Today on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace made sure to devote plenty of time to covering President Obama’s “war on Fox News”; he even played a clip of Sean Connery as Jim Malone “The Untouchables” talking about “the Chicago way” of getting things done. Former Bush press secretary Dana Perino sharply criticized the Obama administration’s tactics and expressed absolute shock at the example the United States was setting for “the free press in emerging democracies,” comparing the criticisms of Fox News to when “Hugo Chavez shuts down television stations”:

PERINO: That was a coordinated, calculated attack. It was unbecoming. And if you look at some of the coverage of what mainstream media covers when, for example, somebody like a Hugo Chavez shuts down television stations, he calls them illegitimate.

Now, I’m not suggesting that this White House believes that they are going to come over here and shut down Fox News. But they are defining a narrative in their first year, and it’s going to be very hard to recover from it. [...]

Through our State Department, we are trying to help emerging democracies get journalists and government officials to talk to one another, because freedom of the press is essential to any democracy. Believe me, they are watching this, and they have — surely are raising questions.

Watch it:

The Obama administration, according to Reporters Without Borders, is actually setting quite a strong example of press freedom for the world. In 2008, the organization found that in terms of press freedom, the U.S. ranked 36th out of 173 countries. Its report singled out “wars carried out in the name of the fight against terrorism” as a cause for the steep decline in press freedoms around the world. Just one year later, the United States has jumped from 36th to 20th. “Barack Obama’s election as president and the fact that he has a less hawkish approach than his predecessor have had a lot to do with this,” concluded Reporters Without Borders.

So what type of example did the Bush administration set? A few lowlights:

– The Pentagon had a secret program to use retired military analysts to “generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance.” Most of these analysts had “ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.” When the “message machine” became public, Perino defended the program as “absolutely appropriate.”

– The U.S. military was “secretly paying Iraqi newspapers to publish stories written by American troops in an effort to burnish the image of the U.S. mission in Iraq.” The articles contained anonymous quotes from U.S. military officials — which may or may not have been authentic — and “read more like press releases than news stories.”

– The Education Department paid conservative pundit Armstrong Williams hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. Even after the corruption was uncovered, the administration defended it as “a permissible use of taxpayer funds.”

– The Government Accountability Office found that the Bush administration violated anti-propaganda laws when it disguised two promotional ads — on federal drug policy and Medicare — as news reports. The “reports” aired on dozens of stations, and the GAO “faulted the administration for distributing seemingly independent, ready-to-air reports that did not inform viewers that they came from the government.”

Bush also called a New York Times reporter “a major league asshole” — and never apologized. In fact, Bush never gave the NYT a single interview throughout his presidency. (Update: Bush gave the New York Times interviews in 2001, 2004, and 2005.) The White House frequently went after NBC News, and Perino has admitted that they essentially froze out MSNBC “towards the end.”

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As part of the ongoing White House v. Fox News battle, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace complained yesterday that “as they’ve done every week since August, the White House refused to make any administration officials available to ‘FOX News Sunday.’” On Fox and Friends this morning, host Brian Kilmeade tried to paint a contrast between the Obama administration and the Bush administration, telling former Bush press secretary Dana Perino, “not only did you not go after” networks critical of Bush, “you gave them interviews, as did the president.” Perino corrected him, however, saying that “towards the end,” the Bush administration largely froze out MSNBC:

KILMEADE: And not only did you not go after them, you gave them interviews, as did the president.

DOOCY: Sure.

KILMEADE: Gave them all interviews. Read Ronald Reagan’s diaries…

PERINO: Towards the end we didn’t do a lot with MSNBC. That’s, that is the case.

Watch it:

Perino said that it would have been “a bridge too far” for her to “go after MSNBC” from the White House Briefing Room. But she seems to be forgetting the public letter that her White House colleague Ed Gillespie sent to NBC News President Steve Capus, in which Gillespie accused NBC and MSNBC of blurring the line between “news” and “opinion.” As ThinkProgress noted last week, Fox News cheered on Gillespie’s shot at NBC.

Conservatives have been piling on President Obama this week for his decision to take a short trip to Cophenhagen, Denmark, to pitch Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympics. Yesterday on an RNC conference call, for example, chairman Michael Steele said that “at a time of war,” Obama’s trip was “not necessary.”

Last night on Fox News, Sean Hannity devoted his top segment to hitting Obama over the Olympics. He brought up a tragic incident in Chicago where an innocent 16-year-old boy died after getting caught in gang violence crossfire. Hannity said the murder had turned “political” in light of Obama’s Copenhagen trip — even though the two are completely unrelated and no one else has tied them together:

HANNITY: This is absolutely chilling. Well, now the story has turned political. This Thursday President Obama will travel to Denmark to support Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. But in light of this tragedy and all of the pressing issues facing the country, is the president making the right move?

One of Hannity’s guests was former Bush White House press secretary Dana Perino, who agreed that the killing had become “part of a political issue.” She admitted that “this type of school violence, unfortunately, happens all over America,” but quickly added, “But as I read today that this is not the first child that’s been murdered this school year in Chicago.”

Hannity also tried to compare Obama’s Copenhagen trip to sending more troops to Afghanistan, saying that since the President was able to make the first decision so quickly, he should similarly make a snap decision about the war. Watch it:

CNN’s Lou Dobbs made a similar argument yesterday, saying, “The president is heading off to Denmark later this week to try to sell Olympic officials on Chicago, but many say the president’s focus on Chicago should have more to do with stopping the worsening violence in that city.”

Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made a jab at Steele and the other Olympics critics, asking, “Who’s he rooting for? Is he hoping to hop a plane to Brazil and catch the Olympics in Rio? Maybe it’s Madrid.” Former Massachusetts governor and head 2002 Olympic Organizing Committee Mitt Romney also endorsed Obama’s decision to go to Copenhagen, saying “I think the people in the IOC want to understand the level of the commitment of the host country. … And nothing says that like having the presence of the leader of that country and, particularly, the case of Barack Obama.”

(HT: News Hounds)

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Yesterday, super-hawk John Bolton was upset that President Clinton, along with a group that included Center for American Progress President and CEO John Podesta, went over to North Korea to negotiate the release of two imprisoned American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. “It comes perilously close to negotiating with terrorists,” Bolton said. Even after news of their release, Bolton still called the move a mistake. “[T]his is a classic case of rewarding bad behavior,” he complained.

Many right-wing commentators later piled on. “John Bolton is right,” declared the Weekly Standard’s Steve Hayes. “This is a lifeline to a regime that is a terrorist regime that has proliferated nuclear technology,” he said. Former Bush press secretary Dana Perino even blamed Vice President Al Gore for the journalists’ imprisonment because he is a co-founder of the company (Current TV) that employs them. “Al Gore is responsible if he made the order, but ultimately, he’s responsible, and I think we need to hear a little bit more about that,” she said last night on Fox News. Some other lowlights:

– Fox News’ Dick Morris called Clinton’s trip “awful” and “ridiculous” and suggested that Ling and Lee should “live with the consequences of their decision to go” to North Korea.

– Charles Krauthammer complained that North Korea “got a lot” out of the deal and that “it does help the North Koreans in their legitimacy.”

But some conservatives did see the utility of Clinton’s trip. “I think it’s wonderful, obviously, that he secured their release,” Laura Ingraham conceded. Shortly after landing in Los Angeles, Ling expressed her “deepest gratitude” for the rescue:

LING: Thirty hours ago Euna Lee and I were prisoners in North Korea. We feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp and then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting. We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton. We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. And now, we stand here, home and free. Euna and I would just like to express our deepest gratitude to President Clinton and his wonderful, amazing, not to mention, super-cool team.

Watch it:

But what many conservatives don’t understand is that, as nonproliferation expert and Ploughshares Fund president Joe Cirincione noted yesterday, Clinton was “the right man at the right moment.” And the BBC’s John Sudworth noted that now was the time to get the deal done:

And not least, there’s always the fear that North Korea could, by holding on to these two journalists, continue to use them as leverage. So I think in Washington’s wider — and perhaps colder — political interests, it makes good sense to try to clear this up now.

“I am very happy that after this long ordeal, Laura Ling and Euna Lee are now home and reunited with their loved ones,” President Clinton said in a statement. “When their families, Vice President Gore and the White House asked that I undertake this humanitarian mission, I agreed. I share a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home.”

Commenting on Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R-SC) extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina, former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino writes in the National Review: “If the constant stream of these confessions by unfaithful husbands is any guide, we’ll be treated to more and more of these stories.” She then suggests an interesting solution:

While I am not able to explain, I do think I know the answer to all of this: Elect more women. No woman I know has the time for such trysts, nor do I know any who say the desire one. They’re too busy trying to keep all the plates spinning at home, at work, and at the gym to make sure none fall and break.

Right-wing anti-tax activist Grover Norquist had quite a different takeaway from the Sanford saga, suggesting that women might be the problem. “It does indicate that men who oppose federal spending at the local level are irresistible to women,” he said.

Appearing on the Washington Times’ America’s Morning News radio show today, former Bush press secretary Dana Perino jumped on the conservative bandwagon and criticized ABC News’ upcoming special “Questions for the President: Prescription for America.” Asked by right-wing host Melanie Morgan what the reaction would be if Fox News had similar access at the Bush White House, Perino laughed and said that “there are a lot of double standards“:

MORGAN: I just keep wondering, you know, what would be the reaction of these same people in the mainstream media if President Bush had allowed, say, Fox News to turn over their entire broadcast from the Blue Room at the White House.

PERINO: Well, you know…

MORGAN: Hahaha, I think we both know the answer that question.

PERINO: Yeah, look, I think there are a lot of double standards. Both, maybe you know, from the right and the left. And so I try not to use it as an excuse or a grudge.

Listen here:

As ThinkProgress noted earlier today, the Bush administration regularly gave Fox News “unprecedented access” to the White House, allowing the network to produce hagiographic documentaries for both President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Who was press secretary when those documentaries aired? Dana Perino.

Recently, conservatives who oppose torture investigations have been desperately trying to stifle discussion of Bush administration officials who authorized torture. Last week, for example, Karl Rove said that a public debate about torture serves as a “recruiting tool” for terrorists. Today, Fox News contributor Dana Perino joined in on the fearmongering, saying that recent congressional debates about torture are producing a “field day” for terrorists:

PERINO: Everyday there’s another step in this story. … Everyday the House of Representatives is having to deal with this issue. But it’s not just the House. They’ve drug everybody into this. But my concern is we’re not giving due interests as to what the terrorists are taking from this. We need to think about the international audience here. I’m sure the terrorists are having a field day.

“Now, very interesting point,” chimed host Gretchen Carlson. “Absolutely!” added Steve Doocy. Watch it:

In an interview with Chip Reid on CBS’s Washington Unplugged yesterday, former White House press secretary Dana Perino attacked the Obama administration for its consideration of a truth commission to investigate President Bush’s torture program. An investigation would be a “political witch hunt,” Perino said, claiming the interrogation program was actually “safe, effective, and legal.”

When asked if she thinks waterboarding is torture, Perino tried to dodge the question, claiming she had simply never weighed in on the matter:

PERINO: What more is there to investigate? Unless they are on a political witch hunt. … Look, none of us want to talk about interrogation techniques. They are unpleasant for a reason –

Q: Well, they are not just unpleasant. Do you believe waterboarding is torture?

PERINO: I have never answered that question because I don’t know what I would have done in that situation, if I had to protect thousands of lives.

“Well you’re leaving open the possibility that it is [torture],” Reid noted. Watch it:

Except Perino has weighed in on the issue, and all indications are that she has said that waterboarding is not torture. When repeatedly pressed by reporters on whether the Bush administration tortured, Perino consistently and robotically responded, “We do not torture.” She uttered the phrase until the very end of her tenure, well after the CIA publicly admitted in February 2008 to waterboarding three detainees:

– “Let me just make sure it’s clear, and I’ll say it on the record one more time, that it has never been the policy of this President or this administration to torture.” [1/14/09]

– “We did not torture.” [11/18/08]

– “The United States has not, is not torturing any detainees in the global war on terror.” [4/23/08]

Even after former CIA officer John Kiriakou revealed in December 2007 that waterboarding was used, Perino responded, “But I can say that any interrogations have been legal.”

It’s unclear why Perino is trying to dodge the question of whether waterboarding is torture given that she has clearly rendered her verdict on the matter multiple times. Perhaps she now realizes she wasn’t being truthful when she was flacking for Bush’s torture program.

In an interview with CNN earlier this week, Vice President Biden responded to former Vice President Cheney’s criticism that the Obama administration has made America less safe by saying that “the last administration left us in a weaker posture than we’ve been in any time since World War II.” Biden added that when Bush left office, America was “less regarded” and garnered “virtually no respect in entire parts of the world.”

Former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino responded to Biden on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor last night, claiming it was “absolutely not” true. “I actually think that we are respected in the world,” said Perino.

Asked by O’Reilly if it was “a valid point” that the Bush administration “alienated” allies with “its swaggering” at a time that “we need cooperation to defeat terrorists,” Perino replied, “Where is the proof of that?”:

O’REILLY: But they feel — the Obama administration says look, we need cooperation to defeat terrorists. And we weren’t getting it because the Bush administration alienated so many people by its swaggering and its cowboy and the Dick Cheney stuff . Isn’t that a valid point ?

PERINO: Where is the proof of that?

O’REILLY: There isn’t any proof. It’s total speculation.

PERINO: Right.

Perino then asserted that the Bush administration “had allies all over the world helping us,” so Biden is either “not being honest about the briefs that he has gotten, or he just doesn’t know.” Watch it:

In fact, there is no doubt that the Bush administration lowered America’s standing in the eyes of much of the world. In December 2008, the Pew Global Attitudes Project released a report showing that “the U.S. image abroad is suffering almost everywhere“:

Opposition to key elements of American foreign policy is widespread in Western Europe, and positive views of the U.S. have declined steeply among many of America’s longtime European allies. In Muslim nations, the wars in Afghanistan and particularly Iraq have driven negative ratings nearly off the charts. The United States earns positive ratings in several Asian and Latin American nations, but usually by declining margins.

The problems created by Bush’s “swaggering” were evident in Europe last week when President Obama convinced NATO allies to send roughly 5,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. One analyst noted that while the troop increase was modest, Obama was able to secure “a lot more than Bush could have gotten.”

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Reports over the weekend that bailed-out insurance giant AIG will be paying $165 million in bonuses to executives “in the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year” have sparked bipartisan outrage. Even ultra-conservative Bill Kristol expressed his anger in a column yesterday, asking rhetorically, “[I]f capitalism is to survive, shouldn’t the Republican party, the party that defends democratic capitalism, be particularly vehement in denouncing its excesses? Isn’t this a pretty spectacular one?”

However, it seems that Dana Perino, former President Bush’s press secretary, didn’t receive the memo. On C-Span’s Washington Journal on Sunday, Perino defended the bonuses:

PERINO: And the people who are working there that are middle-class people, are expecting to get this bonus. If they do not get it, maybe they won’t be motivated enough to try to help the company turn around and getting the company to turn around and be more profitable is important for all of us.

Perino then chastised the “rhetoric in Washington” that “can try to make things so black and white, and make things sound so easy — demonize people when I don’t think that that’s fair.” Watch it:

It appears that Perino either doesn’t know who is set to receive the bonuses or is unaware what it means to be “middle class” (i.e. those American households that generally make between $40,000 and $70,000 per year). In fact, while as of Sunday, it was unclear what the salary range is for the executives who are set to get the bonuses, as The New York Times reported at the time, some of them will receive more than $3 million in bonuses alone.

A new Wonk Room analysis notes that under Bush’s tax system, these AIG executives will collectively take home $7.5 million more dollars more than they would have in the 1990s. But President Obama’s budget would effectively eliminate the Bush tax bonuses, allow middle class families to save as much as $800 per year, and invest in health care, renewable energy and education.