Freedom of the press?
Freedom of the press?
The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank reports on the meeting of the State Department’s “Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion”:
Those wondering why the Bush administration has failed to spread democracy across the globe might find a clue in yesterday’s meeting of the State Department’s “Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion.”
About a third of the way through the meeting, and not long after Undersecretary Paula Dobriansky boasted to the television cameras that “our entire session today is open to the public” and attended by the press, State Department officials ordered reporters to leave.
“This is the way they wanted it to happen, and this is the way it’s going to be,” explained department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos. “They seem to have wanted you all out.”
The spokesman declined to say who “they” were. “You got a problem?” Gallegos challenged. “Write a letter.”
So much for promoting the values of a liberal democracy.
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I will write a letter.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:52 am“It Can’t Happen Here”.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:57 amIn other words, “You press people don’t need to be here, we will tell you everything you should print.”
SSDD
April 17th, 2007 at 9:58 amIf by State Department officials Millbank meant the boy king’s political hacks then this makes perfect sense. What do you bet this boob Gallegos is one such individual.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:01 amThis surprises you because……
April 17th, 2007 at 10:02 amStop the lies.
LOL Bush does not care about democracy, because he is a fascist!
April 17th, 2007 at 10:04 amFreedom of the Press means you’re free to print what we want you to print…
April 17th, 2007 at 10:04 amWelcome to the USSR.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:04 amHeil Busch!
Heil Busch!
Heil Busch!
April 17th, 2007 at 10:13 amWhat’s a little manipulation of data between friends?
April 17th, 2007 at 10:18 amAfter 7 years of Bush mis-rule America is resembling a third world thugogracy from the 1970’s.
Too bad most of the old dictators are gone, Bush could put them on his cabinet.
-GSD
April 17th, 2007 at 10:20 am#2 So Doremus rode out, saluted by the meadow larks, and onward all day, to a hidden cabin in the Northern Woods where quiet men awaited news of freedom.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:28 amWell, why does the State Dept pretend it wants democracy? Bush did everything in his power to create a kind of Iraqi version of Florida 2000. And then the White House picked the PM and barks orders to the Iraqi government as if it were their servant. sheesh! No wonder the Palestinians elected Hamas; they wanted to shove Bush’s hypocrisy in his face. “You want democracy! You can’t handle Democracy!”
April 17th, 2007 at 10:28 amsay anything about gun control and huff po will not accept your email
April 17th, 2007 at 10:32 amThis is the “freedom” that Chimpy and his thugs want to export to Iraq and the rest of the world.
It is not freedom, it is tyranny.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:44 amIraqi version of Florida 2000…
Comment by david
Tell me about it! Not once, but twice!!! I hate living in Florida.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:52 amDemocracy is what we say it is.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:03 amSometimes the jokes simply write themselves.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:04 amCNN State Department Correpondent Andrea Koppel must not have curtsied deeply enough to satisfy Imperial Consort Rice.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:16 amstupid prez propped up by thugs is not a democracy, the press whores have no shame
April 17th, 2007 at 12:08 pmFascism only needs ignorance to spread like wildfire…
April 17th, 2007 at 12:13 pmFreedom of the press, dissent and democracy are lofty ideals and swell concepts to praise, as long as they don’t threaten the message that Big brother wants to propagate.
But the blind followers still cling to the notion that the troops are in Iraq fighting to bring freedom and democracy to Iraqis.
April 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pmsay anything about gun control and huff po will not accept your email
Comment by truth fairy — April 17, 2007 @ 10:32 am
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the US State Dept. is part of our gov’t and HuffPo is privately owned and operated. If I own my blog, I don’t have to post anything unless I want to. If you want to talk about gun control, get your own blog.
If a gov’t has an “open to the public” meeting, kicking out the press seems to be a form of discrimination. Those of us who don’t live in D.C. rely on the press to let us know what’s going on.
April 17th, 2007 at 2:20 pmTime and again, the Bush administration, and EVERYONE in it, have repeatedly shown they have no use for the Bill of Rights or any other part of the Constitution-after all “it’s just a god damn piece of paper”- George W. Bush
April 17th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Bush sucks shit. It’s really that simple.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:13 pmTHIS WEBSITE SUCKS
April 25th, 2007 at 9:53 am