Molly Ivins: Media With No Guts, No Grace

[im10ashus]

SAN FRANCISCO—Do you think the Bush administration is going after the press? The San Francisco Chronicle said on the front page, “Cameraman Jailed for Not Yielding Tape,” whereas The New York Times reported, “U.S. Wins Access to Reporter Phone Records.” I’m feeling like a bunny trying to outrun a pack of wolfhounds.

Sometimes the press enjoys scaring itself or pretending it is about to be made into a bunch of martyrs. This is not one of those times. We are under full attack now, and it is time to fight. I am not infuriated by the performance of the press so far, but I am disgusted. Bob Novak is the most notable traitor, but others are leaping for political favors as they rush to insist The New York Times shouldn’t print the news (and occasionally, quite old news at that). I fail to see how Fox News and other right-wing outlets have so little imagination they cannot picture themselves in the same corner come a Democratic administration. What goes around comes around and all that good stuff, but to set it up so that payback is hell for yourself is tragically, deeply dumb. I have watched the D.C. press corps play courtier to Bush since he openly insulted Helen Thomas, who is not only a first-rate journalist but a lady as well. Shame on you all. No principle, no guts, no grace.

On another topic, I was talking to a guy named Andy the other night when he observed that unlike President Bush, he had learned firsthand that diplomacy works with skunks. He was speaking of the striped, tail-up-bad-sign kind, but they seem a perfect metaphor for the rest of what he laughingly calls Bush’s diplomatic strategery—at which point the proper response is to ask, “What diplomatic strategery?” Has anyone seen a foreign policy lately? Does anyone still know what containment means? These are, after all, the people who were against arms control because Bill Clinton was for it.

One feels like Casey Stengel looking at the early Mets: “Doesn’t anybody here know how to play this game?” In the most contemptible act of irresponsibility imaginable, the neocons who pulled together to start this war now reject any responsibility for it. Mr. Wolfowitz is busy running the World Bank; it’s no longer his business.

cont'd...

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060802_molly_ivins_no_guts_no_grace/

[gratuitous]

1. She absolutely creamed that one

Back, back, ah, ferget it, that one was gone as soon as she touched it off. Home run for Ivins.

"No principle, no guts, no grace."

"The most contemptible act of irresponsibility imaginable."

These are sentiments we should be hearing every day of the week out of our major media outlets; instead, we get pap like Mel Gibson, breathless reporting on this or that, and absolutely no analysis or accounting of the disastrously failed policies of this corrupt administration. Bush's popularity is artificially pumped up to nearly 40%, and the fiction that the country is merely "divided" over his dismal record is passed off as a net positive for these blood-soaked bastards.

[kpete]

2. I love Molly

Good Morning and

Thanks for posting this...

[im10ashus]

5. Good morning, kpete.

Molly is always a must-read.

:hi:

[porphyrian]

3. At least someone who gets published is saying it... - n/t

[theHandpuppet]

4. As ususal, Molly is dead-on target!

The article has only received on comment so far. I'm sure a few of us DUers could chime in, doncha think?

[AbbyR]

6. Go, Molly!

I've been saying the same sort of thing, but I say it in a medium-sized weekly in a small town. No one listens to me. They will (I hope) listen to Molly.

[im10ashus]

7. Maybe they are listening in your small town.

And you just don't know it. :shrug:

But keep up the good work. :hi:

[ananda]

8. God this is good!

I love you, Molly!

QUOTE
In Washington, the sophomore wienies who now staff the administration are far too terrified of Cheney to speak up, even if they had enough sense to notice it’s going rather badly. Oh, for heaven’s sake—send Cheney back to south Texas so he can shoot at caged birds there. The Wizard of Oz had more credibility.

I think they’re running around the Middle East looking for a red heifer. (For those of you who don’t read your news straight from the Book of Revelations, a red heifer is needed to set off the Rapture. We’re working on it.)

Well, if you can’t get any global action from this outfit, how about some plain old legislation? Nope. The Republicans’ latest effort was to pass a callous imitation of a minimum wage increase ($2.10 an hour over two years) after 10 years with no raise. They may fall over in gratitude. And, in the same bill, mind you, this crew of crazed philanthropists insisted on another multibillion-dollar cut in the estate tax. For really, really rich people. Rep. Zach Wamp gloatingly told the Democrats, “We have outfoxed you.” Outfoxed? A tiny increase in the minimum wage and a huge tax cut for multimillionaires. Does this make any sense? Does this even make politics?

In a splendid display of incompetence, the Republicans went on to make hay of pension reform plans.

Meanwhile, I have yet another complaint to lodge against George W. Bush. “The man is a moron!” is not political debate. Not helpful. Not even prudent, as his old man would say. But that is precisely what he leaves us saying: “But, he is a complete moron.” Someone needs to pick up this discussion and point out that at least he’s our moron and say something encouraging like someday maybe he’ll learn to pronounce nuclear. We can count on him not to change his mind about stem cell research no matter what people learn. And, the only foreign leader he’s necked with is female.
UNQUOTE

[rubberducky]

9. Molly and Helen

No Fear!!!!!!:toast:

[Time for change]

10. Excellent article

[dogday]

11. Control the media

Is that a sign of Fascism?

[im10ashus]

12. It's certainly a symptom. n/t

[warrens]

13. I loved the comment by some conservative a while back

"Who would have ever thought that the main problem for conservatives would be competence?"

Casey Stengal would probably use that line about the Bushies if he was alive today.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

14. K & R for the the marvelous Miss Molly. "playing courtier" is a perfect

description of the press today. MKJ

[Blackhatjack]

15. It's No Secret Repubs believe they have "fixed" elections to stay in power

When Democrats bring up the fact that a change in Majority in either House, or in the White House, could leave Repubs in the position of being politically powerless --Republican actions demonstrate they are not worried because they believe they can "fix" all future elections, and are not in danger of being ousted from power.

Imagine if Repubs trigger the "nuclear option" in the Senate, and the majority control changes to the Democrats in the Senate? With no filibuster to rely upon, the changes that could be wrought without so much as a word of discussion with Republicans could be breathtaking. Repubs might as well hang out at Starbucks, and mail in their comments of disapproval.

The fight for the soul of this country is going to take place in 2008 at the ballot box. The populace has just begun to sense the importance of that election. Don't think for a moment that Repubs are standing pat awaiting that event. They are busy purging voting rolls, promoting hackable electronic voting machines, and putting their people in charge of running all of the elections.

It is time to stand up now, not later, and be heard. I fear it is going to take a national protest like we are seeing in Mexico today to challenge the corrupt actors that have taken over our government, looted the public treasury, and engaged us in constant wars for the enrichment of corporations and wealthy individuals. Not to mention the loss of American lives sacrificed to sate the greed of these folks.

If we lose the last vestiges of a free press, the battle is half-won by the criminals now in charge, and it may be a long time before our country resumes being a constitutional democracy.

[Harry Monroe]

16. I love reading Molly Ivins...

...unfortunately, in this small minded hick red state in which I live (Mississippi), she does not appear often on the Op/Ed pages. Today, for instance, I had to look at Coulter's stupid smirk and push back the bile in my throat as I glanced at her hate-filled rant. Ivens is dead on target. The MSM in this country has been falling down on the job and diminishing our democracy in the process. It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs when more people vote for the "American Idol" winner than in elections. It is easy to dupe the average citizenry in this country, drugged as they are on the latest insipid "reality" series and celebrity obsessions. Sad indeed.