NBC’s Williams confirms that McCain camp made no offer to cover McCain’s trip abroad.
NBC’s Williams confirms that McCain camp made no offer to cover McCain’s trip abroad.
Right wing media figures have been charging that the media is “biased” because the three major network news anchors accompanied Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on his current trip overseas and ignored Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ). But, as ThinkProgress noted yesterday, Newsweek has reported that McCain “chose not to take reporters” with him to Europe, thus making the Right’s charges baseless. Yesterday during an interview on the UK’s Channel 4 News, NBC News anchor Brian Williams confirmed Newsweek’s report:
WILLIAMS: When Sen Obama comes to Europe and the Middle East — and in effect the pejorative is summons — the presenters or anchors from the so called big three over the air broadcast networks in the States and offers interview deals with a varying degree of exclusivity and they all agree to go …There has been no, I must say, similar offer from the McCain campaign with which we are in touch with constantly.
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Besides Scar, is there a bigger media blowhard, self important, smug, smarmy, ass than Brian Williams?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am“…with which we are in touch with…”? This is a man who makes an astronomical salary presenting news to Americans?
And what does he mean using the word “summon”? Is he implying that Obama “summoned” the press?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:55 amsince this is a mcstake thread shouldn’t Jim Wilke be posting something soon about how Obama used the contraction “it’s” instead of the possessive “its” in the written text of his speech yesterday to prove that Obama makes just as many mistakes as mcstake does?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:56 amstewarjt Says:
Besides Scar, is there a bigger media blowhard, self important, smug, smarmy, ass than Brian Williams?
Well, there’s matthews…,hume…..,blitzer,…oreilly,….hannity……
July 25th, 2008 at 9:58 amYesterday during an interview on the UK’s Channel 4 News…
Yes, but has he said anything like that on the US version of the news? I don’t understand why they are covering for McBush. McBush’s campaign is complaining about them and calling them biased and yet they are not fighting back with the truth. That’s how far down the road to the right the major networks have gone.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:59 amwe all know it doesn’t matter what facts are brought up to counter the right wing arguments… facts have a liberal bias
July 25th, 2008 at 10:00 amAnd when McCain does talk to the mainstream media he can count on them covering up his mistakes.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:01 amsince this is a mcstake thread shouldn’t Jim Wilke be posting something soon about how Obama used the contraction “it’s” instead of the possessive “its” in the written text of his speech yesterday to prove that Obama makes just as many mistakes as mcstake does?
I missed that one. Did anyone point out that it probably was not Obama that made the mistake, but the person who typed the text? I seriously doubt that Obama sits down at the computer and types out the final version of his speeches. So it’s quite likely the mistake was not his.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:01 amFrom the McCain campaign’s Realizing what’s Going On Department, as well as I can imagine it: “What!!!! He’s bringing the TV anchors with him? Oh, crap, why didn’t we think of that? Huh? Oh. Oh. OK. We didn’t think of it because its an unAmerican thing to do right? Right! Yeah, the rubes’ll swallow that!”
July 25th, 2008 at 10:04 amBaseless charges is what the right is all about. It’s all they’ve got.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:05 amHi Mr Baggins, I was trying for snark but I guess the unreality of the right-wing reality has been pushed so far into crazyland that there is no room for snark anymore.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:11 amThe rant-jockeys (Limpballs, Insanity, etc.) are pissing and moaning all over the place about Obama’s foreign trip and calling the news anchors his “press secretaries”, etc. It’s pathetic, ridiculous and hilarious all at the same time.
Of course, what’s really going on here is that McNumbNuts is being out-flanked at every turn. Obama speaks at the Victory Column in Berlin; McNumbNuts shows up with Lindsey Graham at Schmidt’s German Sausage Restaurant (I’m not making that up, folks). McNumbNuts praises off-shore drilling and claims there were no oil-spills after Katrina — then he has to cancel a trip to a drilling platform because of Dolly.
The disparity between these candidates will only be clearer in the coming months. Obama is controlling the subject; McNumbNuts is futilely counter-punching and hitting nothing but air. But Limpballs and Insanity will claim that he’s landing solid body-blows.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:11 amtom, you forgot to mention that while Obama was visiting the Wall in Israel, mcstake was knocking over a wall of applesauce jars in a supermarket. (really)
July 25th, 2008 at 10:13 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says: That’s how far down the road to the right the major networks have gone.
I agree. The Capitalistic pigs are never going to support a Democrat no matter how much the Republican candidate trashes them. They are whores to their profits and know that they only have one horse in the race who will support them on their greedy ways – even if he’s wholly unqualified and insults them.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:13 amWhen the Big-3 Networks sent their top three anchors with Obama to Europe, it gave birth to the lastest Right-wing meme that I guarantee we’ll be hearing for years, that Obama’s popularity (and eventual win) will be due to “unfair favorable media coverage of Obama vs McCain“.
MediaMatters has been doing a great job of covering all the bending-over-backwards the MSM has been doing for McCain, but I’m keeping a (growing) list of (non) controversies the MSM levied against Obama:
Comments by his pastor Jeremiah Wright.
Comments by his wife (”First time…Proud of my country.”)
The “Flag-pin” controversy.
Wouldn’t put hand over heart during the Pledge of Allegience
Secret Muslim that attended a “madrassa” as a child.
Middle name is “Hussein”
Obama saying some Americans cling to guns/religion because they’re “bitter”.
Obama would negotiate with Hamas “without precondition”.
Bowled a “37″, therefore, can’t “relate” to “middle America”.
Obama “reassured Canadian government” that his position on NAFTA was “just rhetoric”.
Association with “60’s Radical William Ayers”.
“Tony” Rezco: slum lord, political “fixer”, bought land next to Obama house as favor to them.
Asking Iowa farmers about the store price of the “Arugula” they grow makes him an “elitist”.
Asking for orange juice after being offered coffee in a diner makes him an “elitist”.
The list is sure to continue to grow. So the next time some Reich-winger whines of how “the press is trying to “help” Obama”, just bring up this list.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:17 amNewsweek has reported that McCain “chose not to take reporters” with him to Europe, thus making the Right’s charges baseless.
Just another day in the world of the hopelessly dishonest right.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 25th, 2008 at 10:19 am“the pejorative is summons” ???
what the hell is he saying?! that obama issued a “summons”???
buncha wasted words in that blather…
did you see the daily show take on all that exclusivity?
funny!
and the mcLAME camp was sure happy about all the obama press for
July 25th, 2008 at 10:23 ampastor-gate and bitter-gate…
imagine that…
McCain: “I’m John McCain damnit! A POW! I’ve been a Senator for over 20 years! How dare the press disrespect me! They can’t ignore me! I want so goddamn attention!”
Just don’t report on anything I say…BBQ anyone?
July 25th, 2008 at 10:36 amMcStake…I like it!
Brian Williams is as full of himself as McStake is stupid.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:42 amWith each passing day McCain looks more and more like a geriatric Wile E. Coyote sawing through the branch supporting him. He touts his alleged foreign policy experience then repeatedly demonstrates his inability to remember religions, geography or timelines. He goads Obama into going to Iraq and Afghanistan only to see Obama suck the air out of the room by taking the networks with him, looking presidential and receiving a rock star welcome in Berlin. Stuck holding his wiener schnitzel in Ohio McCain issues snitty press releases and utters snitty comments about Obama making speeches abroad (which McCain already did in Canada) and about not visiting a military hospital in Germany (because the Pentagon said no). Now he is reduced to whining about media complicity only to see the most pompous (against huge competition) of the network anchors flatly reject his claim. Not that I want to see the guy elected but McCain’s handlers would be best suited by pulling their candidate off the road except for a few photo ops, declining interviews unless he gets to see the questions in advance and just running patriotic commercials. This is just getting ugly.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:42 amWhat really gets me in all of this is that the McCain camp basically goaded Obama to go over seas and now they are upset because he did what they wanted him to do. It just leaves me shaking my head in disbelief every time they open their mouths or issue statements on his trip abroad.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:56 amGrandpa McCain and his lobbyist advisers forgot to invite the seedy liberal TV network media along with him to Europe?
No one could have…ah, fuggit.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:05 ampaleolib Says:
and about not visiting a military hospital in Germany (because the Pentagon said no).
oh, so it was the military hospital in GERMANY…
listening to edschultz yesterday, some callers chimed in with the latest, and that gripe about him not visiting the military hospital was one of their points… the other being, the europeans love obama because he is a “socialist” like they are…
idjits…
July 25th, 2008 at 11:09 amDid anyone see the ‘interview’ that Chuckie Gibson did with Obama a few days ago? It was nothing but negative, baiting questions, nothing of a positive nature, nothing about comparative positions between him and McDepends. A total trash piece and Obama just smiled through it and answered the idiot’s questions.
MSM is a total joke and it reminded me once again why I never watch it for anything more than entertainment.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:09 amstewarjt Says:
Besides Scar, is there a bigger media blowhard, self important, smug, smarmy, ass than Brian Williams?
July 25th, 2008 at 9:55 am
_____
Perhaps Stephen Colbert, but then being a smug, smarmy, self-important media blowhard is his whole schtick.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:20 amupside, I think that Gibson demonstrated that the MSM is doing its job actually. It is just that kind of questioning on relative positions that “immunizes” both the MSM and Obama against the groundless claims that he is getting favorable treatment.
Rather than being upset, I hope that you can see the benefit of this in the longer run. The campaign is really just getting underway. There is plenty of time for the MSM to asked pointed questions of both candidates . . . and they will.
I still trust the majority of the U.S. electorate to make a good decision when they really start paying attention and are given a clear view of both candidates. Before all is said and done, McNumbNuts will crash and burn. The closer that this occurs to election day, the better. Fear not.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:26 amIs Senator McCain the only POW in the history of this Country?
July 25th, 2008 at 11:31 amObama issued a summons to the media?
Well, I guess they were powerless to ignore it then. It’s not like it’s a subpoena, for god’s sake. They had to obey.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:54 amIgnoranceIsNotBliss Says
July 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
What really gets me in all of this is that the McCain camp basically goaded Obama to go over seas and now they are upset because he did what they wanted him to do. It just leaves me shaking my head in disbelief every time they open their mouths or issue statements on his trip abroad.
____________________________________________________________
This is because their instruction was “go overseas and commit gaffes we can use against you.” It wasn’t “go overseas and be statesmanlike.” So naturally, they’re upset.
The ironic thing is that Obama seems to be doing pretty well in the foreign arena despite what the GOP continually touts as his “lack of experience”. Meanwhile, the supposedly experienced McCain is hopping on one foot because the other one is always in his mouth.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:22 pmTom,
I also saw that situation, but am concerned the LIV that typically watch the MSM will only see this as a strike against Obama.
And WHEN will the MSM ever do anything but lick McDepends’ slimy Arse? SO far, that is all I see or hear. What about the cut and paste job Katie ‘Bimbo’ Couric has done on TWO separate situations. Either she has approved it or she has no editorial oversight into her shows. Which is it? Or maybe she is so clueless, she doesn’t know the difference.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:51 pmMCCain does not have the intellectual capacity to be a competent President.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:07 pmI’s not his age. He finished 494th out of 498 at the Naval Academy as a young man.
His intellect has not improved since then to the capacity required of a competent president.
May I add to #31 that that might not be enough to stop Americans from electing McCain.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:11 pmWe have a large segment of our population that qualify as, for the lack of a better word, dumba**es and McCain is targeting the dumba*** vote.
My stroke-damaged-brained dad voted for Bush in 2004 because he liked Laura better than Theresa Heinz Kerry. THK was too outspoken. Laura’s nice.
July 25th, 2008 at 11:53 pmPeople have a lot of stupid reasons to cluelessly vote against their self-interest.