Couric Mimics Potential GOP Ad: 'John Kerry Insults the Troops' --11/1/2006

1. Couric Mimics Potential GOP Ad: 'John Kerry Insults the Troops'
During a discussion on Tuesday's CBS Evening News about John Kerry's seeming insult of troops in Iraq, anchor Katie Couric invoked a deep voice as she mimicked an imaginary possible Republican ad of the future: "John Kerry insults the troops. Do we really want the Dems to take over?" Couric offered her impersonation, an odd persona to be assumed by a broadcast network anchor, during a segment with former Clinton Press Secretary Mike McCurry and former Bush Communications Director Nicolle Wallace. McCurry, confident the media will quickly move on, had predicted: "By this time tomorrow night people won't remember what John Kerry said because the story line will move on and they're be talking about Iraq and how badly the war is going..." Couric turned to Wallace and set up her impersonation of the announcer in an anti-Democratic ad: "Will this really be forgotten by this time tomorrow? Do you think Republican operatives are putting this comment into political campaigns all over the country?" AUDIO&VIDEO

2. Gibson: Kerry's Dumb 'Get Stuck In Iraq' Merely an 'Idle Remark'
Introducing the lead story on Tuesday's World News about John Kerry's seeming insult of troops in Iraq -- or at the very least that Bush is stupid -- ABC anchor Charles Gibson characterized it as merely an "idle political remark" as he fretted the attention it got from alternative media outlets and how that crowded out other issues: "What happened today is an object lesson in how in this day and age, an idle political remark gets seized upon, becomes fodder for the talk shows, the blogs, and the politicians, and suddenly obscures discussion of all other issues." Following the story by Jake Tapper, which included shots of the MRC's NewsBusters blog, Gibson pressed George Stephanopoulos about presumed White House duplicity: "George, does anyone at the White House really think that Senator Kerry was in some way denigrating the intelligence of American troops?" Stephanopoulos assured him: "Not exactly, but they don't think it's their job to give John Kerry the benefit of the doubt."

3. Bush Team 'Stupid' on Kerry, Laura Bush in 'Gutter' Over Fox Ads
On Tuesday's Countdown, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann came to the defense of Senator John Kerry in the aftermath of the Democratic Senator's comment that those who don't study and get an education "get stuck in Iraq," interpreted by many as an attack on the intelligence of American soldiers. As Olbermann contended that the comment was really meant to be an attack on President Bush's intelligence, Olbermann accused the Bush team of being "stupid" for not seeing Kerry's comments as an attack on the President: "Kerry called them stupid, and they were too stupid to know he called them stupid." Olbermann later charged that First Lady Laura Bush had "gotten into the gutter" and suggested she may have "gone deeper into the muck than Limbaugh" because of her recent comments regarding actor Michael J. Fox's political activities, that it is "easy to manipulate people's feelings...when you're talking about diseases that are so difficult."

4. Today Show Goes on the Campaign Trail with Michael J. Fox
On Tuesday's Today show, NBC's David Gregory interviewed Michael J. Fox in what was essentially a campaign ad for Democrats and embryonic stem cell research. Gregory went "on the trail" with Fox in Columbus, Ohio in a segment that, with the exception of a very brief soundbite from the President, played like one of those Democratic Convention PR videos. Gregory let Fox preach for embryonic stem cell research without contradiction as Fox declared: "By most polls 70 percent of Americans are in favor of this issue so, in a way it's put up or shut up time. I mean if you really believe this, we're waiting for you." And while it's perfectly fine and expected to have sympathy for Fox, it's quite different for Gregory to cheer on Fox's agenda, as NBC's White House correspondent seemed to do when he left viewers with how "the bottom line is that people are paying attention and a week out from the election and that's a good thing, he thinks."

5. ABC Shows MRC Blog: 'Conservative Blogs Had Field Day' with Kerry
In the lead story on Tuesday's World News about White House reaction to John Kerry's Monday remark -- "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq" -- ABC's Jake Tapper twice showed brief shots of the MRC's NewsBusters blog. The images appeared on screen as Tapper reported: "Kerry says he was referring to the President, not the troops, but that didn't stop the Republican PR machine from moving into high gear. Early this morning, after those remarks appeared in local newspapers and the video popped up on YouTube, conservative blogs and talk radio had a field day." The first shot of the NewsBusters page showed part of a blog posting on Kerry's remarks and the second was of the NewsBusters banner -- in Halloween-matching orange. AUDIO&VIDEO

Couric Mimics Potential GOP Ad: 'John
Kerry Insults the Troops'

[This item was posted, with video, Tuesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org. The video/audio will be added to the posted version of this CyberAlert, but in the meantime, to watch the Real or Windows Media or to listen to the MP3 audio, go to: newsbusters.org ]

At a campaign even on Monday in California for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, Kerry remarked: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq" CBS, as well as ABC and NBC, led Tuesday with the White House criticism of Kerry for ridiculing the troops. Kerry maintained it was a mangled joke about Bush bing too stupid to avoid getting mired in Iraq.

A portion of Couric's session with McCurry (from DC) and Wallace (in studio) on the October 31 CBS Evening News:

Katie Couric: "Mike, how annoyed are Democrats that John Kerry got off-message with this?"
Mike McCurry: "Look, by this time tomorrow night people won't remember what John Kerry said because the story line will move on and they're be talking about Iraq and how badly the war is going and why we need a new direction. So, Iraq in the news is not a bad thing for Democrats."
Couric to Nicolle Wallace: "Will this really be forgotten by this time tomorrow? Do you think Republican operatives are putting these, this comment into political campaigns all over the country -- [Couric switched to deep voice as her head leaned down] 'John Kerry insults the troops. Do we really want the Dems to take over?'"
Nicolle Wallace: "Yeah, I don't think that's happening and I agree John Kerry will probably be off the airwaves by tomorrow night..."

Gibson: Kerry's Dumb 'Get Stuck In Iraq'
Merely an 'Idle Remark'

Introducing the lead story on Tuesday's World News about John Kerry's seeming insult of troops in Iraq -- or at the very least that Bush is stupid -- ABC anchor Charles Gibson characterized it as merely an "idle political remark" as he fretted the attention it got from alternative media outlets and how that crowded out other issues: "What happened today is an object lesson in how in this day and age, an idle political remark gets seized upon, becomes fodder for the talk shows, the blogs, and the politicians, and suddenly obscures discussion of all other issues." Following the story by Jake Tapper, which included shots of the MRC's NewsBusters blog (see item #5 below with video and screen capture), Gibson pressed George Stephanopoulos about presumed White House duplicity: "George, does anyone at the White House really think that Senator Kerry was in some way denigrating the intelligence of American troops?" Stephanopoulos assured him: "Not exactly, but they don't think it's their job to give John Kerry the benefit of the doubt."

[This item was posted late Tuesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

At a Monday campaign event for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, held at Pasadena City College, Kerry asserted: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." Kerry claims it was a mangled joke about Bush getting stuck in Iraq.

The MRC's Brad Wilmouth took down how Gibson opened the October 31 World News:
"Good evening. One week before the election, you'd have thought today we were approaching the 2004 presidential election, not the 2006 off-year election. One week before the election, you'd have thought today it was Kerry v. Bush all over again. And what happened today is an object lesson in how in this day and age, an idle political remark gets seized upon, becomes fodder for the talk shows, the blogs, and the politicians, and suddenly obscures discussion of all other issues. We start with our senior political correspondent, Jake Tapper."

Following Tapper, Gibson turned to Stephanopoulos:
"George, does anyone at the White House really think that Senator Kerry was in some way denigrating the intelligence of American troops?"
George Stephanopoulos: "Not exactly, but they don't think it's their job to give John Kerry the benefit of the doubt. And as one top official told me, you know, even in the best case he was calling the President dumb. What this gives them an opening to do, though, is to fit in with the strategy of the week: rile up their conservative base voters. They spent almost $200 million in 2004 getting that base to hate John Kerry. They're happy to run that race again. Here's the caveat: Every day that the President and Republicans are talking about Iraq is not necessarily a good day. That's been the big anchor."

Bush Team 'Stupid' on Kerry, Laura Bush
in 'Gutter' Over Fox Ads

On Tuesday's Countdown, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann came to the defense of Senator John Kerry in the aftermath of the Democratic Senator's comment that those who don't study and get an education "get stuck in Iraq," interpreted by many as an attack on the intelligence of American soldiers. As Olbermann contended that the comment was really meant to be an attack on President Bush's intelligence, Olbermann accused the Bush team of being "stupid" for not seeing Kerry's comments as an attack on the President: "Kerry called them stupid, and they were too stupid to know he called them stupid." Olbermann later charged that First Lady Laura Bush had "gotten into the gutter" and suggested she may have "gone deeper into the muck than Limbaugh" because of her recent comments regarding actor Michael J. Fox's political activities, that it is "easy to manipulate people's feelings...when you're talking about diseases that are so difficult."

[This item, by Brad Wilmouth, was posted late Tuesday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]

As Olbermann teased the October 31 show, he played a clip of Kerry's comments as the Countdown host charged that the Bush team were either "stupid" for misunderstanding or were intentionally trying to exploit the gaffe for "more false flag-waving."

John Kerry: "Education, if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
Olbermann: "The White House response: It's either too stupid to realize John Kerry referred to President Bush and not the troops, or it's too sharp not to try to turn it into more false flag-waving."

Later in the teaser, Olbermann accused Laura Bush of "getting into the gutter" for her comments on Michael J. Fox: "Even the First Lady gets into the gutter, accusing Michael J. Fox of being part of the manipulation of people's feelings."

Olbermann introduced the show by accusing President Bush's team of being "stupid" for not realizing Kerry was calling them "stupid." Olbermann: "Senator John Kerry has, in essence, called out President Bush for not being smart, not studying, and being intellectually lazy. And the President and his minions have replied by demanding that Kerry apologize -- to the troops in Iraq. Kerry called them stupid, and they were too stupid to know he called them stupid."

After playing a clip of Kerry's controversial comment followed by soundbites of condemnations from Bush and White House spokesman Tony Snow, Olbermann introduced clips of Kerry's response to the White House, referring to the Democratic Senator being "unwilling to take abuse." Olbermann: "The only evident difference between the final week of this campaign and that of the 2004 race for President, Senator Kerry's unwillingness to take the abuse. His retort almost melted the videotape."

Olbermann brought aboard Dana Milbank of the Washington Post to further discuss the day's political news, and asked Milbank if there were "any question" that the White House was manufacturing a windfall" out of Kerry's gaffe. Milbank agreed with Olbermann's theory and went on to accuse Karl Rove of biannually concocting a "made-for-Fox-News Halloween thriller."

Olbermann: "When you consider that the question about this at the briefing this morning was asked by Bret Baier of Fox News to Tony Snow, Fox News alumni, and that the President rewrote a section of his stump speech at the eleventh hour in Georgia to include those comments about Senator Kerry, is there any question that the White House is not just enjoying a windfall here, but actually manufacturing a windfall?"
Dana Milbank, Washington Post: "Well, of course it's manufactured. It's sort of this made-for-Fox-News Halloween thriller. It only runs in even years, but Karl Rove casts some spell, John Kerry turns into the Grim Reaper, and the Democrats all look as if they've seen a ghost."

Olbermann then questioned whether the Bush team really are "that stupid" in interpreting Kerry's comments as an attack on the troops, or whether they were just "pretending." Olbermann: "There seems, though, to have been a pattern in this administration. Criticism of the administration is turned by the administration into criticism of the troops. But at the White House, at least regarding this, they don't really believe that Kerry attacked the troops, do they? I mean, they're not that, to use his words, crazy, and to use mine, they're not that stupid. They're pretending. Please tell me they're pretending!"

Olbermann later proceeded to the story of Michael J. Fox's recent responses to Rush Limbaugh's criticism of his political activities. As he introduced a story by correspondent David Gregory, Olbermann charged that Laura Bush's recent comments about Fox "may have gone deeper into the muck even than Limbaugh himself."

Olbermann: "Even for Rush Limbaugh, it was embarrassing. Not merely mocking a victim of a terrifying degenerative disease, not merely accusing that victim of exaggerating it, not merely reminding any listener of his own history by referring to going off medication, but being videotaped while he said so. In our fourth story on the Countdown, the saga of Michael J. Fox's political advocacy of stem cell research, bipartisan advocacy that has included doing commercials for the likes of Republican Senator Arlen Specter. And now someone may have gone deeper into the muck even than Limbaugh himself, someone of previously nearly impeccable reputation asked about Mr. Fox and his political advertisements."
Laura Bush: "It's always easy to manipulate people's feelings when they're, especially when you're talking about diseases that are so difficult."
Olbermann: "One wonders where she might have gotten the idea that, quote, 'It's always easy to manipulate people's feelings.' With Mr. Fox, our chief White House correspondent David Gregory."

Today Show Goes on the Campaign Trail
with Michael J. Fox

On Tuesday's Today show, NBC's David Gregory interviewed Michael J. Fox in what was essentially a campaign ad for Democrats and embryonic stem cell research. Gregory went "on the trail" with Fox in Columbus, Ohio in a segment that, with the exception of a very brief soundbite from the President, played like one of those Democratic Convention PR videos.

Gregory let Fox preach for embryonic stem cell research without contradiction as Fox declared: "By most polls 70 percent of Americans are in favor of this issue so, in a way it's put up or shut up time. I mean if you really believe this, we're waiting for you." And while it's perfectly fine and expected to have sympathy for Fox, it's quite different for Gregory to cheer on Fox's agenda, as NBC's White House correspondent seemed to do when he left viewers with how "Fox believes this is such an important time and important election because, Meredith, he thinks they're getting closer in the community to getting the kind of support in Congress to actually override the President's opposition to expanded stem cell research using embryos....The bottom line is that people are paying attention and a week out from the election and that's a good thing, he thinks."

[This item, by Geoffrey Dickens, was posted Tuesday morning on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ]
The following is the full segment that aired in the 7:30am half hour of the October 31 Today:

Meredith Vieira: "If Michael J. Fox didn't know it before he does now. Politics is a take no prisoners business. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh accused him of exploiting his Parkinson's disease as he campaigns for Democrats who support embryonic stem cell research. Well on Monday NBC's chief White House correspondent David Gregory caught up with the actor turned activist on the campaign trail. Good morning, David."

David Gregory: "Good morning, Meredith. You're right, Michael J. Fox knows just a week before the election that he has become a lightning rod in this campaign but for all the hits he's taken over the past week he tells us he simply hopes voters are listening to his message."
Michael J. Fox shaking hands with Gregory: "How are you?"
Gregory: "David, good to see you."
Fox: "Yeah good to see you."
Gregory: "Monday morning, Columbus, Ohio. Week two in the political crossfire for Michael J. Fox. You feel like you've been roughed up?"
Fox: "The only thing that [inaudible] is you know you bring the message and you hope to discuss it on its merits but considering American politics it's not gonna happen."
Gregory: "At an event in support of expanded embryonic stem cell research for Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, Fox announced that being in Columbus was a homecoming of sorts."
Fox: "Columbus is the home of Alex Keaton and the Keatons of Ohio."
[Clip from Family Ties]
Gregory: "On Family Ties Fox was Alex Keaton, a conservative poster boy. Now, however, it's conservatives taking aim at him over his support for candidates who back stem cell research."
Fox in ad: "What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans like me."
Rush Limbaugh in studio: "He is moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act."
Gregory: "In his most pointed rebuttal yet Fox answered those critics, including Rush Limbaugh, who later apologized for suggesting that Fox was faking his tremors."
Fox: "I guess I'm, I'm not supposed to speak with you until my symptoms go away or maybe I'm just supposed to go away but I'm not gonna go away."
Gregory: "Later Fox argued it would be wrong to hide his symptoms. The symptoms are part of the message right?"
Fox: "The reaction is almost appropriate, in a way, because that's the point. The point is here we are, we're doing this and, and we're dealing with these, these illnesses and the, these symptoms and these conditions and we, you know, we have two choices. We can either, [be] ourselves, or we just go away. And we, we send polite notes."
Gregory: "Fox explained that the symptoms, critics claimed he manipulated by going off his medication, were actually the result of his medication. The drugs make him shift in his chair but they prevent the tremors."
Fox: "Well I want comfort. I just want to be comfortable. I don't want to be bouncing around, I don't want to be, you know, spilling my drink. I don't want to be, you know, driving myself to the point of insanity trying to tie my tie or, or, or shave or, you known, any of that stuff."
Gregory: "But it looks like it's exhausting."
Fox: "Well it is exhausting."
Gregory: "At times so is the politics of stem cell research. Opponents of using embryos left over in fertility clinics for stem cell research, including the President-"
George W. Bush: "It crosses a moral boundary."
Gregory: "-argue it's wrong to take a life in order to save lives."
Fox: "But still hundreds of thousands of these, of these potential lives are being destroyed routinely and have been for years."
Gregory: "This is a wedge issue now and you are a lightning rod."
Fox: "By most polls 70 percent of Americans are in favor of this issue so, in a way it's put up or shut up time. I mean if you really believe this, we're waiting for you."
Gregory: "We see your optimism, we see your courage, your commitment, your activism. What don't we see?"
Fox: "I get scared and I guess that's about, about it. I've, there's not much people don't know."
Gregory: "For people who look at you and they say to themselves, he looks like he's gotten worse, have you?"
Fox: "Sure, it's a progressive disease. I'm not getting any better. For me, unique to my situation it's a gift. It's a gift that keeps on taking but it's a gift."
Gregory: "And you wouldn't go back?"
Fox: "I, no, I wouldn't go back. It's, it, the path it's put me on has been so amazing."
Gregory: "And Fox believes this is such an important time and important election because, Meredith, he thinks they're getting closer in the community to getting the kind of support in Congress to actually override the President's opposition to expanded stem cell research using embryos."

Vieira to Gregory: "But does he worry, at all, that the focus is too much on him and not enough on the issue?"
Gregory: "Well he does and he's tried to deflect some of that attention. I think we found this week that he's actually speaking out and responding to critics a little bit more specifically. But the bottom line is that people are paying attention and a week out from the election and that's a good thing, he thinks."
Vieira: "David Gregory, thanks so much."

ABC Shows MRC Blog: 'Conservative Blogs
Had Field Day' with Kerry

A screen shot and video clip will be added to the posted version of this CyberAlert, but to see them in the meantime: newsbusters.org

-- Brent Baker