On Tuesday, CNN's Piers Morgan claimed that President Obama wanted to work with Republicans when he entered office, but was forced to play hardball because of their intransigence. According to Morgan, Obama wanted to be inclusive because "that's exactly what he said when he came in." The naive host added that the President "wanted to work with the opposition. But when he's tried, the Republicans have stamped on his head." Morgan's guest, Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, wondered if he has even seen enough of American politics to know what he's talking about. "Piers, you've joined us fairly recently. And maybe... continue reading
Discussing the execution of convicted cop-killer Troy Davis on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer asked left-wing activist and MSNBC host Al Sharpton if he was "surprised" by most Americans supporting the death penalty. Sharpton declared: "When I'm watching Republican debates and see people cheering...that 234 people were killed in Texas under Governor Perry, it doesn't surprise me." [ Audio available here ] Sharpton went on to argue that the United States was guilty of violating human rights: "How do you think we look to the world when a man with this kind of doubt was executed by the state... continue reading
Good Morning America's Steve Osunsami on Thursday skipped or spun key facts while reporting on the execution of convicted cop killer Troy Davis in Georgia. The ABC reporter also played up the race angle, asserting that "supporters are asking difficult questions about the legal system, whether Davis' case would have gotten a greater re-examination if he were white and not black." However, he ignored the execution of a white man in Texas- on the same day. In that state, white supremacist Russell Brewer was put to death for the brutal murder of James Byrd. Osunsami left out other details in... continue reading
On Wednesday's Hardball, MSNBC host Chris Matthews trashed Rick Perry, accusing him of calling Barack Obama " pro-Nazi ." Matthews attacked the Republican presidential candidate for claiming that the President's policy towards Israel is " appeasement ." The anchor shrieked that Perry had pulled "the rug out from under [Obama] and accuse[d] him of, basically, pro-Nazi behavior." Matthews added, "We know what appeasement means. It means Neville Chamberlain." Liberal guest Joan Walsh piled on, theorizing, "He's pulling Hitler into this, which is a very horrible thing to do. It's ignorant, Chris." [MP3 audio here .] Walsh, who writes for Salon,... continue reading
CNN's Wolf Blitzer fretted over Rick Perry blasting Obama's foreign policy soon before the President was to deliver his address to the United Nations. CNN analyst David Gergen agreed with him, painting Perry as a grenade-thrower. In a meeting with New York City Jewish leaders GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry slammed what he termed President Obama's policy of "appeasement" in the Middle East, and labeled it "naive and arrogant, misguided and dangerous." Perry made his remarks on the eve of President Obama's address to the UN, in the same city. "You just heard Rick Perry accusing the Obama administration of... continue reading
Reporting on President Obama speaking at the United Nations for Wednesday's NBC Today, chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell sympathetically declared: "Preparing for today's speech, the President was all smiles for the class photo, but while hoping to run a victory lap as the new Libyan government officially joined the United Nations....Everywhere else, trouble loomed." Referring to the Palestinian push for statehood recognition from the UN, Mitchell described how Obama was "grappling with the same problem that has trapped American presidents for more than half a century, the Middle East." Later in the report, Mitchell cautioned: "The President could end... continue reading
In stark contrast to NBC, Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday hit Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with tough questions, pressing the Iranian President on whether he was in control of his government and on his rough handling of protesters. Regarding 2009 crackdowns on personal freedoms, the ABC anchor pointedly asked, "You referred to the protesters as dust and dirt. Do you regret using that term?" On September 12 , when Today co-host Ann Curry spent the day with Ahmadinejad, she wondered, " What is your primary motivation, as president? Why do you work so hard?" She also pointed out his... continue reading
On Wednesday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer brought on left-wing MSNBC host Rachel Maddow to address concerns of President Obama being "in danger of losing support from his liberal base." The headline on screen throughout the segment read: "Losing the Left; Can President Obama Win Back His Base?" Maddow downplayed Obama's slipping support in the polls: "I think mostly what is happening is that the President's approval ratings are softening overall and that includes among his strongest supporters. I don't think that the White House believes they have a particular problem with the base." Lauer added: "But the fact of... continue reading
HLN's Joy Behar and guest Rachael Ray fawned over former President Bill Clinton on Monday. "They don't just hand out those Rhodes scholarships for presidencies," remarked the Food Network's Ray, who also called Clinton "incredibly charming" and "so honest with people." Behar was especially enamored with Clinton. "I find him extremely sexy, don't you?" the HLN host asked Ray, adding that Clinton was "brilliant." She even compared his presidency with Reagan's. "I think people are going to look back on his presidency the way they look at St. Ronald Reagan," Behar raved. "They'll say St. Bill Clinton eventually. Because he... continue reading
On Monday's Piers Morgan Tonight, author Joe McGinniss blamed Sarah Palin and her family for inciting the death threats made against him. After he moved in next door to the Palins, something he called a "non-issue from the start," he claimed that Sarah Palin "incited that hatred" of death threats made against him for writing a critical book of her. "The Palins march right up to the border of inciting violence, and stop there and then stand back and say, we had nothing to do with it, if anything happens to anybody," McGinniss told Piers Morgan. CNN granted the author... continue reading