Tweety: "What's wrong with buying journalists to sell the war HERE?"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Full quote (wouldn't fit on the subject line) "What's wrong with buying a couple of journalists HERE to sell the war HERE?"

Part of his 3-way with Pat Buchanan and Ron Reagan.

[Fenris]

1. If he doesn't know the answer to that, he should be hit. Hard.

In his pills.

[Cha]

6. It makes me want to

smash his face in..that big tweety face.

[NYCGirl]

8. Of course he knows the answer, he's just trying to get the guests to talk

about it. He's an interviewer, for god's sake, not a journalist.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

2. Will someone just please, PLEASE

put that suckass little dweeb, Tweety, out of my misery?

[babylonsister]

3. I think Tweety was doing his job w/that interview, perhaps

goading, or tongue-in-cheek, but also letting his guests talk for a change. Ron Reagan was excellent!

[catmother]

4. yes. ron was great. hope he get's another show. n/t

[slor]

5. He asks because he is...

just that. Fat head wannabe animated BEEYOTCH!

[Reciprocity]

7. We already have that with FAUX news.

[marmar]

9. And actually, I think they've already bought a few...

It's just that nobody beieves them.

:kick:

[LittleClarkie]

10. In other words, "TEN CENTS A DANCE"

Waiting for your phone to ring, Tweety? Need alittle "Christmas money" perhaps? Hmmm?

[jbnow]

11. Oh he's against it even in Iraq

He's pushing Buchanan who is strongly defending it in war time.

[LittleClarkie]

12. Oops... backing up... beep... beep... beep... Good on you, Mr. Matthews

Kudos and apologies.

[melody]

13. Tweety was bought and paid for a loooong time ago n/t

[BJW]

14. ANYBODY ELSE here think he's a drunk?

I've noticed that he has the "wet lips" of a serious drinker and he often seems to slur his words during broadcasts. Also, they put a ton of makeup on him, but sometimes I detect that he has a red-veined nose.

Anybody else think he might be a big booze hound? Or is it just me?

[Slit Skirt]

16. he has spoke many times

on how he doesn't drink anymore

[BJW]

20. well, I guess he's not drinking then. Thx.

but it still really bugs me--those uber-wet drinking-man's lips he has!

[calimary]

45. Eeeuuuuwww-wah! Too much information.

Don't like that mental picture ONE BIT!

Then again, I think I'D probably have to take up drinking to tolerate more than an hour's worth of tweety-man.

What's wrong with paying shills to talk up the war? Oh, nothin' much, just FRICKIN' EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!

Not that it hasn't already occurred here. I can think of quite a few "mainstream" journalists who have been on the payroll for a long time, and Armstrong Williams doesn't even count here.

[Harper_is_Bush]

19. I've not noticed that.

I think he's done a great job lately. Really on the ball.

[snowbear]

15. Gotta disagree with Beef today --- you snipped one line from Tweety

Actually, he was shocked at what was going on.

Even slighted disgusted if that's possible? Tweety and Ron Reagan were great today.. Buchanan on the other hand..

What a joke he was! http://eliteleague.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/lol!.gif

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

18. You might be right...

...it might have been a case of "leading the witness"...

Here's the stunt he was trying to pull last night (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10281920/):

MATTHEWS: Do you think he might be trying to mousetrap the Democrats and saying, OK boys, put up or shut up, Jack Murtha. Either give me the 3.9, and if you do, welcome aboard to my policy, or vote against me and tell the American people why you don‘t support out turning this war over to the Iraqis, which is what I‘m trying to do. Is that smart?

Tweety and journalism / reporting are like alcohol.

Some like it straight, maybe on the rocks.

Others like it with 15 kinds of fruit juice and a little umbrella.

Tweety's a little umbrella guy.

:evilgrin:

[Harper_is_Bush]

17. Without the full context we can't tell what he was saying.

Was he being sarcastic? Was he posing a serious question, knowing that OF COURSE there's something wrong with it? Was he making reference to the fact that it happened?

Got a link?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

24. No link. It was on Hardball.

There's a repeat later tonight, but the transcript won't be posted on the MSNBC site until tomorrow.

[Harper_is_Bush]

25. Here is t he link......

Go here: http://canofun.com/blog/viddate.asp
And watch this:
Ronald Reagan Jr Kicks Buchanan's butt on Propaganda
Hardball

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

26. Man, that was FAST...

:toast:

[katty]

21. Matthews tries to swing his hardballs ala Dr. Phil

[0007]

22. Pat Buchanan thinks it is an absolutely bloody

good idea way to win a war and doesn't understand why anyone would oppose it.

[No Exit]

37. I got the impression that Tweety was asking that question to bait him.

I hope my impression was right. I'd like to think that Tweety isn't completely round the bend.

[welshTerrier2]

23. Dems and the press aren't framing the story correctly

planting propaganda in the Iraqi press is despicable ... especially when bush is using the bullshit justification for his occupation that we're there to spread democracy ... that is NOT how democracies are supposed to operate ...

i doubt a story like this would have received much coverage a year ago and it wouldn't have received any coverage at all from the intimidated MSM two years ago ... that's the good news ...

but Dems and the press have failed to put the story in its proper context ... remember that little pre-scripted news conference bush did with troops in Iraq ... the one moderated by Allison Barber who subsequently tried to keep Ed Schultz's program off Armed Forces Radio ...

not only has the WH tried to lie to the Iraqi people but they've tried to lie about the war to the American people as well ... that's the story!!

check out the "Train Wreck" video (click the picture of the troops) to see Olbermann's coverage of the event: http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/002474.html

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

30. I agree the frame is wrong but I disagree with your frame

I think the issue is once again incompetence and malfeasance. Why do they have to pay millions and millions of taxpayer dollars for what should be an economically minor operation? The answer is - THEY DON'T! This will turn out to be another example of cronyism/corruption blah blah blah while once again they transfer American taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the connected.

Oh yeah, where did that nine billion go under Bremer? Why doesn't anyone follow up on that story?

[welshTerrier2]

32. not sure i follow you

are you putting your emphasis on all the missing money and bloated reconstruction projects we're supposedly running in Iraq???

i have no argument with you on that ... that's a major scandal ... this whole war has been about imperialism and corporate abuse ...

but the issue raised in the OP is about propaganda, not corporate greed ... the point i was trying to make is that the Dems and the media shouldn't just focus on this activity in Iraq ... bush has more credibility for using propaganda there ... he could make the case that it was part of the effort to bring about peace ... it's bullshit but lots of countries use propaganda during wartime ...

but they shouldn't be lying to their own people back here in the US ... and that's exactly what the video i linked to shows ... they pre-scripted a bunch of happy talk for the troops bush was interviewing ... i think the story about planting "good news" in the Iraqi press is being framed much too narrowly ... bush's credibility is the issue ... the policy has not just been to lie to the Iraqis but to lie to the Americans as well ...

maybe i'm missing something ... i did not see the show referenced in the OP ...

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

39. I shouldn't have said I disagree with your frame

because I don't. You're absolutely right and make great points. I just also think that the economic underpinnings of this stupid program are also not being examined closely enough. that was my point in this thread that I started that went nowhere.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5497764&mesg_id=5497764

I think this is a big story but will probably not gain enough "legs" with the American public to get the traction it should.

[Harper_is_Bush]

27. Before ya'll bash Chris, watch the show. LINK HERE....

Watch this:
http://www.canofun.com/blog/videos/asskickreaganbuchdec105.wmv

It amazes me to see so many democrats in the US; the people who I consider to be the reasonable Americans, knee-jerking against things that are actually truthful and favorable.

[Harper_is_Bush]

28. You really did a disservice to the truth here. n/t

[tinfoilinfor2005]

31. Fess up. You're really Mrs. Tweety in disguise, right?

Just kidden'! ;-)

[No Exit]

36. Does Mrs. Tweety look like Syvester?

I'm trying to picture the happy couple...

Hey, I pretty much agree with people here that Tweety can be a world-class ass-kisser(case in point: his Bush's "sunny nobility" comment), and he has more than once engaged in appeasement towards republican politicians who are enemies of America.

BUT... I watched his show today. (I usually try to watch it b/c it's a steady source of info on the CIA leak.) And I got the impression that Tweety asked that question with sarcasm in his little voice. I'm talking about the question, "what would be so wrong about buying journalists and planting fake news stories here in the U.S.?" (Not an exact quote.)

I got the impression that Tweety knows very well that that is wrong, and that he was just keeping up the mind-numbingly fast talk on his program. I think, in a way, he asked that question to bait Pat Buchanan (who held the ridiculous position that, since everything is military these days, it must be okay to use "disinformation" everywhere, especially in Iraq.)

So, in this case, I am (for once) not outraged about Tweety today.

[snowbear]

38. No tinfoil. But I said the same thing too. Tweety did GOOD today.

It's just sad that we don't acknowledge journalists during the rare times when they actually do a good job.

I love Beef's posts, but not this one. :(

It's surprising how many jumped on to scream at Matthews just by reading one line that was taken so completely out of context.

If anyone remembers the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" .. it was just like when the cop was reading what the two teens said when they were interviewed..

For once... Tweety actually did a decent job today.. :shrug:

[emulatorloo]

29. Matthews UPSET about this story - please don't quote out of context

Matthews clearly thought this lastest Bush Admin Press Buying was not cool.

The statement you quote was a question posed to his guests to get them to talk.

[No Exit]

35. Okay, I saw this episode, and I think you've got it right.

I wish I'd watched more carefully. To me, it seemed that the Tweetster had ample sarcasm in his voice when he asked that question. I came away with the impression that Tweety DOES think that it is VERY wrong for the administration to buy journalists here in the U.S. to make them print fake stories.

I hope to God that my impression was correct.

[leesa]

33. Ummm...selling illegal goods?

[Julius Civitatus]

34. What he means is that HE's AVAILABLE, like the whore that he is

He want's some of that filthy, filthy Rove propaganda money.

Hey, what's wrong with buying some journos here if it's for a good cause, right?

Right?


FUCKING WHORE!!!!

[Harper_is_Bush]

44. Watch the link and then you might want to apologize to Mr. Mathews.

[rman]

40. He put the notion of press corruption in the US in the map.

Makng the whole idea a little more plausible.

I think he did us a favor.

[July]

41. Final nail in the coffin of Tweety's claim to be a journalist. nt

[Harper_is_Bush]

43. Look above for the link and watch it. The topic poster missed the boat...

[npincus]

42. Tweety was pissed- he was NOT defending the Pentagon's tactic

in fact, he is a strong advocate for the sensible (our) position on this.