Nets Take Last Shot at How Europeans Say Good Riddance to Bush --6/16/2008
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2. Stephanopoulos: Attacks on Obama Like 'Untrue' Anti-Kerry Charges
3. Goldberg Cites Russert's Call for Newsroom Ideological Diversity
4. Actor Jack Nicholson Keeps Donating to Left-Wing Losers
On ABC's World News, anchor Dan Harris maintained: "It is, perhaps, an understatement to say that Mr. Bush is unpopular in Europe right now." Reporter Jonathan Karl agreed "President Bush hasn't exactly received a warm farewell in Europe," but noted "it hasn't been a hostile one, either" and "that's a big change. Four years ago, as outrage over the Iraq war reached its peak, he was greeted with massive, sometimes violent protests, wherever he went." Today, however, "there are tourists, not protesters in Trafalgar Square. Part of the reason is resentment of the United States is starting to wane. Another is simply that Europe is already looking beyond President Bush." A Johns Hopkins professor charged that "George Bush is probably the most unpopular figures one can imagine, throughout the continent." After a clip of First Lady Laura Bush arguing her husband is "going to have an unbelievably great legacy, with the advantage of hindsight," Karl snidely observed: "Maybe. But he's got a long, long way to go." Plante's Pew numbers came from a Pew Global Attitudes Project survey released on June 12: pewglobal.org A CBS graphic showed those in Britain had more "confidence" in Obama over McCain to handle world affairs by 62 to 37 percent; 77 to 38 percent in France and 73 to 32 percent in Germany. Transcripts of the Sunday, June 15 stories on CBS and ABC (golf bumped the NBC Nightly News): # CBS Evening News:
RUSS MITCHELL: President Bush is due back at the White House tomorrow after his week-long trip to Europe. It has been a journey to say good-bye the allies that's brought strong reaction good and bad. Bill Plante is traveling with the President.
JONATHAN KARL: From the Queen, a warm welcome today at Windsor Castle. From the less lofty President Bush hasn't exactly received a warm farewell in Europe. But it hasn't been a hostile one, either. That's a big change. Four years ago, as outrage over the Iraq war reached its peak, he was greeted with massive, sometimes violent protests, wherever he went. In London's Trafalgar Square, they even tore down a mock statue of him. Today, there are tourists, not protesters in Trafalgar Square. Part of the reason is resentment of the United States is starting to wane. Another is simply that Europe is already looking beyond President Bush.
Both the Stephanopoulos segment and a previous piece by ABC reporter Jake Tapper discussed attacks and "unflattering and untrue" criticism of both Barack and Michelle Obama. Tapper observed that the candidate's wife has made some "controversial comments." However, Tapper, and later Stephanopoulos and GMA news anchor Chris Cuomo, failed to mention what those statements might be. To be fair, Tapper has previously highlighted Mrs. Obama's utterance that, with the 2008 campaign, "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country." But it would have been helpful to have played the clip on Friday's segment. After all, is there not a difference between Internet smears that the Illinois Senator is a secret Muslim and criticism of actual statements made on the campaign trail? [This item, by the MRC's Scott Whitlock, was posted Friday afternoon on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Blurring the lines, Cuomo began the first segment by lamenting: "Despite pledges for the campaign to be about issues, personal attacks are popping up on the internet." Tapper's piece stated that the Tennessee Republican Party ran "a Web ad against [Michelle Obama]." He didn't mention it, but that ad brought up the "proud of my country" comments. Now, contrast that statement, which was most definitely uttered by Mrs. Obama, with the ABC graphic that appeared during the piece: "Stopping the Smear Campaign: Obama Campaign Fights Rumors." It seems as though ABC is attempting to lump together all critiques on the Obamas as "rumors" and smears. A transcript of the Friday, June 13 segments, which aired at 7:13am:
CHRIS CUOMO: And now to the race to '08. Despite pledges for the campaign to be about issues, personal attacks are popping up on the internet. The presumptive Democratic nominee is taking unprecedented action this morning trying to squash rumors about his faith, his background, even his wife Michelle. Jake Tapper has more for us this morning from Chicago. Good morning, Jake.
CHRIS CUOMO: All right, Jake. Thank you for that. Let's get the bottom line on all of this. For that, we go to chief Washington correspondent, host of This Week, George Stephanopoulos. George, good morning. As always, good to have you.
Goldberg read aloud to the FNC audience a quote from Russert contained in an interview featured in Goldberg's 2003 book, Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite: Amazon's page for Goldberg's book: www.amazon.com [This item, by the MRC's Brent Baker, was posted Friday night on the MRC's blog, NewsBusters.org: newsbusters.org ] Goldberg's entire recollection from the Friday, June 13 O'Reilly Factor: He was one of the good guys. But the reason he was one of the good guys isn't simply because he knew his beat better than almost everybody else, he was one of the good guys because he was fair. He was a blue collar guy who understood America and Americans a lot better than a lot of other people who work in journalism. One of the things that he told me -- I did a long interview with him and published an entire -- I didn't want to take snippets out so I published the entire transcript of the interview. Let me read you a short segment here. This was about the need for real diversity in the newsroom that goes beyond the kind we have now. He said:
You know, I've spent much of the day listening to his colleagues say wonderful things about Russert and I'm glad for every word. But I wish his colleagues understood that part of Tim Russert, too. That he knew that we needed all kinds of people in journalism because if we didn't have it we were going to get one-sided journalism. We were going to get people who brought their biases to the stories. And he didn't. He didn't. He went out of his way to take a position, to look at a position, and say this is how I feel about it and that is totally irrelevant. That's what made him as important as he was. That he was fair. Goldberg's Web site: www.bernardgoldberg.com
Statement of Brent Bozell on the Death of Tim Russert:
"Whenever I've been asked to give examples of a fair, balanced and honest journalist, Tim Russert's name was the first name that came to mind. This was a view shared by everyone and was the ultimate testimony to his professionalism. As a moderator he was in a league of his own, always knowing when to speak and when to let his guests do the talking. As an individual he was an absolute class act, and always a gentleman. The world of journalism is vastly diminished today."
Then "he wrote $500 checks in February to the debt retirement efforts of Sens. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), both of whom left the race after dismal showings in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses" and, "finally, on Feb. 29, Nicholson picked a new presidential contender -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). Just days before her big primary wins in Ohio and Texas, Nicholson sent a check for $2,300, the maximum, to her campaign." In fact, "through the end of April, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was the only Democratic presidential contender from the House or Senate not to receive any financial support from the famed actor." But "this is hardly a new phenomenon for Nicholson," Akers and Kane recalled: "During the 2000 campaign, Nicholson backed former senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), giving him $1,000 for his unsuccessful bid for the nomination eventually won by former Vice President Al Gore." The June 12 Washington Post article: www.washingtonpost.com The Internet Movie Database's page for Nicholson: www.imdb.com -- Brent Baker
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Getting in some last shots at President Bush as his trip to Europe came to an end in London, CBS and ABC on Sunday night focused stories on Bush's unpopularity on the continent where "they're glad he's on his way out" and it's "an understatement to say that Mr. Bush is unpopular." CBS correspondent Bill Plante asserted "much of Europe thinks of Mr. Bush as a cowboy who has ridden roughshod over the wishes of his allies and they're glad he's on his way out," before the CBS Evening News featured a woman on the street who declared: "Good-bye. It was not fun. And I am looking forward to the change." Then viewers heard from protesters: "George Bush? Terrorist! George Bush? Terrorist!" Plante proceeded to highlight: 
PLANTE: But much of Europe thinks of Mr. Bush as a cowboy who has ridden roughshod over the wishes of his allies and they're glad he's on his way out. 
PLANTE: The appearance that Washington sets the agenda in Iraq and elsewhere reinforces the European view that Mr. Bush does what he pleases without regard to the feelings of his friends and allies. And according to a Pew Research Center poll out last week, Europeans -- a majority of Britons, French and Germans -- believe a new President means a better U.S. foreign policy, and for most Britons, French and Germans, Barack Obama's personal story and opposition to the war make him a heavy favorite over John McCain when it comes to their confidence in his handling of foreign policy. But there's also a dose of weary European realism. 
DAN HARRIS: It is, perhaps, an understatement to say that Mr. Bush is unpopular in Europe right now. That is something that he acknowledged, unapologetically, today. ABC's Jonathan Karl is traveling with the President. 
KARL: America's image may be improving, but Bush still isn't winning any popularity contests. 
On Friday's Good Morning America, former top Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos attacked criticism of Barack Obama as comparable to "the experience of the Michael Dukakis Democratic campaign in 1988, of John Kerry's campaign in 2004." In an apparent dig at the Swift Boat veterans and their criticism of John Kerry, the ex-Democratic official-turned journalist maligned the critics: "In both those cases, the Democratic candidates were attacked by unfair and untrue charges but failed to respond and lost the election." Stephanopoulos, who worked on the Dukakis campaign, didn't mention what "unfair and untrue" charges he was referring to regarding the '88 election. 
Appearing by phone on Friday's The O'Reilly Factor on FNC, former CBS News correspondent Bernard Goldberg recalled for fill-in host Laura Ingraham how Tim Russert recognized there should be more to newsroom diversity than just diversity by gender and skin tone, that "you need ideological diversity." Goldberg, who was forced out of CBS News after he pointed out their liberal bias, lamented: "I wish his colleagues understood that part of Tim Russert, too. That he knew that we needed all kinds of people in journalism because if we didn't have it we were going to get one-sided journalism." 
"I'm all for hiring women in the newsroom and minorities in the newsroom -- I'm all for it. It opens up our eyes and gives us a different perspective. But just as well, let's have people with military experience. Let's have people from all walks of life. People from the top echelon schools, but people from junior colleges and the so-called middling schools -- that's the rich pageantry of America. I'm a great believer in racial diversity and gender diversity, but you need cultural diversity, you need ideological diversity." And then he emphasized, Laura: "You need it." 
ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Media Research Center President Brent Bozell has issued the following statement regarding Tim Russert's passing: 
"When it comes to politics, [actor Jack] Nicholson may want to ponder his very own losing streak: He tends to back also-rans in Democratic presidential primary contests," the Washington Post's Mary Ann Akers and Paul Kane recounted in their "In the Loop" compilation on Thursday. They reported how "Nicholson's first choice was none other than Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). On Jan. 10, Nicholson cut a $500 check to Kucinich's presidential campaign -- barely a week before the diminutive lawmaker bowed out of the race." 
