KO just read Charles Babbington review of Barack's speech

[csziggy]

Says it has no relevance to the actual speech and did not even get the length right.

Anybody know who Charles Babbington is?

[LSparkle]

1. As KO said, "Charles Babbington -- FIND NEW WORK!"

I've read his crap on Yahoo news ... FUCK THESE
GUYS! Call them out on their co-opting of the
WIRE SERVICES!!!

[CatWoman]

7. ha!!!

guess where I found the article?

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug28/0,4670,CVNConventionAnalysis,00.html

Analysis: Obama spares details, keeps up attacks

[Wickerman]

2. Coverup Artist

http://phoenixwoman.wordpress.com/2008/07/19/charles-babington-coverup-artist/

I first became aware of Charles Babington when I read a Washington Post article, soon after George W. Bush took the White House, that quoted Richard Perle saying encouraging things about Bush’s foreign policy skills (Charles Babington, “Leaders Urge Bush to Face Foreign Policy Issues.” Washington Post, 20 March 2001, no longer online). Babington portrayed Perle as a conservative (but nonpartisan) objective observer of the new Bush Administration — in reality, he’d been an adviser to the Bush campaign. When I wrote Babington to ask him why he’d chosen a Bush partisan to cite in the article, he claimed complete ignorance of Perle’s role.

Babington has not learned to choose his sources more carefully or fact-check himself. Which is another way of saying he’s still shilling for the Republicans as a reporter for the Associated Press:

John McCain was in his favorite campaign setting, a town hall meeting, when he spotted a promising target. “I’d love to recognize you first, sir,” the Republican presidential candidate said to a man in a Vietnam War veteran’s hat.

Instead of a softball opening question from a fellow vet, however, McCain got a lengthy harangue, as the man insisted the senator had opposed better medical benefits for veterans.

McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war, politely said the man was mistaken. He finally broke it off, saying, “I’ll be glad to examine what your version of my record is.”

Babington’s account, using a loaded verb to portray the questioner as aggressive and McCain as forbearing, gives the impression that the man in the Vietnam War veteran’s hat was wrong. Babington’s covering up McCain’s has been lies about his record on veterans issues and the support he isn’t getting from veterans’ organizations.

Babington even tries to portray McCain’s “town halls” as somehow more democratic and courageous than Obama’s campaign appearances. But I don’t remember any reports of people being barred from entering an Obama event because they don’t agree with him on an issue (as described in Babington’s own article) or arrested for exercising First Amendment rights.

Straight Talk Express? So-called journalists like Babington make McCain’s campaign the Stenography Express.

[Nitrogenica]

3. AP Congressional Correspondent

"Charles Babington covers Congress for the Associated Press. He has been based in Washington for 20 years, including 16 at the Washington Post, where he covered the Clinton White House and Congress, where he chronicled Bill Frist's struggles as majority leader, the showdown over judicial filibusters and the confirmation of Roberts and Alito, and other beats. He also wrote for the website and spent two years as the Congressional editor."

[depakid]

17. "16 at the Washington Post"

That about says it all.

ZERO CREDIBILITY.

[C_U_L8R]

4. Karl Rove's nom de plume ?

[IndyOp]

5. He is an AP writer - a quick glance at his stories suggests a rightward slant..

http://content.usatoday.com/community/tags/topic.aspx?req=tag&tag=Charles%20Babington

[AZBlue]

10. A quick glance at the AP lately shows a definite rightward slant...

[AZBlue]

6. Another AP asshole. His story is on Fox News (shocking, huh?):

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug28/0,4670,CVNConventionAnalysis,00.html

DENVER — Barack Obama, whose campaign theme is "change we can believe in," promised Thursday to "spell out exactly what that change would mean."

But instead of dwelling on specifics, he laced the crowning speech of his long campaign with the type of rhetorical flourishes that Republicans mock and the attacks on John McCain that Democrats cheer. The country saw a candidate confident in his existing campaign formula: tie McCain tightly to President Bush, and remind voters why they are unhappy with the incumbent.

(snip)

Mostly, however, he touched on major issues quickly and lightly. It's an approach that may intrigue and satisfy millions of viewers just starting to tune in to the campaign seriously. The crowd at Invesco Field cheered deliriously, but Republicans almost surely will decry the lack of specifics.

For instance, Obama said it's time "to protect Social Security for future generations." But he didn't mention his main proposal, which is to add a new Social Security payroll tax to incomes above $250,000 a year.

He said he would "cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families," but did not say how.

He briefly mentioned abortion, gun rights, gay rights and other hot-button issues without delving into their sticky details. "Passions fly on immigration," Obama said, "but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers."

[csziggy]

18. Yeah, it figures it would show up on Faux Noise first

But KO was concerned that this would be the most distributed story about Obama's speech to newspapers all over the US if not the world. We should be prepared to send letter to editors of ALL newspapers protesting this slanted coverage. The speech he "reviewed" was not the speech I heard.

WOW! Pat Buchanan just got a cheer for reading a phrase from Obama's speech - even Pat is impressed. KO -"We had to stop Pat Buchanan gushing over Obama's speech!"

[RamboLiberal]

8. Link to story KO references - naturally first up on Faux

DENVER — Barack Obama, whose campaign theme is "change we can believe in," promised Thursday to "spell out exactly what that change would mean."

But instead of dwelling on specifics, he laced the crowning speech of his long campaign with the type of rhetorical flourishes that Republicans mock and the attacks on John McCain that Democrats cheer. The country saw a candidate confident in his existing campaign formula: tie McCain tightly to President Bush, and remind voters why they are unhappy with the incumbent.

Of course, no candidate can outline every initiative in a 35-minute speech _ especially one that also must inspire voters, acknowledge key friends, and toss in some autobiography for the newly-interested. And Obama did touch on nitty-gritty subjects, such as the capital gains tax and biofuel investments.

He said he would "find ways to safely harness nuclear power," a somewhat more receptive phrase than he typically uses for that subject.

But most of his address echoed and amplified the theme that dominated the four-day Democratic nominating convention here: George Bush.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug28/0,4670,CVNConventionAnalysis,00.html

[washingdem]

9. Wow, what a crock.

[Sidney J Mussburger]

11. From what I heard.

he's a piece of shit. The AP has turned into a Refug Rag.

[Fearless]

12. A BIO of Chuck Babs

http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=78434731

[democrat2thecore]

13. People know they saw what they saw and what they saw will make Obama president. AP can go to Hell -

[csziggy]

19. But lots of people will not have stayed up to hear the speech

And what they think about it will be shaped by this review since it will be widely distributed and printed.

THAT is how the Repubs have been winning. They make people think that the media is liberal, then they print crap like this that distorts what happens. The average person will believe what they read or hear and since they think the media is liberal, they figure the speech is worst than the review says.

It is LTTE time. Might as well start writing mine now.

[MarjorieG]

14. Remembe that Bureau Chief Ron Fournier was going to perhaps work for the McC camp last year. Also...

wrote the memo to Rove of keep up the good work.

[maseman]

15. Email the AP...I just did

email is [e-mail].

Remember the author of that awful article is Charles Babington.

[ErinBerin84]

16. yeah, Keith sounded disgusted

It would not matter if this was just an independent news organization, but a fucking wire service. Sad sad to see how desperate the AP has become.

[nyccitizen]

20. E-MAIL THE AP: [e-mail]

Register your disgust. They pay attention.

[Frank Booth]

21. I assume it's a pseudonym for Ron Fournier.