Wednesday, November 21, 2007

What is Happening to the NY Times? Not One Single Word About McClellan's Bush Bombshell


Former White House Press Secretary Scott McLellan caused quite a ruckus Tuesday with the startling (but certainly not surprising) revelation that his former bosses instructed him to outright lie to the American public over the Valerie Plame CIA leak case.

In his book "What Happened," due out in April, McClellan accuses the Busheviks of orchestrating a campaign of lies and deception over the Plame case. Consider this explosive excerpt:

"I stood at the White House briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the senior-most aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby," McClellan wrote. "There was one problem. It was not true. I had unknowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself." At the time, the chief of staff was Andy Card.

Let's take a minute for some quick background: The Busheviks lied about Iraq's alleged WMD arsenal in the run-up to the invasion. They also claimed that Niger was selling Yellowcake uranium to Saddam Hussein. They sent Ambassador Joe Wilson to Africa in '02 to investigate. He came back and reported that he found nothing to substantiate this claim. Despite this finding, Bush re-stated the claim in his January '03 State of the Union Address to bolster his case for war. Angered by this blatant lie, Wilson wrote an op-ed piece in July '03 titled "What I Didn't Find in Africa." This pissed off the Bushies, and in a criminal act of retaliation they revealed the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, who at the time was a covert CIA operative. And then they told former Cheney chief of staff Scooter Libby to lie about it all during special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's CIA leak investigation. And then, as payback for his cover up, Bush commuted Libby's sentence after he was convicted of obstruction of justice, perjury and lying to investigators. And now it's being revealed by McClellan that he was instructed by his bosses--including the president and vice president--to stand before the media and voters and lie about it all as further protection against the erupting scandal.

Wow. Bush and Cheney shouldn't just be impeached...they should go to jail. Which is exactly where you or I'd be if we manufactured WMD evidence, outed a covert CIA agent as revenge against her whistle-blowing husband, and then obstructed justice with more lies and a criminal cover up.

But where the hell is the NY Times on this story? Nowhere. Incredibly, not one solitary word in Wednesday's newspaper. This is a huge bombshell with monumental ramifications--criminal behavior on the part of Bush, Cheney, Rove, Libby, Card-- which could and should finally take down this corrupt, disgraceful administration. Could be the biggest political scandal since Watergate. And how is it covered by the Times? It's not. I'm starting to think this once relevant newspaper must be secretly owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Where is the firebrand journalism that the venerable Washington Post demonstrated back in the 70's in serving to take down the corrupt Nixon administration? How is it possible that a story this important goes unreported in the NY Times? It's a sad commentary on the mainstream media overall. They've given this corrupt, criminal administration a virtual pass since it stepped inside the White House in 2000. It's allowed the Busheviks to lie, cheat, deceive, steal and bully with impunity. All you need to do is watch a Bush press conference in the White House press room to see just how neutered the press is. Bush is nasty, condescending, unrevealing, taunting and cavalier as he side-steps the issues and offers inane muck instead. And the press allows it. You can see the fear in their eyes, hoping that Bush doesn't publicly ridicule them, as he has done so often when he hears a tough question he doesn't particularly like. The media ought to be ashamed of itself. And now the Times seems to have joined this pathetic group.


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27 comments:

Unknown said...

It is a disgrace for the so called mainstream media in general to have been so long complacent about this incredible bunch of clowns in and around the Bush administration.
The increasing control large companies now exert over the media is the most frightening aspect of this whole scandal ridden story.
Every time you look under a rock these days all kinds of slimy critters crawl out!

Anonymous said...

The NYT used to have the reputation as "the newspaper of public record." Now, unfortunately, it seems to have bartered its reputation in much the same way a lady of the evening barters her charms to cozy up to one of the worst presidencies in modern times, if not in the entire history of the US. I wonder how McClellan's revelations will be treated in the press--probably rlegated to the back page after the automobile muffler ads!

Masher1 said...

Media Shmedia...

Do it your self or ELSE.

And we are seeing PRECIOUS few doing the HARD work.

Your life is leaking away and you all seem to want to do is continue stabbing your self.

Lies will get America.

Just look at the Liar n Chief GWB.. Need i say ANYTHING else?

Masher1 said...

How about

AMERICAS ILLEGAL USE OF U-238 MUNITIONS"

Can i say that too?

Anonymous said...

Its fast becoming apparent to me the never discussed, never disclosed results of the NSA spying on American citizens has a very real residual effect on the bravery of our fourth estate.

Given the deeds of this band of crooks (particularly Cheney) and his hidden hand in that scandal, its easy to logically conclude that those illegal info searches were directed to many in the media (TV and print).

They very much ACT like individuals who have been coerced into silence. I think with the prospect of having some marital philandering affair, a closet-gay son (or daughter--or self), some sexual impropriety, or evidence of some tax-cheating possibly laid before the public----may be too much for many in the beltway to personally endure....so it affects their abilities to be effective.

They DO seem to project some tangible fear of this little creepy tyrant.

The dots need to be connected.

Anonymous said...

There's a solution to this mess: Pelosi can be removed as Speaker, making way for impeachment. ( Details: How this can be done, precedents, and sample effort underway )

This has started, and a Congressional candidate is supporting the effort.

Anonymous said...

All of the above by 1:54, and/or, they have been paid off as was Armstrong Williams. There is also the possibility their lives have been threatened. Scott McClellan is already backing off of his comments we heard yesterday and his publisher has become involved in the backtracking,

Then there is the New World Order movement which I heard about on this blog. We are living in dangerous times. Anonymity is nice.

NewsBlaze said...

> But where the hell is the NY Times on this story? Nowhere.

No newspaper has reported on this. That doesn't mean anyone is scared, it means its probably not true. If there was any truth in what you've reported, it would be all over the internet by now.

So far, only the Miami Poetry Review has published it. What does that tell you about its authenticity?

Anonymous said...

Beware, there are still patriots in this country. How long must we tolerate these corporate whores and opportunists. I see a time arriving when this country rises up and expresses it's anger with cataclysmic results. After our youth is slaughtered in foreign wars of no purpose, our national wealth squandered on weapons enriching a few old men, our country's infrastructure disintegrating. Do you politicians think we are just going to sit around and take it? I'm too old to care about the consequences.

Anonymous said...

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but this "bombshell" was the work of a publisher/publicist trying to hype McClellan's forthcoming book. The quote sounds sensational and damning, but take a step back for a moment, and realize this is a quote from Scott McClellan; a person whose job it is to talk without saying anything definite.

Check out this slate.com story for more...
http://www.slate.com/id/2178467/
Quoted from the story:
..."The reason McClellan chose the vague language is that he isn't saying in his book that the top officials were involved in the cover-up—at least not all of them. "What Scott is saying is that it was clear that he was given information that was wrong," says McClellan's publisher, Peter Osnos. "Two of the people, Rove and Libby, knew it was wrong. But he has no reason to believe that the president didn't think it was true. Andy Card did not think it was wrong. It's kinda ambiguous about Dick Cheney." (It's always that way with the vice president.)
So, despite the uproar, McClellan's excerpt pretty much tells us what we already knew about the roles of the key players during the relevant two weeks in October. Bush, Cheney, and Card may have been involved in pressing McClellan to push the story, but, as far as McClellan knows, those three were doing so because they too had been mislead by Rove and Libby (with possible fuzziness here about McClellan's view of Cheney)...

Anonymous said...

8:43

McClellan said:

"There was one problem. It was not true. I had knowingly passed along false information. And five of the highest-ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the predident's chief of staff AND THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF."

As one commentator said, McClellan is now trying to "put the toothpaste back in the tube." For some "scary" reason he and his publisher are back-tracking. No matter what they now say, McClellan's words as quoted above are now permanently out for all to hear. It would be well if Americans demanded and Congress acted.

Anonymous said...

Trouble is, this claim is not true. I searched both the New York Times and the Washington Post yesterday, and they both had stories about McClellan's "bombshell." OpEd News had a similar column, so I decided to check it out myself.

Careful, this is the sort of thing Bill O'Reilly does: Claims the dastardly NYTimes ignored stories about the Medal of Honor ceremonies. Complete BS, of course, but his fans never bother to look anything up for themselves, do they?

The Ostroy Report said...

Anonymous said...
Trouble is, this claim is not true. I searched both the New York Times and the Washington Post yesterday, and they both had stories about McClellan's "bombshell."

Sorry pal, but my piece is 100% factual. There was not ONE story in the NY Times newspaper. Not Tuesday or Wedndesday or even today. That they throw a small REUTERS or AP story up on their website(s)doesn't mean they've "covered it."

Anonymous said...

The TIMES not reporting the McClellan story is akin to a cop who is assigned to patrol and protect a neighborhood not reporting or even intervening when a gang of crooks perpetrate a vicious attack on residents. The TIMES has seriously failed to do its job.

Anonymous said...

Some of the NY Times high ranking people are members of the CFR.

They protect themselves.

Anonymous said...

To A. Comeau: What is the CFR? And from what are the Times' people protecting themselves? Thank you.

Anonymous said...

For all who continue to be shocked by the NYT’s willful omissions of important news, e.g., Scott McClellan’s recent revelations about Bush/Cheney lies, let me ask you this question: if in a fascist state, “war is peace”, why would you not automatically assume that “fair and balanced” becomes “unfair and unbalanced”.

The NYT’s newest silence comes as no surprise. It was years ago that this once venerable newspaper morphed into nothing more nor less than a powerful, mainstream enabler of our tragic slide into the fascist abyss.

Anonymous said...

McClellan is just trying to cover his own ass for the up-and-coming high crimes and misdemeanors trials. He's like the people who lived next door to a Nazi death factory and later claimed they didn't know that such a horrible thing could be going on. As for the NYT, their enthusiam in the run-up to the war was palpable. Thomas Friedman, who seems to have lately gone insane, was the cheerleader with the megaphone and Judith Miller was the pom pom girl.

Anonymous said...

New York Times hasn't done much to cover the fact that people in NYC's china town are donated more than a year's pay to the Hillary campaign. It sounds like Hillary found a way to accept illegal Chinese money like her Husband did.

Anonymous said...

We can only hope, as 3:21 suggests, that there are 'up-coming high crimes and misdemeanor trials". I expect "they" will all continue to get away with it.

11:29 Of course to the Republicans it's more important to cover a crime that a candidate for president has done than to cover the crime committed by the current President.

Anonymous said...

The Hillary Clinton campaign has set up a faux hostage crisis in one of their NH campaign offices.

What will the Clintons do next ?

Anonymous said...

Clinton campaign stages a hostage situation to provide hillary with more media coverage and to show how she can handle a crisis. Too bad it was faked.

Anonymous said...

Every vote counts??

NO!! The Democrats silenced the states of Florida and Michigan for the primaries. The votes of 2 states do not count and thus must not be important to the DNC.

In another story, Democrats show their true colors

The Montgomery, Alabama, Democrats are split on their preference for the Democratic candidate for President. Obama versus Hillary, the racist Democrats prefer Hillary 'because she is white'.

Anonymous said...

Democrats have YET AGAIN been caught lying to the American public. A December 4, 2007 report has highlighted that the 5 day work week promised by Nancy Pelosi will only be accomplished 3 times in 2008.

So, in 2007, the Democrats who control both the Senate and House have accomplished absolutely nothing and have decided to accomplish even less for the American people in 2008.

Way to go Democraps!

Anonymous said...

We are living a nightmare. Our PRESIDENT and his MEN have LIED ONCE MORE about another country, and THEY WERE WELL ON THE WAY TO STARTING ANOTHER WAR BASED ON LIES. WHAT COULD BE WORSE?????? WHAT ARE WE TO DO???

WHY ARE YOU SILENT OSTROY???

Anonymous said...

Somehow I have to believe that if Rush was indicted on kiddie porn, good Old Ostroy would post a story about it.

Liberals like Kiddie Sex!!

KGO Host Indicted on Child Porn Charges

Bernie WardSAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - A well-known San Francisco radio talk show host and former Catholic priest has been indicted on federal child pornography charges.

The operations director for KGO-AM 810 confirms that Bernie Ward surrendered today to federal authorities.

The specifics of the allegations against Ward remain under seal.

Ward, often called the Lion of the Left for his liberal views, hosts a nightly news talk program on KGO as well as a program called GodTalk on Sundays.

He is also a frequent voice on various cable network news programs offering political commentary.

Ward's lawyer tells KGO that the incidents in question are from more than four years ago and were a part of research for a book.

His lawyer says that as part of the research, Ward downloaded a few images of child pornography.

"What the law looks at is did he knowingly possess child pornography, so the issue what was his intent when he obtained the images," explained San Jose criminal defense attorney Steven Clark. "What did he do with the images?"

Ward appeared before a federal judge yesterday morning, pleading not guilty to charges of using the Internet to send and receive child pornography. "When all the facts are out on these charges, Bernie will be complete vindicated," insisted his friend and business attorney, Jeannette Boudreaux. "I'm sure that he'll respond in a very articulate matter."

Clark questions the proposed defense. "Maybe like saying you know, I possessed heroin because I was writing a book about heroin. You're not allowed to do it."

Ward is due back in court in late January to receive a trial date. In the meantime, he has been pulled from the airwaves by KGO management. Substitute hosts will handle his weekday evening and Sunday morning programs.

Anonymous said...

Clinton Campaign IS the 'right wing spin machine' that she decries all these years.

This is just another example of Clinton duplicity. Do Democrats really want another Clinton following another Bush??


Dec 9 07:13 PM US/Eastern
By NEDRA PICKLER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign on Sunday requested the resignation of a second Iowa volunteer coordinator who forwarded a hoax e-mail saying Barack Obama is a Muslim possibly intent on destroying the United States.

Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ and says he has never been a Muslim, but false rumors attempting to tie him to Islamic jihadists are circulating on the Internet.

"Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential Candidacy," read the e-mail. "Please forward to everyone you know. The Muslims have said they Plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at The highest level."

The Clinton campaign has decried the rumors as offensive and outrageous, and last week forced volunteer Jones County coordinator Judy Rose to resign after learning that she forwarded a such an e-mail on Nov. 21. But it turns out Rose wasn't the only one.