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You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / Black Jimmy Carter / Things Are Fucked Up and Bullshit

Things Are Fucked Up and Bullshit

by John Cole|  September 8, 20145:36 pm| 113 Comments

This post is in: Black Jimmy Carter, OLD MAN YELLS AT CLOUDS, Our Failed Media Experiment

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Because I am already in a bad mood right now, I decided to read the Meet the Press transcript and get it out of the way (Up next, I am checking the last few days of the WaPo editorial page, and I am just going to get all my self-inflicted pain out of the way while I am already pissed off) before my mood changes. Makes no sense to irritate myself when I am in a good mood. Think I’ll go clean the bathroom next.

At any rate, I’ve read the transcript of yeserday’s debut, and I guess I just can’t tell any real difference between Dancing Dave and Chuckie T. and the face mullet of concern. It’s all uniformly awful, but gets worse when the bobbleheads have their panel discussion. My personal favorites:

CHUCK TODD: You’ve not said the word, “Syria,” so far in our conversation. Obviously, if you’re going to defeat ISIS, you have used very much stronger language. It’s gone through the week during your trip to Wales. You have got to go to Syria in some form or another.

Zing, Boom, Pow! GOTCHA! Except, two pages and five minutes earlier, this had happened:

PRES. OBAMA: I’m preparing the country to make sure that we deal with a threat from ISIL. Keep in mind that this is something that we know how to do. We’ve been dealing with terrorist threats for quite some time. This administration has systematically dismantled Al Qaeda in the FATA.

ISIL poses a broader threat because of its territorial ambitions in Iraq and Syria. But the good news is coming back from the most recent NATO meeting is the entire international community understands that this is something that has to be dealt with.

Todd later on notes that the President did in fact mention Syria, but not the WAY he wanted him to mention it.

CHUCK TODD: Part one of my interview there. Some of you may have noted that I said the president hadn’t mentioned the word “Syria” at all in one of my questions. He had mentioned it, but he hadn’t said whether he was taking military action there.

And then there was this, which makes no sense to me and maybe I missed something contextually by reading the transcript and not watching it:

CHUCK TODD: You think he’s downplaying the 9/11 threat too much?

Seems to me the time to have been worried about the 9/11 threat was thirteen and a half years ago. Or is the “9/11 threat” just beltway speak for a generic terrorist strike on the “homeland?” To get a real feel for just how bad Todd was, Joe Scarborough at times came through as the voice of reason:

CHUCK TODD: Obviously we refer to it at NBC News as ISIS. The Obama administration, president says the word ISIL. The last S stands for Syria, the last L they don’t want to have stand for Syria. Joe, he’s going to give a speech, American public. What does he need to say, do you think, that will rally the public to his strategy?

JOE SCARBOROUGH: I think he laid it out pretty well. I mean, we have other remember, you look at the polls, and six months ago, three months ago, the American people said they didn’t want to get involved. They didn’t want the hyperactive foreign policy. We are an exhausted nation. And I think this president’s taking a fairly reasonable, measured response. Now we obsess–

CHUCK TODD: Do you think he’s been poll-driven about it? Do you think that’s why the delayed any action?

JOE SCARBOROUGH: I don’t think he’s been poll-driven enough for a lot of Democratic senators who this past week started breaking and suddenly they’re sounding a lot more like John McCain than you would expect Democratic senators to sound.

CHUCK TODD: Yes, they are.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: But we obsess over things like the “JV team,” which I obsess over. Everybody, we all do. The brown suit. The “I don’t have a strategy yet.” The American people aren’t there. It’s about safety, it’s about security. And again, this president’s taking a fairly measured approach. And that’s not only where Democrats are, that’s where a lot of conservatives are.

And the band played on…

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Reader Interactions

113Comments

  1. 1.

    Bobby Thomson

    September 8, 2014 at 5:38 pm

    So, basically, Tweety without his impulse control.

  2. 2.

    kc

    September 8, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    I bet no one on Earth, apart from the execs at NBC, expected Chuck Todd to be an improvement over David Gregory.

  3. 3.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 5:46 pm

    Charles Johnson totally beat you to posting this. I can’t remember which of you has the more offensive popup/popunder/autoplay ads because I installed ghostery again to stop Zedo (which is evil). So I can’t remember what side I’m supposed to be on. Anyway, Charles’ post was funnier. ~_^

  4. 4.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    @kc: The execs said something about Dancin’ Dave being a liberal.

    That’s like Richard Cohen as liberal.

    Or Brooksie.

    Or any of the other Villager 1% ball washing gibbering idiots they force us to endure year in and year out.

    Who else is a liberal?

  5. 5.

    Richard Fox

    September 8, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    My lord if you have (somewhat) lost Scarborough.. Atlas just shrugged..
    I look forward to several years’ from now when Mr Todd is replaced by Lindsey Graham. Evolution, etc.

  6. 6.

    Cacti

    September 8, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    Who could have expected something like this from the “journalist” who once said correcting Republican falsehoods isn’t his job.

  7. 7.

    srv

    September 8, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    I suppose Obama polls the girls for every family decision.

    People need a daddy, not some guy who lets you do it because everyone else is doing it.

  8. 8.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Remember way back, circa 2008-2009, when Josh Marshall claimed that DC was “wired for conservatives”?

    Well, there you have it.

    They want a President who is hysterical, has no self-consciousness, refuses to weigh options, and stands for something, even if that something is fucking stupid and destructive. They want drama all the time.

    They need therapy.

  9. 9.

    Dog On Porch

    September 8, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Cole, you sound surprised about the new, improved press the meat, which is surprising.

  10. 10.

    Patricia Kayden

    September 8, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    There doesn’t appear to be anything to gain from watching Meet the Press so I’ll continue to skip it. I assume eventually it will be canceled and replaced with religious programming or paid advertisements. Anything would be better.

  11. 11.

    KG

    September 8, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    JS says:

    this president’s taking a fairly measured approach. And that’s not only where Democrats are, that’s where a lot of conservatives are.

    And my first thought is, thankfully it’s Obama that’s the president and in charge of the military. Has the default position always been “JUST FUCKING DO SOMETHING NOW NOW NOAW!!!!!” or is this a recent development we can somehow blame on the internet?

  12. 12.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 8, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    Chuckles had to ask his stupid-ass “gotcha” question even though it’s very clearly a stupid-ass question.

    No ability, it seems, to come up with a “gotcha” question that hasn’t been scripted days in advance.

    There will be no consequences within the Village for this idiocy. Chuckles is in the Club. The vermin protect their loathsome own.

    My nym. Again and again and again. Nuke the Village from orbit…it’s the only way to be sure.

  13. 13.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 8, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    They need therapy.

    Waste of time.

    They need tumbrels.

  14. 14.

    JMG

    September 8, 2014 at 5:53 pm

    Meet the Press exists to advance the Washington agenda of Comcast Corp, period. The free air time and softball questions by vacuous personalities are bribes to the guests. If John McCain is on there every other week, it’s because that somehow benefits the company’s quarterly reports. Same goes for the other programs. It wouldn’t matter if they had no ratings at all.

  15. 15.

    Cacti

    September 8, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    Speaking of librul media tone deafness…

    CNN posts an article “Majority of Americans Alarmed by ISIS”. Then 4-paragraphs in, they mention:

    But a majority of Americans, 61%-38%, oppose placing U.S. soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Syria to combat the terrorist group.

    The public doesn’t want the war that the media and GOP are raging for.

  16. 16.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Tumbrel therapy is still therapy.

  17. 17.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 8, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    @Another Holocene Human (now with new computer): They are “liberals” because they’re not screaming hysterically for the rounding up of gays to be processed through extermination camps.

  18. 18.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    @Cacti: It’s almost like they are creating the very news they are supposed to be reporting….

  19. 19.

    KG

    September 8, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: there isn’t anything to gain from any of the Sunday shows, Meet the Press, Fox News Sunday, CBS Sunday Morning, Countdown, Fox NFL Sunday, NFL Today… they are all worthless.

  20. 20.

    dmsilev

    September 8, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    I’m very disappointed in Obama; he should have answered with ‘Chuck, you ignorant slut’ and gone on from there.

  21. 21.

    gogol's wife

    September 8, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    The thing about ISIS versus ISIL is also bull. The Arabic word is not simply translated as “Syria.” That’s why there’s a difference of opinion, Chuckie!

  22. 22.

    Cpl Cam

    September 8, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zZcZ6eJoxeE

  23. 23.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 8, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    @kc: The execs at NBC are the guys who fucked over Conan O’Brian for…nothing at all but pain and suffering for themselves.

  24. 24.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    September 8, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    @gogol’s wife: Are you saying that in the Arab world there is no such thing as Syria?

    /MSM

  25. 25.

    srv

    September 8, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    ThIS IS good news for John McCain.

  26. 26.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 5:59 pm

    @gogol’s wife: This is why they want “Isis.”

    http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2010/10/11/first-look-at-isis-on-smallville/

  27. 27.

    The Dangerman

    September 8, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    They need therapy.

    If, by therapy, you mean buried to their neck next to a red ant hill and covered with honey.

    If ISIS/ISIL didn’t exist, they would have to be created. Gotta sell the papers and capture the eyeballs and sure as shit Global Climate Change ain’t gonna cut it (nudies of Jennifer Lawrence was good for them, however).

  28. 28.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    September 8, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    It is my understanding that the origins of “Meet the Press” was a format whereby a single politician was on the show and took questions from a variety of journalists. That is why the “host” was known as the moderator because he was there to moderate the questions from the press. It has obviously devolved into the “John McCain gets to piss and moan about the near sheriff that whooped his ass in an election every two weeks” show and absolutely bears no relation to the shows roots. It is a pity that with the replacement of Gregory with Todd they didn’t decide to go back to the shows original format. I would love to watch a show where McCain got called out on his bullshit by the likes of Joan Walsh, Chris Hayes and Rachael Maddow.

  29. 29.

    Seanly

    September 8, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    @Cacti:

    This.

    Why is the DC media (mouthpiece of the conservatives) got such a hardon for another war?

    ISIL’s a bunch of horrible, terrible people. However, my poor understanding of international law is that unless invited in or given permission, launching missiles inside another country would be an act of war. Bleg for any juicer international law attorneys to clarify this…

  30. 30.

    Raven

    September 8, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    What a delight to meet tybee and his bride in Savannah! Great folks indeed !

  31. 31.

    John Cole +0

    September 8, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    @Another Holocene Human (now with new computer): There shouldn’t be any pop-up ads at all. If there is one, tell me about it, and I can have it axed.

  32. 32.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    @The Dangerman: Therapy, a good beating. Tomato/tomato.

  33. 33.

    Mike G

    September 8, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    They want a President who is hysterical, has no self-consciousness, refuses to weigh options, and stands for something, even if that something is fucking stupid and destructive. They want drama all the time.

    Don’t forget “resolve”. The DC villagers swoon when Chimp or Reagan posed like a male model with a rehearsed “serious” face and repeated the word “resolve” a dozen times in a speech. Because all a preznit has to do is show “resolve” and whatever the Repuke war-boner crowd wish for will come true, just like Jiminy Cricket.

    Then they all rush to their desks and repeat, “The President showed resolve.” What a sniveling pack of corporate puppy morans.

  34. 34.

    Iowa Old Lady

    September 8, 2014 at 6:04 pm

    @dmsilev: That is a slur on sluts.

  35. 35.

    ruemara

    September 8, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    Chuck Todd is a villager moron who went in with prescriptive disappointment. Fuck him. This afternoon posting brought to you by a surprise hour reduction. So fuck that too.

  36. 36.

    Violet

    September 8, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    There’s a point during the interview with the president where they show a Chuck Todd reaction shot. His front teeth are showing through his facial hair. He looks every bit like a beaver. A goateed beaver. I can’t think of him as anything else now.

  37. 37.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 8, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    Yo, Chuckles the Fuckhead: Syria is part of the Levant, which is what the L stands for in ISIL….Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

    Chuckles is now in direct competition with Sean Hannity for the most Backpfeifengesicht face in US media. Let the wackoff begin!

  38. 38.

    hilts

    September 8, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    “I just can’t tell any real difference between Dancing Dave and Chuckie T’

    Chuck Todd is simply David Gregory with facial hair. .

  39. 39.

    KG

    September 8, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    @Seanly: well, if ISIL isn’t considered a state – and that’s a rather interesting/tricky question – then we would need permission from either Syria or Iraq. my understanding is that we have permission from Iraq. of course, if we don’t have Iraqi permission, we could recognize Kurdistan as a state and the Kurds would definitely grant us permission.

  40. 40.

    Violet

    September 8, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    @Another Holocene Human (now with new computer):

    Who else is a liberal?

    Nixon.

  41. 41.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    September 8, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    So Scarborough just admitted that his whole business model– tan suits and JV teams– is so much fresh steaming bullshit on a hot, sunny day. Nice of him, and unexpectedly lucid, but I wonder if anyone will notice.

    Looking around at Sam Stein’s twitter feed, I find that 60% of Americans think we’re already bombing Syria, because of the (as of today) 148 airstrikes President Do-Nothing has launched against ISIS in Iraq. Also, we learn that abandoning your hopes of moving up in the Constitutional pecking order can lead you to tell the truth:

    Jonathan Weisman @ jonathanweisman
    Jack Kingston on NOT voting to hit ISIS: “We can denounce it if it goes bad and praise it if it goes well and ask what took him so long.”

    That should be tattooed inside the eyelids of Ron Fournier and every other marble headed Beltway stupe calling for “leadership”. Pretty sure Rachel Maddow will lead with this, and that Kingston will soon “clarify” his remarks.

  42. 42.

    Cacti

    September 8, 2014 at 6:08 pm

    @Seanly:

    ISIL’s a bunch of horrible, terrible people. However, my poor understanding of international law is that unless invited in or given permission, launching missiles inside another country would be an act of war. Bleg for any juicer international law attorneys to clarify this…

    You’re correct.

    And Assad has already said no US air strikes in Syrian territory.

    Sending US military aircraft over Syria would therefore be considered a casus belli.

  43. 43.

    gogol's wife

    September 8, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Good old Lawrence Spivak.

  44. 44.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: “Both sides of Obama did it.”

    /Fournier (which in French means, roughly, “he who fucks himself”)

  45. 45.

    Villago Delenda Est

    September 8, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    @KG: They (ISIL./ISIS) fancy themselves a state (it’s part of the acronym, ya know!) but I don’t know of anyone in the world who has recognized them as a state.

    The biggest problem would be getting Syria to go along with US action within their borders, as they have every reason to be wary of US motives, no matter what Obama says, because they to know of the existence of McBomb and Huckleberry and the rest of the warmonger shitstains of the GOP. Syria constitutes a “safe haven” for ISIL/ISIS under those circumstances.

    To really solve this problem, you need to follow the money, and that means the bandit House of Saud to the woodshed, which will not happen. Ever.

  46. 46.

    Hobbes

    September 8, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    @BGinCHI: Maybe they should visit a Frontier Psychiatrist.

  47. 47.

    The Dangerman

    September 8, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    @Cacti:

    Sending US military aircraft over Syria would therefore be considered…

    …a Godsend for the Republicans!

    Case 1 (No Planes/Missiles)): “Oh, no, Obama won’t go after ISIS/ISIL!!”

    Case 2 (Planes/Missiles): “Oh, no, Obama is supporting Assad!!”

  48. 48.

    Eric U.

    September 8, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    @Violet: nice. Nixon did come up with a lot of liberal ideas, mostly as part of a mirror-image of the triangulation that Clinton specialized in. Guaranteed income, EPA, and I’m sure you can dig up many others if you look.

    He was nothing but a common criminal when it comes right down to it, and Fox would gleefully put a (D) after his name

  49. 49.

    BGinCHI

    September 8, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    @Hobbes: That is some whacky shit.

  50. 50.

    Turgidson

    September 8, 2014 at 6:18 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    And I guaran-damn-tee that Chucklehead Todd did not realize until after the interview had concluded that the president had said the word “Syria” multiple times before he launched his scripted gotcha question (unless they edited out the section where Obama rolled his eyes and told Chuck he was a moron). Some poor intern probably noticed it and passed a note along to him so that he would be ready to make up some stupid CYA comment about it on the show.

  51. 51.

    beth

    September 8, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    And they managed to piss on Hillary there at the end a bit too. Why is it so vitally important that she declare her candidacy right now but no other candidate has to?

  52. 52.

    AxelFoley

    September 8, 2014 at 6:23 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    @Cacti: It’s almost like they are creating the very news they are supposed to be reporting….

    They wouldn’t dare do that! Not OUR media!

  53. 53.

    AxelFoley

    September 8, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    @srv:

    ThIS IS good news for John McCain.

    I see what you did there.

  54. 54.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:25 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: They would rather be right than in this case rich, they knew better than the people who knew better. Nothing pisses me off like that … still trying to detox from a ragegasm at work on Saturday. Dunno why that shit pisses me off so much, maybe it’s because ONCE AGAIN you put your ego in front of your customers???

  55. 55.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:26 pm

    @Seanly: That’s a rhetorical question, right?

    We all know there are certain business interests who stand to make a fuckton of money every time the US blows up some ordnance, right?

  56. 56.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    @John Cole +0: As I said, I am in a state of blissful ignorance now. Zedo gave me a good run for a while there. It seemed to pop up on BJ and several other sites I visit but I really have no idea if it was that or if it was popping up when I moved off of tabs or something. Ghostery nuked it, though.

    FWIW I don’t see it on my Ghostery button right now, but it used to hit me on the front page, not individual pages.

  57. 57.

    Turgidson

    September 8, 2014 at 6:29 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Scarborough strategically says lucid things like that just often enough to seem thoughtful and above the fray in some way, but it never lasts. It’s all part of his ongoing fake-sensible-center-right-pundit-in-order-to-provide-cover-for-braindead-GOP-atrocities playacting role. He, BoBo, and Fournier are the most prolific exporters of this bullshit, but they’re hardly alone.

    Frum also comes to mind, and Sully will almost certainly rejoin their ranks the moment Hillary wins the Democratic nomination. He’ll spew some word salad about how Rand Paul has sufficiently pulled the GOP back towards [real conservatism as defined by Andrew Sullivan, subject to daily amendment], so he’s comfortable endorsing the hairball the GOP primaries cough up.

  58. 58.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:31 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: Please, Chuck isn’t in Hannity’s league. Scott Walker, now that’s a hard decision. Little weasel rat face, or blockhead lobotomized smug grinning douchecanoe? Decisions, decisions.

  59. 59.

    Mike in NC

    September 8, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    After that interview wrapped I’d have liked it if a couple of Secret Service agents held Chuck Todd while Obama repeatedly punched him in the face.

  60. 60.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    @hilts: Doesn’t the facial hair make him look kinda sort like Jonah “Liberal Fascism” Goldberg?

  61. 61.

    LAllen

    September 8, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    I just this minute found this. When everyone feels better, look at this cool cat related link.

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/insanely-clever-products-every-cat-owner-will-want#45wxs5u

  62. 62.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    Cole you clearly have no concern for the state of your blood pressure.

  63. 63.

    Another Holocene Human (now with new computer)

    September 8, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    To really solve this problem, you need to follow the money, and that means the bandit House of Saud to the woodshed, which will not happen. Ever.

    Yup. Unless ISIL makes good on their threats and gets to them first. Unlikely, the Sauds while openly funding them are getting out of the way for the usual actors (Iran, US, whoever in Europe) to keep them contained and causing death and mayhem in Shia areas.

  64. 64.

    gogol's wife

    September 8, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    @LAllen:

    Very interesting — but as usual, my cats won’t use any of these things. But I love the pictures.

  65. 65.

    Elizabelle

    September 8, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    @Violet:

    Laughed at your goateed beaver comment yesterday.

    Beavers are better citizens, and builders too.

  66. 66.

    TG Chicago

    September 8, 2014 at 6:45 pm

    Let’s look again at the first Todd quote in the post:

    CHUCK TODD: You’ve not said the word, “Syria,” so far in our conversation. Obviously, if you’re going to defeat ISIS, you have used very much stronger language. It’s gone through the week during your trip to Wales. You have got to go to Syria in some form or another.

    Is Chuck Todd taking diction lessons from Sarah Palin? I think I can guess what he was trying to say with the ‘Wales’ sentence, but I have no clue what he meant by the ‘Obviously’ word salad.

  67. 67.

    Warren Terra

    September 8, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    Up next, I am checking the last few days of the WaPo editorial page

    Gawker’s Adam Weinstein has you covered, should be enough to cause you to give up on humanity:

    Ordinarily, I have to force myself to read any column with a headline like “U.S. Needs to Get Serious About Defense Spending.” But sometimes, a column is different. Special.

    Sometimes, a column with a headline like that also has a line like “Every dollar spent on health benefits for retirees is a dollar we can’t spend training and equipping men and women to deal with the Islamic State, Putin and other threats.” And I think to myself: Yes. This is the good shit.

    This is the militarist thesis behind Charles “Chuck” Lane’s Washington Post op-ed Wednesday … The basic gist is that we need to spend more on military buildup, like, now, but we can’t because of socialist-style health care for our veterans:

    As the United States’ defense budget shrinks relative to its economy, more and more of it is destined to purposes that have little, or nothing, to do with deterring or, if necessary, winning wars in the here and now.

  68. 68.

    Mike G

    September 8, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    Some of you may have noted that I said the president hadn’t mentioned the word “Syria” at all in one of my questions.

    WTF is it with these retards and their magic words?
    “You didn’t say Syria” (which was wrong to boot)
    “You didn’t say terrorism.” “OK, you said it, but you didn’t say it enough times, and you didn’t say it with a clenched jaw and anger in your voice.”

    How old are you people? This isn’t kindergarten.

    The corporate press would be happier with a simpleton like Bush, no matter how much he screwed up the world, rather than someone intelligent who would make them face up to their own gross stupidity.

  69. 69.

    El Tiburon

    September 8, 2014 at 6:57 pm

    @Richard Fox:

    I look forward to several years’ from now when Mr Todd is replaced by Lindsey Graham. Evolution, etc

    The triumvirate of Dylan Farrow, Lukie Russert (natch) and Chelsea Clinton will eventually take the mantle.

    Look for Sarah Palin to come in and make a huge ratings splash during sweeps week.

  70. 70.

    El Tiburon

    September 8, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    @srv:

    I suppose Obama polls the girls

    Insert Beavis & Butthead laugh here.

  71. 71.

    Roger Moore

    September 8, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    @LAllen:
    I notice that they used pictures of Maru and Hana for one of them.

  72. 72.

    Davis X. Machina

    September 8, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    @El Tiburon: Clinton is out of the news business, at least for now.

  73. 73.

    Seanly

    September 8, 2014 at 7:22 pm

    @Another Holocene Human (now with new computer):

    Yeah, I was being a little snarky. Of course, launching missiles into Syria (or even deploying special forces) would be an act of war even if Syria also doesn’t care for the people we’re ostensibly bombing.

  74. 74.

    shelley

    September 8, 2014 at 7:23 pm

    Desperate attempt to prop up a leaking boat. Sorry, boys. The water’s swirling around your ankles and rising fast.

  75. 75.

    burnspbesq

    September 8, 2014 at 7:23 pm

    @BGinCHI:

    It’s almost like they are creating the very news they are supposed to be reporting….

    Which is hardly a new phenomenon.

  76. 76.

    boatboy_srq

    September 8, 2014 at 7:23 pm

    @AxelFoley: I guess it just depends on what your definition of “is” is.

    @BGinCHI: This. And re: 9/11, the US is all about anniversaries – some good (Thanksgiving, Labor Day), and some bad (Pearl Harbor Day, 9/11). Wingnuts have been expecting OBL to hit the US every 9/11 because Remember. It’s a wonder they didn’t spend 1946-1980 wanting to nuke Japan again every December 7th. Therapy? Try excision from the gene pool.

  77. 77.

    shelley

    September 8, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    huge ratings splash during sweeps week.

    ????? Do we still have sweeps week?

  78. 78.

    Geeno

    September 8, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: yes, AND they’d a DIFFERENT politician each week!

  79. 79.

    guachi

    September 8, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    Obviously we refer to it at NBC News as ISIS. The Obama administration, president says the word ISIL. The last S stands for Syria, the last L they don’t want to have stand for Syria.

    My favorite part about that quote is that it looks like at some point Chuckles realized he had no idea what the “L” actually stood for.

    And the “S” in ISIS (at least in Arabic) stands for Shaam or something that roughly translates as Greater Syria or Levant.

  80. 80.

    Raven

    September 8, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    Big blow comin off the water!

  81. 81.

    Southern Beale

    September 8, 2014 at 7:39 pm

    Apparently a right-wing ex-Navy seal has been arrested for claiming a mob of black guys attacked him (later he opined it might have been Al Qaeda) when in fact he probably just shot himself by accident.

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    September 8, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    @ruemara: What does this mean: “a surprise hour reduction”. I am certain that it’s not a good thing, though. Does that mean they sent you home early? Surely that can’t be it since you obviously have more work than one human can do.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    September 8, 2014 at 7:44 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    So Scarborough just admitted that his whole business model– tan suits and JV teams– is so much fresh steaming bullshit on a hot, sunny day. Nice of him, and unexpectedly lucid, but I wonder if anyone will notice.

    My guess?

    I think Joe scarborough is savvy enough to see blood in the water with Chuckles as “moderator” of meet the press. I think the fact that Joe was added as a regular panel member shows that the executives are already second guessing their decision about Chuckles.

    This is all about dressing for the job you want, not the job you have.

  84. 84.

    JPL

    September 8, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    @TG Chicago: Obviously, if you’re going to defeat ISIS, you have used very much stronger language.

    On the other hand, if Ray Rice just used strong language, he’d have a job.

  85. 85.

    Elizabelle

    September 8, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    In other aggravating media outlet news: Politico’s imported from the NYTImes Executive Editor, Richard Berke, “abruptly” resigned.

    Eric Wemple, of the WaPost:

    Though Berke was rumored to have clashed with mid-level editors at the Web site, he appeared to have cultivated some loyalties among reporters. In recent months, the Erik Wemple Blog has interviewed several staffers who looked upon Berke as a thoughtful and engaged editor. “A lot of people really liked and respected him. He paid attention to all corners of the newsroom and was really hands on with people who weren’t necessary used to the attention,” said one staffer.

    VandeHarris is now in a jam. They hired a top talent from the biggest name in mainstream media, on a bet that he’d bring a bit of New York Times gravitas to the fastest Web site in politics. Now the guy’s gone, with no satisfactory explanation as to why. In his departure note, he included this pointed regret that defies management’s insistence on capitalizing the site’s name: “I saw a clear path to help them take Politico to the next level, but as time went on, it became clear that our strategies were diverging.”

    Were that VandeHarris were in a jam.

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    September 8, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    @TG Chicago: I didn’t understand it, either.

  87. 87.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    September 8, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    @KG:

    Has the default position always been “JUST FUCKING DO SOMETHING NOW NOW NOAW!!!!!” or is this a recent development we can somehow blame on the internet?

    You mean in “it’s only the British Empire” in 1812 or “I will wipe up the blood spilled with just my handkerchief” in 1860? Or go back to ancient Athens and “what could go wrong?” with attacking Syracuse?

  88. 88.

    Elizabelle

    September 8, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Bring back Oscar the dog from this morning!

    I need a pet picture on an open thread. Too much Meet the Flunkies.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    September 8, 2014 at 7:59 pm

    @Elizabelle: You could go look at the picture of Tricksey. I left her open in a tab as something happy to look at when everything is going to hell.

    Edit: I think she might just be the most adorable kitty I have ever seen.

  90. 90.

    Roger Moore

    September 8, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    @TG Chicago:

    Obviously, if you’re going to defeat ISIS, you have used very much stronger language.

    This reminds me of a classic movie quote:

    Gorman: Apone! Look… we can’t have any firing in there. I, uh… I want you to collect magazines from everybody.
    Hudson: Is he fuckin’ crazy?
    Frost: What the hell are we supposed to use man? Harsh language?

    I guess we are supposed to use harsh language. Much more effective than quiet diplomacy, or even smart bombs.

  91. 91.

    jake the antisoshul soshulist

    September 8, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    @El Tiburon:
    Sadly, Chelsea is no longer contributing to our failed media experiment. :-(

  92. 92.

    Arclite

    September 8, 2014 at 8:09 pm

    Obama should just interview himself, and answer his own questions. That would be more interesting.

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    September 8, 2014 at 8:14 pm

    @gogol’s wife: We could probably get the big hamburger bun for Mithy. He likes being hidden.

  94. 94.

    Richard Fox

    September 8, 2014 at 8:15 pm

    @El Tiburon: One word: ugh

  95. 95.

    Bobby B.

    September 8, 2014 at 8:19 pm

    For transcripts of this nature I go to The Bobblespeak Translations.

  96. 96.

    Elizabelle

    September 8, 2014 at 8:19 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Tricksey Therapy.

    It works.

    The kitten photo is adorable.

  97. 97.

    James E Powell

    September 8, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    I don’t even really know the guy, but there’s times when I just love John Cole and I especially love him when he starts a post with a line like

    Because I am already in a bad mood right now,

    Cranky bastards of the world unite!

  98. 98.

    scav

    September 8, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    @Roger Moore: Real men and leaders use strategically located wadded up socks in flight suits. Repetitive occupation of Sunday Talk Shows as plan B.

  99. 99.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    September 8, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    @Cacti:

    And Assad has already said no US air strikes in Syrian territory.

    Sending US military aircraft over Syria would therefore be considered a casus belli.

    It’s more complicated than that. While it is an act of war to bomb a sovereign country, sovereign countries also have a responsibility to prevent their territories from being used to attack their neighbors. If the Assad regime no longer controls parts of Syria and those who do control those areas are using them to stage assaults on other countries, which ISIS is, then that generally means either that Syria has already committed an act of war against Iraq or that Assad is no longer sovereign in those territories.

    So, while it would undoubtedly piss Assad off if we started bombing ISIS within the accepted borders of Syria, and while it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea to do much of it, it’s not so clear that it would violate international law or legally be considered a causus bellum for us to do so. If Assad didn’t want those areas being bombed, he shouldn’t have let a bunch of violent, internationally aggressive nuts take them over. He should have ensured that his own violent, only-domestically aggressive nuts kept control.

  100. 100.

    Suffern ACE

    September 8, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: personally, I have always preferred the Levant to Syria. But then I’m an old fashioned guy, who thinks that Angela Merkel should add Elector Palantine to her title.

  101. 101.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    September 8, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    It’s worse, it looks like Obama mentioned Syria four times, one of the times being eight seconds before Chuck Todd made that claim:

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/09/08/1327926/-Chuck-Todd-Lied-Falsely-Accused-President-Obama-of-Not-Mentioning-Syria

  102. 102.

    Roger Moore

    September 8, 2014 at 8:38 pm

    @Bill E Pilgrim:

    one of the times being eight seconds before Chuck Todd made that claim

    You can’t expect Toddler to remember what somebody else said for eight whole seconds, can you? That might require listening and paying attention!

  103. 103.

    mclaren

    September 8, 2014 at 8:40 pm

    Cole, the phrase “the 9/11 threat” is a placeholder for the more extended sentence: “the urgent need to limitlessly increase America’s military/police/prison/surveillance budget forever and ever, without end.”

  104. 104.

    James E Powell

    September 8, 2014 at 8:43 pm

    @mclaren<

    Cole, the phrase “the 9/11 threat” is a placeholder for the more extended sentence: “the urgent need to limitlessly increase America’s military/police/prison/surveillance budget forever and ever, without end.”

    Amen.

  105. 105.

    JoyfulA

    September 8, 2014 at 9:22 pm

    @Suffern ACE: Elector Palatine? Isn’t Merkel from East Germany?

  106. 106.

    gogol's wife

    September 8, 2014 at 9:31 pm

    @El Tiburon:

    I hope you mean Ronan Farrow . . . .

  107. 107.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    September 8, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    @JoyfulA: Elector of Brandenburg, then.

  108. 108.

    Mnemosyne

    September 8, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    @LAllen:

    What does it say about me that I already own four of those objects?

  109. 109.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    September 8, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Do you actually want an answer or do you already know?

  110. 110.

    Mnemosyne

    September 8, 2014 at 10:58 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name):

    I think I already know. Don’t tell my husband, though. Let him have his illusions.

  111. 111.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    September 8, 2014 at 11:11 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Someone should tell him.

  112. 112.

    PhilbertDesanex

    September 9, 2014 at 12:24 am

    @Patricia Kayden: I haven’t watched for years given The Bobblespeak Translations, which see

  113. 113.

    drkrick

    September 9, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    The execs at NBC are the guys who fucked over Conan O’Brian for…nothing at all but pain and suffering for themselves.

    I thought that guy (who was working off an old Harvard Crimson vs. Lampoon grudge) was running CNN into the ground now?

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