Obama Spokesman: Maddow And Olbermann"Provide An Invaluable Service"

You'd think with all the time it takes to do such damage to the country, this administration wouldn't have time to play media critic. I guess they are good multi-taskers.

"If you're on the left, if you're somebody like Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow or one of the folks who helps to keep our government honest and pushes and prods to make sure that folks are true to progressive values, then [the president] thinks that those folks provide an invaluable service,” (Deputy Press Secretary Bill) Burton told reporters.

Contrast that to Obama's statement that Fox News has a "Point of view that... is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country"

It's rather unseemly that the White House is in the business of passing out gold stars to certain news organizations and lumps of coal to others. Of course this is nothing new for the Obama gang but it's not wearing any better with age or repetition.

There are only two instances I can really remember the Bush administration getting into it with specific news organizations. One was with NBC over the editing of an interview. In that case, the White House sent a letter to the network and in the other I think there was some back and forth with the NY Times over stories focusing on secret security programs. There may have been others (and I'm not talking about the normal granting of access type issues but public feuds) but I don't recall them.

The difference between this and the last administration (at least on this issue, there's obviously many more), Bush never called into question the legitimacy of either organization, just their judgment in very specific cases. I don't recall Bush saying CBS had an agenda in trying to swing the '04 election by broadcasting lies about his service in the Texas Air National Guard.

Obama however is a thin skinned whiner who simply can't rise above his training as a community organizer and Chicago pol to be President. If you want the big chair and all the vacation time that comes with it, that means you don't get to swing back every time someone takes a shot at you. You don't get to confer approval on the editorial direction of some news outlets and disapproval of others.

Well, obviously a President can do these things but in electing to do so, he once again demonstrates his unworthiness for the office.

Related: Media types are starting to get all worked up over the fact that FNC has a bunch of potential GOP presidential candidates on their payroll as commentators. I admit, it's a little hinkey for a news organization to have actual news-makers on the payroll but none of them are active candidates. Is that a bit of a charade? Sure and Fox (and the individuals) may or may not pay a price for that but as of now, none of the six people identified are candidates, so they are free to hire themselves out to Fox, just like supposed objective journalists are free to take money to go on Olbermann or Maddow's shows.

The real story is that journalists worried about FNC's roster of commentators don't seem to have much interest in the White House giving thumbs up/thumbs down to certain news organizations.

You have to be a fool or a liberal (no need to Venn diagram that one) to think FNC is more dangerous to the republic than an administration with an enemies list.

posted by DrewM. at 01:22 PM

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