans in the media for a major policy change since being a senator.
It must be nice to know that no matter what you've said or done in the past, your press is going to cover you for it.
