Because if Bush can't lie unfettered, then he’ll lose his main weapon to drive up Kerry's negatives and paint him as soft on foreign policy.
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Peter Jennings and ABC
Now there's another reason for the right-wing to dislike Peter and ABC NEWS. Mr. Jennings may be setting at least a minimum standard for media coverage of the presidential campaign. Blatant lies will be called out. [It took Jon Stewart of the Daily Show to show them how it's done.] And that's good news.
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2 comments:
Looking at the piece again I can see that Bush didn't really lie this time. But he certainly mischaracterized his opponent's statement. If Mr. Bush where to characterize it correctly he should have said something like, "And that stands in stark contrast to the statement that my opponent made yesterday, when he said, 'We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure.' I strongly disagree." It begs the question of to which of those premises George is disagreeing. Did we not trade a dictator for chaos or are we really more secure because we did? Unfortunately, one of the first rules of the framing game is that you don't let your opponent set the frame, always use your own. It would be a truly superb candidate who could destroy the opponent's arguments within the opponent's frame.
But on the whole I think it would be great for the public if the media continued to display what candidates actually have said alongside what their opponents say they said. It should bring the debate closer to real facts than wishful fantasies and frame-meisters.
Now for the list. Here's what you do. Go to Google and do a search for "Bush lies". Below is a sample. Happy hunting.
Bush Lies...Caught on Filmbush lies.
Once you start comparing Bush's statements to the facts it's hard not to become partisan. But I grant that those who would be most aggressive about recording the lies are those who have an axe to grind. Nonetheless it hasn't been a difficult task. Some of the items listed are lies offered by other members of the administration and some of the listings are a stretch. But the list is so long, there is no shortage of ammunition for folks who want to take shots at Bush. He certainly has not made the effort to make candor a higher priority than saying whatever it takes to make his actions sound good to the casual listener.
The election will show us how many folks have been fooled by this strategy and how many have seen through it.
With a compliant Congress and a cowed media there is little to keep Bush from doing anything he damn well pleases, That's been the pattern since he came to the White House and there is no reason to expect a change. You seem to be entertaining yourself with speculations about a draft. The danger as I see it is that whether Bush gets reelected or not he has been and he will continue to make irresponsible decisions until the day he leaves office.
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