CNN Feels "The Slapdown"
I heard about this over the weekend, but when I saw the video (get it here) I was astounded that a US Media organization needed to be asked by Lynne Cheney “Do you want us to win?”:
Cheney: “Right, But what is CNN doing running terrorist tape of terrorist shooting Americans? I mean, I thought Duncan Hunter asked you a very good question and you didn’t answer it. Do you want us to win?”
Blitzer: “The answer, of course, is we want the United States to win. We are Americans. There’s no doubt about it. You think we want terrorists to win?”
Cheney: “Then why are you running- Why are you running terrorist propaganda?”
Blitzer: “With all due respect- With all due respect, this is not terrorist propaganda.”
Cheney: “Oh, Wolf!”
Blitzer: “This is, this is reporting the news which is what we do. We’re not partisan.”
Cheney: “Where did you get the film?”
Blitzer: “We got the film- Look, this is an issue that has been widely discussed. This is an issue that we reported on extensively. We make no apologies for showing that. That was a very carefully considered decision why we did that. And I think- And I think that if you’re-”
Cheney: “Well, I think it’s shocking.”Today, VP Dick Cheney likened his wife’s remarks to “The Slapdown”!
Sean and all, this post was from 2006 and I’m not sure how it came back up. It was back when we also mixed politics in the blog, and though I don’t apologize for it, I have found that politics and civil discussion rarely mix these days. I have ceased it and don’t intend to restart.
I’ve just got to ask, how exactly is combat footage where some of our guys bite it “terrorist propaganda”? And which terrorists are we referring to here? Taliban – more of an insurgency/displaced govt seeking to regain power? Al-quaeda – actual terrorists? Random insurgent group that is annoyed the U.S. Is occupying their country?
But no, we get no detail or nuance, or even a reflection that maybe, since the army and marines are at war while the rest of the country sits it out or is told to go shopping it might be a good thing if more people than just grunts are exposed to the daily result of “tough guy/chicken hawk” foreign policy. Instead we’re treated to a gross oversimplification and 3rd grade taunts.
I like what this blog has to say about procurement and modernization a lot, but this type of cowboy “you go girl” commentary is really at a dramatically lower level of thought and consideration than the standard, and mr. burleson should be ashamed of it.
You know, I usually don’t get it the middle of these discussions but, as someone who occasionally wears the journalist’s hat in “real life”, I have to wonder just what Total had for breakfast this morning.
Neither Lynne Cheney nor you seem to be clear on what reporters actually do. It was a remarkably stupid question.