No, I don’t mean Keith Olbermann luxuriating in John Dean’s attempt to portray conservatives as leading America to fascism. This morning (Wednesday), MSNBC chose to give a couple of minutes of news time over to a lighthearted recounting of the far Left’s wacky theories about the fate of former Enron Chairman Ken Lay, including the idea that President Bush had Lay murdered.
MSNBC suggested that it was fair to entertain the kooky suggestions, since liberal bloggers “point out right wingers were quick to accuse President Clinton of having White House aide, Vince Foster, murdered back in 1993.”
But back then the big networks didn’t indulge those claims by unskeptically recounting them to news audiences — they bristled with outrage at what they perceived as mean-spirited political smear.
Tackily, the MSNBC segment was pegged to a Houston memorial service for Lay, who in the real world died of a heart attack last week. MRC intern Eugene Gibilaro caught the segments, which aired — complete with illustrations lifted from left-wing blogs — at 10:39am EDT this morning.
Anchor Melissa Stark began: “And on the day when friends and relatives gather to remember Enron founder, Kenneth Lay, conspiracy theories about his death are still buzzing around the internet. For some, his passing only a few months before he was to be sentenced possibly 20 to 30 years which effectively would have been a life sentence, it’s just too convenient.
“The leading theory: Ken Lay faked his own death to avoid prison and these mostly liberal bloggers think Lay bribed the coroner and is now on a beach somewhere sipping pina coladas and enjoying his retirement. Websites like kenlayisalive.org and kenlaylives.com ask readers to send in their sightings.
“Another theory: suicide. Did Lay take some medicine to prompt his fatal heart attack? Perhaps it was a way of apologizing to his friend, President Bush, for the embarrassing Enron scandal, or maybe he just thought that prison would be a bummer.
“Lay’s ties to power lie behind the other big theory: murder. The headline on huffingtonpost.com: ‘Did President Bush have Ken Lay murdered’, either as pay back for the Enron scandal or to keep him from revealing damaging secrets? Most level headed liberal bloggers say no, but point out that right wingers were quick to accuse President Clinton of having White House aide, Vince Foster, murdered back in 1993.
"Just after Lay’s death, Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia only added to the confusion because Lay’s entry switched several times between suicide and heart attack before finally settling on natural causes, pending the final autopsy results.
"Again, Lay’s memorial service, amidst all of this, is scheduled at noon eastern time in Houston. You’re looking at live pictures there of the Methodist church in Houston where he and his family were very committed to the church community and that is where the memorial service will be held, expected at noon today.”
