Tweety claims he never did support invading Iraq or Bush now

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200609210010

Matthews claimed he has opposed Iraq war "from the beginning," that media coverage of war "sucks" -- but he has frequently contributed to problematic war reporting

Summary: Chris Matthews complained that the news media "sucks lately in covering the Iraq war," later asserting, "I have been a voice out there against this bullshit war from the beginning."

But Media Matters has documented numerous instances during the past three years in which Matthews lauded President Bush's handling of the war, advanced false and misleading claims about the war, and attacked Democratic critics of the war.

As Media Matters noted, Matthews was chief among the cheerleaders when Bush delivered a nationally televised speech from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, in which he declared that "{m}ajor combat operations in Iraq have ended," all the while standing under a banner reading: "Mission Accomplished." Despite lingering questions over the continued violence in Iraq, the failure to locate weapons of mass destruction, and the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein, Matthews fawned over Bush: "He won the war. He was an effective commander. Everybody recognizes that, I believe, except a few critics. ... He looks for real. ... {H}e didn't fight in a war, but he looks like he does. ... We're proud of our president. ... Women like a guy who's president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president."

On the January 31, 2005, edition of Hardball, while praising that month's Iraqi election, Matthews falsely claimed that no insurgent attacks had occurred at polling places on Election Day. In fact, attacks on Iraqi polling places were widely reported during the January 30 elections.

Before Bush had even delivered his November 30, 2005, speech at the U.S. Naval Academy laying out a "Strategy for Victory in Iraq," Matthews used variations of the word "brilliant" twice to describe it, while deriding Democratic critics of the Iraq war as "carpers and complainers." Media Matters noted at that time that Matthews's over-the-top praise for Bush included his claim that "{e}verybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs" and his statement that Bush sometimes "glimmers" with "sunny nobility."

On the December 16, 2005, edition of Hardball, Matthews stated, "If {Bush's} gamble that he can create a democracy in the middle of the Arab world" is successful, "he belongs on Mount Rushmore."
On the July 31 edition of Hardball, Matthews stated that if Democratic critics recognize that Bush made a "smart decision" to invade Iraq, then Bush "deserves to have a place in history" because "{y}ou can't say he did the right thing but he didn't quite do it right."

[ThomCat]

1. That man is so full of shit his breath attracts flies.

x(

[speedoo]

5. actually, he's not a man....

he's much less than that.

[elehhhhna]

27. when are these old coots going to discover the internets and real-time

FACT CHECKING?

Their words are in the internets tubes and they are easily accessible.

[Captain Hilts]

2. As Warner Wolf would say....roll the tape!!! nt

[Jacobin]

3. "We're ALL Neo-cons, now!!"

Actual fucking direct quote from Tweety after Chalabi and crew pulled down the Saddam statue.

Tweety is such a lying sack of shit. Doesn't he realize he's on fucking TAPE?

[oc2002]

4. Mathews is learning from The DIABLO to lie lie lie...repeat until true.

See, BUSH IS THE DEVIL!

[seabeyond]

6. tweety has NEVER supported the war and was the only one that would

question or challenge all with going to war with iraq. he is making a true statement. doesnt mean he doesnt kiss bush ass, trash all dem or not tell the full story, plus was not part of the plame to do.... but he is rigt when he says he never supported the war. he didnt and doesnt

[Jacobin]

8. Chris? Is that you?

I've listened to more of Tweety's blather than I'd care to admit.

Your statement simply doesn't square with his taped words.

[seabeyond]

17. bullshit. i challenge you. find any place he supported iraq war

he did not. and bullshit claiming i am tweety, repug or fan of any of their bullshit. i am simply ..... honest

you are making assumption because of his general tone over all repug vs dem. the FACT.... not a feel or emotion,.... but FACT is, he has always challenged the wisdom of the iraq war. and IF you accuse a person of something, have the proof otherwise you are being no better than the repug illusional story tellling

[H2O Man]

19. You are correct.

Chris may earn a good amount of the contempt that DUers have for him. He has, for example, spoken in support of the president when I think he should not. But he has never supported the war in Iraq. When people claim that he has, they are simply allowing emotion and/or ignorance to get in the way of the truth.

[seabeyond]

22. thank you n/t

[Jacobin]

25. I'll grant you this

While he may not have personally supported it in his own mind, he unquestionably and vociferously supported it on his show by his choice of guests, the video clips of the invasion and toppling of the statue, the time alloted to various guests, the insulting way he interviewed those who were against the invasion, his hooraying of the Mission accomplished bullshit and the general tenor of his show. He assisted in conflating Iraq with 9/11 constantly. I remember throwing my shoe at the TV one night when he did that over and over and over.

Its kinda like 20 klansmen on a night ride to go hang a black guy. Tweety was wearing the hood, he stood around and cheered them on, he didn't tie the noose, and when he's arrested, he says: "Hey, I was against doing that. I never thought it was a good idea. I'm innocent."

Tweety should get NO PASS for being an accomplice to war crimes.

[Jacobin]

24. I remember one quote emblazoned on my brain:

After the statue was pulled down by Chalabi which video he showed over and over and over again:

"We are all neo-cons now." with a huge grin on his face.

Unfortunately, he showed only the close up shot of that area with the few Chalabi people pulling it down. The non-close up shot would have shown that there were only about fifty people there and that it was not a popularly supported move with thousands in the square, as implied by the reporting.

He had all the neo-cons on day and night day after day and only hosted a handful of dissenters. He didn't do follow up questions on the neo-cons, but egged them on. He dismissed the anti war guests suggesting they were pansies or traitors.

He almost creamed his pants when Commander Codpiece did his "mission accomplished' landing on the carrier.

Let me ask you a question. If he really was against the invasion from the start, WHY, pray tell, does he have to announce that NOW? If he had been against the invasion, he would have been on record as having said that, or at least have balanced his guests with the dissenters out there.

by the way. I was teasing asking if you were Chris. No offense intended. I apologize for being catty.

However, Tweety was a huge booster on air of the invasion and only recently has begun to backtrack after the debacle became undeniable.

[seabeyond]

29. i disagree with your summarization. i agree with your feel of imbalance

tweety puts on his show and his anti democratic party at all cost that truly effected our election and the democratic party today. he totally misrepresents the democrats with right wing talking point. my point is you can say it honestly and still get the message across. yes there is reason tweety has to now declare and remind that he was against the war,.... an example, all the people here promoting he was for it, when he wasn't. and then we come up with all kinds of reasons to justify our incorrect statement, like him creaming his pants (which i agree) when bush did his mission accomplished speech, and the repug convention. dems better not be negative. repugs, oh they are showing what they are made of, why people like them, cause they are so tough..... bullshit

but the fact is, he was the only one that was hesitant to support war in iraq, ..... which did take balls way back in 2002.

and it was a cute tease..... chris chris? is that you. but also there is a sense that if one disagrees they are repug..... so thanks for explanation

in laws are coming into town,..... lol lol took off some of the steam from the visit here on the board. wink.

[cspanlovr]

7. Yea, and I'm Mary Queen of Scots.

O8)

[madokie]

9. Its beyond me how anyone can watch the rightwing shill

I watch him occassionally, to keep track of where he stands but a lot of folks believe every word he spouts

[flyarm]

10. TWEETY CAN'T STAND IT THAT KEITH'S RATINGS ARE DROWNING HIS OWN!

tweety should have thought about it when he pandered to the * cabal..and put that fucking nora whora on his show..in his absence..

true..remember when Keith came on 2 x in the dinner time..well Keith's ratings then went up up up..so tweety then took those slots..because he thought that was why KO ratings went up...

same reason they have now put bow tie boy in those 2 slots..

but Tweety just figured it out..( a little slow to the dance aren't you tweety?)

now he see's KO's rating soaring since KO did his comments about little lord pissy pants...soooooooooooooo

now tweety is trying to redefine himself..he finally see's the tide turned..and now he raises a hallelujah..i was against the war, when i was for the war...

what a weenie!!

Hey tweety...fuck you!! there is blood on your hands and you can not wash it off, you can not shake it off, you can not scrub it off...it is yours ..you earned it.

fly

[Selatius]

11. Tweety is against rape, but praises the raper on technique and style

He tries to have it both ways by saying he is against the war but constantly praises certain aspects of the war as noted by Media Matters. It's like saying you're opposed to raping a woman but then praising the raper on technique.

If he was against the war on principled or moral grounds, then he has some weak principles.

[seabeyond]

18. there you go. this i can agree on. very well said n/t

[ThomCat]

28. I usually hate to see rape used as an analogy

but in this case I agree. Well said. x(

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Huh, Chris is a woman.

"The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president."

Now I get it.

[librechik]

13. MPD

Multiple Personaality Disorder. tweety's got it, right down to the amnesia about the "other Tweety"

Wasn't he just yesterday cooing over the great W on the Imus show?

[Roon]

20. The freepers dislike tweety too

just as much as we do. So I can see how he has MPD.

[Bitwit1234]

14. Matthews

Olbermann's ratings are soaring....what do you think old chrissy boy is going to start saying. Look at Scarbrough....they know that when you gt a real newsperson on, one that tells it like it is....everyone who is a real American is going to watch it...

Fox will be in the toilet soon.

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. Isn't he the sycophantic M-f'er that came up with "sunny nobility?" n/t

[Jacobin]

26. Why yes, I believe you are right

"Sunny nobility"

This ass hat should be back in England circa 1500 worshiping his feudal lord.

[UTUSN]

16. Re-post: How Tweety performed DONAHUE's firing on the air

He also witheringly ridiculed KUCINICH's anti-war views, PERSONALLY ridiculing him, looking at him with PERSONAL CONTEMPT, as though K. was deformed and repugnant to look at.

Tweety executes Phil:

Just to keep harping on Tweety's evil. This is for those who like Tweety for his pre-RAYGUN Dem operative role, for those who think he was anti-war about Iraq, who think he was anti-war because of his draft-age sons, who think when-he's-on-OUR-side-there's-nobody-better...

Tweety was on his book tour for another one of his "books" (large type, wide spaces between lines, blank half-pages). It was in the jingoistic hysteria in the run-up to the illegal Iraq attack. Whatever he wrote in his "Liberal" columns, he was totally on board for the "Americanism" of the attack.

So Phil welcomed him as a colleague and peer on Phil's show for the full hour to plug the book. Btw, Tweety is not a peer to the towering Phil (let it not be said I never said something good about a NADIR supporter).

I saw this as it happened, as later when Tweety ambushed and slashed at Dennis KUCINICH and Al SHARPTON. From the moment he appeared, there was a strange, deadly snake look in Tweety's snake eyes. Phil was walking around, apparently not sensing anything, while Tweety was motionless, following him only with his eyes. Phil was cordial, though by now he must have been aware that Tweety was no longer a Liberal.

The book was about supposed "Americanism" --an American Civ 101 ripoff about books and movies and cultural stuff that are essentially American (think, "The Great Gatsby"). Phil brought up something or other questioning of blind jingoism, and Tweety STRUCK!

He started out with venom dripping, "You see THIS is EXACTLY what's wrong with you Liberals: You are NEGATIVE about this country, you find NOTHING good about it," and on and on, just this side of doing the Dan COULTER/"Traitor" thing. It took awhile before Phil figured out what was happening. Later, Phil was sitting at the table with Tweety and, weaker and weaker, kept trying to bring up stuff for improvement, and in the process did some of his shoulder shrugging and arm waving.

Tweety lashed out again, "What's THIS (mimicking the movements), what's with the MONKEY movements???" That's our Tweety. Shortly after that, just a few days later, Phil's cancellation was announced and took effect.

==============

[dkofos]

21. It's no wonder the general public is so confused.

Just another fucking M$M LIAR

[Subdivisions]

23. He is right about one thing.

Media coverage of Iraq does suck lately. And there's no wodering why.

If your opponent intends on using Iraq against you in the campaign, you simply order the media to take it off the air.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

30. That's my memory, as well

he reported ON the war a lot, but in those rare times when he gave his own opinion, he said he thought it was a mistake.

Once it got going he was a pretty good cheerleader but he usually put a caveat in and said "you know, I never supported this war, but..."

I watch every night, God help me.