Milbank, accusing Obama of hubris, crops quotes, makes false insinuations, neglects basic reporting

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Milbank, accusing Obama of hubris, crops quotes, makes false insinuations, neglects basic reporting

Media Matters for America: Wed, Jul 30, 2008
Milbank accuses Obama of "hubris" while cropping quotes, making false insinuations, and neglecting basic reporting

Washington Post's Dana Milbank

In his July 30 Washington Post column, Dana Milbank misrepresented quotes, neglected to do basic reporting, and advanced the baseless suggestion that actions Sen. Barack Obama has reportedly taken are unprecedented for a presidential candidate -- all in support of his thesis that Obama "has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee." Specifically, Milbank accused Obama of "hubris" based on a quote attributed to an unnamed source by a different Washington Post reporter -- which Milbank gave no indication he had attempted to verify or obtain a reaction to from the Obama campaign. He falsely suggested that Obama's conduct in reportedly beginning to set up a transition team and in meeting with foreign leaders is unusual or unprecedented for a presidential candidate. Milbank also cropped two statements by Obama that resulted in a misrepresentation of what Obama said, baselessly suggested that Obama "excluded" The New Yorker from accompanying him on his recent foreign trip because the magazine "published a satirical cover about Obama that offended the campaign," and falsely reported that Obama "was even feeling confident enough to give British Prime Minister Gordon Brown some management advice over the weekend."...

Discussing a July 29 meeting Obama had with members of the House of Representatives, Milbank wrote: "Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, 'This is the moment ... that the world is waiting for,' adding: 'I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.' As he marches toward Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path), Obama's biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris."...Milbank gave no indication that he contacted the Obama campaign or anyone at the event to confirm the accuracy of the quote. But (the WP's Jonathan) Weisman reportedly did hear from people at the event: House leadership aides who disputed interpretations -- like Weisman's and Milbank's -- of the comment as self-aggrandizing. Weisman wrote in an update: "One leadership aide said the full quote put it into a different context. According to that aide, Obama said, 'It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign -- that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It's about America. I have just become a symbol.'"...

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Milbank reported that Obama recently returned from "his presidential-style world tour, during which foreign leaders and American generals lined up to show him affection."...But contrary to Milbank's suggestion, there is nothing extraordinary in a presidential candidate meeting with foreign leaders. Indeed, Sen. John McCain has also taken trips during his presidential campaign to Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and Latin America, in which he met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Colombian President Juan Uribe, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Milbank also reported that Obama "went up to Capitol Hill to be adored by House Democrats in a presidential-style pep rally," but did not note that McCain reportedly received a similar response in a meeting with Senate Republicans....

The Washington Post itself has repeatedly reported that Secret Service protection was assigned to Obama in response to "safety concerns" and "potential threats." Nor did Milbank mention that McCain also has Secret Service protection....

Milbank reported: "Some say the supremely confident Obama -- nearly 100 days from the election, he pronounces that 'the odds of us winning are very good' -- has become a president-in-waiting." But Milbank cropped Obama's full quote. In fact, at a July 28 fundraiser, Obama reportedly said, "We are now in a position where the odds of us winning are very good. But it's still going to be difficult."...Milbank also did not note that McCain has previously asserted that he will win the presidential election....

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Milbank did not note, as Media Matters for America documented, that Obama's reported transition plans are not unusual or unprecedented....

Milbank falsely stated: "Obama was even feeling confident enough to give British Prime Minister Gordon Brown some management advice over the weekend."...In fact, Obama made those comments during a conversation with British Member of Parliament and Tory Leader David Cameron, not with Brown...

http://mediamatters.org/items/200807300009?f=h_latest