1. Rather Gives Saddam Platform, Worries He Won't See Him Again Saddam Hussein got plenty of time to spout his nonsense and falsehoods, largely without challenge, during Wednesday night's 60 Minutes II devoted entirely to Dan Rather's interview of the Iraqi dictator. Rather helped make Hussein seem reasonable by recounting how Hussein left the room "to pray," highlighting how Hussein corrected one of his translators for referring to George H.W. Bush as "Bush" and not "Mr. Bush" as Hussein evinced "respect" for "Mr. Bush," and Rather concluded the interview by expressing concern that "given the sober moment and the danger... continue reading
1. Dan Rather Cues up Hussein to Make Propaganda Points CBS News is providing Iraqi dictator and mass murderer Saddam Hussein with a conduit to the American people for his propaganda on the eve of war. In an excerpt of Dan Rather's interview played on the Evening News, Rather wondered: "What's the most important thing you want the American people to understand at this important juncture of history?" In the excerpt played on the Early Show, Rather asked about "any connections to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden?" Hussein dismissed the idea: "Iraq has no connection with Mr. Osama bin Laden."... continue reading
1. ABC's Raddatz Cites Blix's "Very Hardline" with Iraqi, But... ABC's Martha Raddatz insisted Monday night that Hans Blix, by setting a Saturday deadline for the commencement of destruction of Iraq's Al-Samoud missiles, "seems to be taking a very, very hardline with the Iraqis." But seconds later she conceded that "Iraq has only been ordered to 'begin' the process of missile destruction by Saturday" and that Blix "set no time limit to complete the destruction of the missiles." 2. Ramsey Clark Helps Rather Land Hussein Who "Respects" Americans Thanks at least in part to far-left anti-American crusader Ramsey Clark, who... continue reading
1. Clift: Bush "Stupid" to Dismiss Anti-War Protests, a Bully President Bush made a "stupid" remark in dismissing the anti-war protesters, Newsweek's Eleanor Clift contended on the McLaughlin Group over the weekend as she charged that Bush's "coalition of the willing" is "really a coalition of the bullied and the bribed." 2. Bernstein Absurdly Claims Protests Were Treated Dismissively Former Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame last week preposterously insisted, a Florida newspaper reported, that "on television" the February 15 anti-war demonstrations "were treated dismissively, condescendingly and patronizingly as if they were not important news." In reality, they... continue reading
1. Terrorist Arrest & Guantanamo Conditions Disturb Jennings ABC's Peter Jennings on Wednesday night again approached the Bush policy on Iraq from the assumption it is the administration and not a few of the allies which are not playing well with their friends. "It is quite clear in Washington tonight," Jennings intoned at the top of World News Tonight, "that the administration is prepared to jeopardize its relations with several of its oldest and best friends in order to get its way about Iraq." Terry Moran chided: "The White House today presented what amounted to an ultimatum to the fourteen... continue reading
1. PJ: Bush Admin. Imperiling Friends "To Get Its Way About Iraq" ABC's Peter Jennings on Wednesday night again approached the Bush policy on Iraq from the assumption it is the administration and not a few of the allies which are not playing well with their friends. "It is quite clear in Washington tonight," Jennings intoned at the top of World News Tonight, "that the administration is prepared to jeopardize its relations with several of its oldest and best friends in order to get its way about Iraq." Terry Moran chided: "The White House today presented what amounted to an... continue reading
1. Jennings Touts "Momentum" of "Enormous Anti-War" Rallies ABC's Peter Jennings trumpeted on Tuesday's World News Tonight that though the "the enormous anti-war demonstrations" have not "changed" President Bush's "mind about Saddam Hussein," they "have certainly given Mr. Bush's opponents some sense that they have momentum." Following a story by Martha Raddatz about how there was "a chorus of...voices at the UN hammering at what they say is the U.S. rush to war," Jennings suggested that Bush "certainly" saw "those huge demonstrations here and overseas," and so Jennings wanted to know: "They have any effect that you know of?" 2... continue reading
1. Claims of "Unilateral" U.S. Action Exasperate Brit Hume Sixteen of 19 NATO nations and 34 countries in all back the U.S. policy toward Iraq, but on Fox News Sunday, much to the consternation of Brit Hume, the NPR duo of Mara Liasson and Juan Williams kept referring to the U.S. going it "alone," "isolating itself" and how "the United States is basically acting in a unilateral fashion." To that last claim by Williams, an exasperated Hume exclaimed: "It's not unilateral when it's 16 to 3! Can't you count?" 2. Nets Marvel at "Diverse" Marchers, "Elderly" to "Soccer Moms" Covering... continue reading
1. Jennings Touts "Another Concession" by Iraq & Insight of French ABC's Peter Jennings on Friday night, without skepticism, touted how Iraq made "another concession" as "Saddam Hussein issued a presidential decree banning the production or the importation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons." Jennings also proclaimed that the "the French government, more than any other, reflects the widespread feeling of much of the European public that Mr. Bush is in too much of a hurry to go to war." ABC's David Wright acknowledged that the sacrifices of Americans saved France, but he concluded that "it is precisely because they... continue reading
1. Jennings Focuses on Iraqis in Phoenix Against U.S. Policy Peter Jennings always manages to dig out and focus on detractors of American policy no matter where he goes. Reviewing what he found in Phoenix, Jennings highlighted the views of a woman married to an Iraqi who believes that force is "not the answer" as she asked, "When is the last time that you hit someone and they became your friend afterwards?", how at an Iraqi refuge center a man "worries about what the U.S. will do in Iraq after the war" and that "many Iraqis here remember the last... continue reading