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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / It’s Called Rathering

It’s Called Rathering

by Tim F|  March 17, 20082:14 pm| 15 Comments

This post is in: Media, Politics, Blogospheric Navel-Gazing

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Indeed, it would be nice to leverage Bill Kristol’s screwup into a net win for Obama. The story will undoubtedly catalyze some reporting on how much of the anti-Obama narrative out there is sourced from baseless innuendo, and that’s nice. But before Kristol will become a public symbol for frothing dishonest bullshit (or anyway, more so than he already is) Teh Left needs to put in a little more work on their own part. Really, the Dan Rather story didn’t write itself. The base spent a fairly long going apeshit and picking every conceivable thread. Then Rather and his managers handled the response badly. Then the base went even more apeshit. By the time Rather resigned dead people and rocks were paying attention.

Still with me? If Dems want to stretch some mileage out of Kristol’s shame then they need to do more than hope that it happens. For example, who exactly was this Weekly Standard correspondent who started the mess? Has he had his stuff published before? It would help to know whether the story comes from a journalist or a some mentally ill vagrant who sent in the “scoop” in return for ten bucks and a forty of St. Ides. Do editors at the Weekly Standard have a history of printing nonsense and unsubstantiated fables? Who will be held accountable? This crap is SOP for the activist right.

Sure it would be nice if Kristol became a public symbol for anti-Obama idiocy. Now excuse me while I make a Montgomery’s cheddar and cave-aged gruyere souffle appear just by thinking about it.

***Update***

Brain fart. When I wrote about Kristol I thought about the Weekly Standard so I wrote that instead of Newsmax. The management regrets the reduced morale caused at least in part by Scott Beauchamp’s dog story.

And honestly, it is pretty silly to ask whether anybody at Newsmax will be held accountable. That’s not how they roll. Setting up an if…then syllogism in which the if… part is unlikely is another way of saying that the then… statement probably will not happen.

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Previous Post: « Kristol Issues a Correction
Next Post: Uppity Negro Alert »

Reader Interactions

15Comments

  1. 1.

    Paul L.

    March 17, 2008 at 2:30 pm

    Still with me?

    Yes, You are a true progressive who ignores all information that does not fit their narrative.
    Mary Mapes: Bush National Guard Story Still “Is a Good Story”

    Mapes: “I’m perfectly willing to believe those documents are forgeries if there’s proof that I haven’t seen.”

    Ross: “But isn’t it the other way around? Don’t you have to prove they’re authentic?”

    Mapes: “Well, I think that’s what critics of the story would say. I know more now than I did then and I think, I think they have not been proved to be false, yet.”

    Ross: “Have they proved to be authentic though? Isn’t that really what journalists do?”

    Mapes: “No, I don’t think that’s the standard.”

  2. 2.

    Tom Maguire

    March 17, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    For example, who exactly was this Weekly Standard correspondent who started the mess?

    Well, you are off to a great start – it was a NewsMax reporter; hard to discredit them further.

    But stay on it! There is always an outlet for original reporting.

  3. 3.

    cleek

    March 17, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    the article is based on the “eyewitness” testimony of a freeper.

  4. 4.

    The Other Steve

    March 17, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    I’m amazed that the NYTimes published this fabricated nonsense. But then they do have a history of this, as we all remember Jayson and Judith.

  5. 5.

    cleek

    March 17, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    I’m amazed that the NYTimes published this fabricated nonsense.

    really? cause, if they didn’t want to publish this crap, why else would they hire Kristol ?

  6. 6.

    NickM

    March 17, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    But before Kristol will become a public symbol for frothing dishonest bullshit or anyway, more so than he already is) Teh Left needs to put in a little more work on their own part hell will start serving gelato.

    Fixed

  7. 7.

    jenniebee

    March 17, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Kristol’s doing his job admirably: he’s keeping the conversation about whether the NYT should continue to publish his garbage (hint: they will) and we’re so busy talking about that that there’s no time to talk about this:

    Joseph Nacchio was the CEO of Qwest Communications, and seven months before 9-11 (let me repeat, BEFORE 9-11), he and his company were asked to assist the US government in providing access to their communications networks without a warrant. Of all the telecoms, Nacchio and Qwest were the only ones to refuse. The government consequently pulled a bunch of their top-secret contracts and generally made it impossible for Qwest to do business.

    Land of the free cowed and home of the brave ooh, shiny!

  8. 8.

    McWyrm

    March 17, 2008 at 3:37 pm

    Setting up an if…then syllogism in which the if… part is unlikely is another way of saying that the then… statement probably will not happen.

    What a horrible parsing of implication. In truth, any implication where the antecedent is false is vacuously true.

  9. 9.

    jaime

    March 17, 2008 at 3:59 pm

    Sure it would be nice if Kristol became a public symbol for anti-Obama idiocy.

    It won’t be because half “The Base” is willing to push this even if its a lie. They need this to stick to get their girl elected.

    What a sad day to hear Newsmax readers, Hannity watchers, Limbaugh listeners, and Clinton voters sound exactly the same.

  10. 10.

    RareSanity

    March 17, 2008 at 4:04 pm

    Wow…a “Crooked I” reference…I’m back in the 90’s right now.

    Where’s my Dr. Dre CD??

    On St. Ides from Wikipedia:

    St. Ides is a potent brand of malt liquor that is manufactured by the Pabst Brewing Company. The beverage contains 8.0-8.2% alcohol by volume, which puts it at the high end even for the high-alcohol malt liquor category of American lager beers.

    I think you’re right, Kristol MUST have been drinking that stuff.

  11. 11.

    Hart Williams

    March 17, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Nothing like burning a metaphorical cross on somebody’s front lawn to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling, I guess.

    The question I have is this: If Barack Obama is a secret Muslim, how can he have a Krazy Khristian Kult minister? Isn’t that going to confuse the Phoolish Phosphorescent People?

    Kreep out the Konservative Kooks?

    Mixed message smears are a tricky business for the reptile brain.

    Remember that ABC News launched this with a March 13 “investigative” article entitled: “Obama’s Pastor: God Damn America, US to Blame for 9/11.”

    http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4443788&page=1

    Gosh. What effect do you suppose that “investigative” reporting piece was supposed to have? And do you suppose that happened accidentally?

    But I DO get the part about how “Barack Obama” is just the ‘African’ translation for “Nat Turner.”

    You go, Jethro!

  12. 12.

    The Populist

    March 17, 2008 at 4:56 pm

    So when Dan Rather screws up, they get him fired YET when a partisan hack like Kristol makes an error he’s allowed to keep his soapbox without any consequences?

  13. 13.

    Cain

    March 17, 2008 at 6:56 pm

    And we need to know what kind of countertops he has. I will volunteer to sip lattes and watch his window. Although I’m not sure how much nerve I have, I’m sure there all kinds of strange things that happen in that home.

    cain

  14. 14.

    Nancy Irving

    March 19, 2008 at 3:16 am

    Sorry but you need a logic refresher. A -> B does not imply ~A -> ~B. Not even “probably.”

    A -> B however does imply (in fact, is equivalent to) ~B -> ~A.

  15. 15.

    Birdzilla

    March 21, 2008 at 9:54 am

    Oh gosh DAN BLATHER is still in the news

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