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2. Klein Complains Bush is Causing France to be "Humiliated"
3. "Coalition of the Coerced" & Tax Cuts Contradict War on Terror
4. Lange "Resents" Equating of "Being Anti-War and Anti-American"
5. Vaughn & Grammer Show Not All Actors Enjoy Bashing America
>>> "2003 Dishonor Awards: Roasting the Most Outrageously Biased Liberal Reporters." CyberAlert subscribers can get tickets for $150, $25 off the regular price, for the Thursday, March 27 event in Washington, DC. For all the info and how to buy tickets:
CyberAlert reports, CBS adjusts. Monday's CyberAlert noted how CBS's Bill Plante maintained on Thursday night that "the nation remains almost equally divided on whether the administration has made the case for war" and "a solid majority of Americans...still thinks the President should get UN approval before taking military action," but that Plante ignored how that very same CBS News poll discovered respondents favored taking "military action to remove Saddam Hussein" by 69 to 26 percent and it found significant reductions from the previous week in the percentage of people who think the U.S. should "wait for UN approval" or "take allies' views into account," and hikes in the percentage who want the U.S. to take action "without UN approval" or "do whatever it thinks is right." See: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030310.asp#6 [2] Fast forward to Monday night, and Plante returned to the CBS Evening News to relay numbers from a fresh CBS poll taken over the weekend. This time he acknowledged how "support for taking military action soon has risen by nine points since last week" and Dan Rather followed up by pointing out how the poll found "Americans losing patience with the United Nations -- 58 percent now say the UN is doing a poor job of handling Iraq." But, old habits die hard. Plante emphasized how "a majority still favors giving UN inspectors more time," yet skipped over how the poll determined, as reported on the CBS New Web site, that "55 percent would still approve of military action against Iraq even if the UN did not support a U.S.-sponsored resolution to take such action." Plus, once again, CBS refused to tell viewers that its respondents favor military action against Iraq by 66 to 30 percent and a majority "are confident Bush will make the right decisions" on Iraq. Plante announced on the March 10 CBS Evening News that the new CBS News poll taken over weekend found "support for taking military action soon has risen by nine points since last week [on screen: from 35 up to 44 percent], though a majority still favors giving UN inspectors more time [52 percent, down from 60 percent]. Half the nation now sees Iraq as an immediate threat to the U.S., one which requires military action [50 percent]. But a majority would be more comfortable if the administration took the allies' views into account [60 percent.]" Rather followed up: "That CBS News/New York Times poll Bill mentioned finds Americans losing patience with the United Nations -- 58 percent now say the UN is doing a poor job of handling Iraq. That is up 10 points in the past month. As for the impact of a war with Iraq, 40 percent of Americans believe it will hurt the U.S. economy. 55 percent believe it will lead to more terror attacks against the United States." A check of the CBS News Web site uncovered some interesting pro-war findings the Evening News skipped over: -- "Military Action Against Iraq: Without UN approval: -- "Are You Confident Bush Will Make the Right Decisions... For the rundown of the poll results:
Time columnist Joe Klein fumed on Monday's Today that President Bush is forcing a vote at the UN "which will either result in...France being humiliated or the United States being humiliated. I can't recall another time that the President of the United States...has forced a situation like this. It's really remarkable." Indeed it is remarkable that anyone thinks France is being "humiliated" by Bush. France has shown itself plenty capable of self-humiliation. Klein also claimed, during a discussion with Matt Lauer which MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens observed, that Bush "doesn't seem to have much of a style of diplomacy." Klein appeared to discuss his piece in the latest Time, "The Poker Player in Chief: Joe Klein argues that the strength of Bush's confidence could be his undoing." It's online at: Lauer introduced Klein on the March 10 Today: "In his prime time news conference last week President Bush dared some of America's allies at the UN to vote against a new resolution authorizing force saying, 'it's time for them to show their cards.' Time magazine columnist Joe Klein calls the President the 'Poker Player-In- Chief,' in the current issue of Time magazine. Joe, good to see you, good morning."
The coalition behind Bush's Iraq policy is only "a coalition of the coerced," Time's John Dickerson asserted on Sunday's Chris Matthews Show while CBS's Bob Schieffer blamed Bush's opposition to Kyoto for losing the Germans before he admonished that "you can't tell people one day that we gotta defeat terrorism and that it poses this grave threat to us but then the next day tell us, 'well we can do it with business as usual and cut taxes.'" MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens caught the comments on the half-hour syndicated Sunday show hosted by Matthews. Time's Dickerson insisted: "One thing where it may have slipped up a little bit is the President believed if he put his chest forward they would be able to bring more people on and there's been a bit of a failure in that regard that they should have a larger coalition of the willing. To the extent they have a coalition it's a coalition of the coerced." Schieffer soon opined: "Well I, I, I think that, that he might have done a better job with the Germans. I think he may be by, you know, not stressing this unilateral actions, like with the Kyoto Treaty and things like that. But frankly I'm not sure he could have done anything that would change the French from being the French."
Schieffer also saw a disconnect between fighting terrorism and cutting taxes, but naturally did not suggest cutting any spending: As if Schieffer's main concern is Bush's "message."
Jessica Lange who, upset by President Bush's Iraq policy, charged during a press conference at a film festival in Spain last September that "it is an embarrassing time to be an American.... it's humiliating," complained on Monday's Late Show that "the thing I resent most is...some kind of equation between being anti-war and anti-American." Lange's concern for being considered "unpatriotic" came during an interview with Late Show guest host Whoopi Goldberg, who was filling in for David Letterman who remains at home because of shingles.
MRC analyst Brad Wilmouth took down the discussion, on the March 10 Late Show on CBS, about Lange's anti-war political activities and public reaction to it:
Goldberg: "I saw you this morning in front of the UN. I was really proud to see you doing this press conference. Now, it's funny, because whenever you watch things, whenever you watch famous people talking about things that are near and dear to their heart, we always see these polls that come out, you know, they're so and so, and they poll immediately. And why do you think that whenever famous people get involved in things like anti-war movements or things that mean something in the world, people start to get nervous about it? Because they use us to sell cars and stuff." Lange's concern for being seen as "anti-American" comes six months after, from abroad, she denounced U.S. policy and declared "it is an embarrassing time to be an American." She made her comments during a September 25 press conference at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain where she received a lifetime achievement award. A week or so later, the syndicated program Inside Edition played video soundbites of her pronouncements:
-- On George W. Bush: "I despise him. I despise his administration and everything they stand for." For more about that piece, including a RealPlayer clip of part of the Inside Edition story, as well as summaries and links to other stories at the time about her comments, see the October 7 CyberAlert: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20021007.asp#5 [5] For a rundown of Lange's career, see her Internet Movie Database page: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Lange,+Jessica [6] She's presently making the media rounds (she also appeared Monday night on CNN's NewsNight) to plug her new HBO movie set to debut this Sunday, Normal, in which she plays the wife of a man who decides to become a woman. HBO's summary of the movie: An official selection at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, this HBO Films production adapted by Jane Anderson from her acclaimed play mixes humor, drama, and tenderness in telling the story of a seemingly "normal" Midwestern factory worker who stuns his family and community by revealing he wants a sex change operation. Roy Applewood's outrageous news shocks and angers Irma, his wife of 25 years. Despite his insistence that he wants the family to stay together, she kicks him out of the house. Their adolescent daughter, Patty Ann, takes the news more in stride as she is discovering the awkwardness of her own burgeoning sexuality. However, nothing in his career as a rock roadie has prepared the couple's grown son, Wayne, for dealing with his father's decision. As Roy begins exploring the accoutrements of being a woman (from perfume to breasts) he faces ostracism within the community and ridicule on the job. But, he also finds compassion from unlikely sources, such as his boss, who is beginning to take an interest in Irma. Ultimately, the family struggles to understand Roy's decision and he and Irma discover that love can transcend both the genders we're born with and the ones we choose.... END Excerpt from HBO Web site That's at: http://www.hbo.com/films/normal/synopsis/ [7] The main page for Normal, which premieres Sunday, March 16 at 10pm EST/PST: http://www.hbo.com/films/normal/ [8] My advice to Lange: If you don't want people to consider you "anti-American," don't say "it is a humiliating time to be an American." Pretty simple.
Not all Hollywood celebrities are as embarrassed about U.S. policy toward Iraq as Lange. Asked outside of the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night about the war, Kelsey Grammer professed support for it and Vince Vaughn, who is scheduled to be the guest host of the Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday night (tonight), had a regular comeback when he was in England, USA Today disclosed, for those who denounced America: "I'd ask folks to think about the Marshall Plan a bit and get back to me." Even Rob Lowe, who has been a co-star with Martin Sheen on NBC's The West Wing, said on FNC last week that you must support "those amazing men and women" deployed to the Persian Gulf and that "the best way you can do that is to get behind the most visible embodiment of them, and that's the Commander-in-Chief." -- Monday's Access Hollywood ran very brief clips from actors walking into the Screen Actors Guild Award event on Sunday night. One was pro, three were anti: # Kelsey Grammer, star of NBC's Frasier: "I'm pro, that simple." # Nicholas Cage: "I'm not happy about the possibility of people dying." # Jennifer Anniston, of NBC's Friends: "Seems like there's a big fight to not have that happen, which is good." # Bradley Whitford, who plays "Josh Lyman" on NBC's The West Wing: "I think it's important when the drums of war are beating to remind people that peace is an option." Inside Edition showed video of Martin Sheen sporting a dove of peace on his lapel.
-- Whitford is out of step with Lowe who, MRC analyst Patrick Gregory noticed, said he would stand by the President in a time of war, stating on the March 3 Fox and Friends on FNC: For a picture of Lowe, who played "Sam Seaborn" on The West Wing: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Lowe,+Rob [9] -- "Ugly sentiments sting American tourists," read the headline over March 3 USA Today front page story which included a pro-American retort from actor Vince Vaughn. An excerpt from the story by Marco R. della Cava: As an A-list celebrity, actor Vince Vaughn employs an array of weapons to cope with hecklers, from a Saharan wit to a waiting limo. But during a movie shoot recently in England, Vaughn found himself repeatedly reaching for the same comeback. Three totemic words from the attic of history: the Marshall Plan. "I'd say one in three conversations wound up the same way, basically that 'America is the devil.' So I'd ask folks to think about the Marshall Plan a bit and get back to me," says Vaughn, 32, referring to the Allied blueprint for the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. "In the end, though, I just had to tell people, 'I'm not having this discussion anymore.'" But if you're heading overseas, be prepared to have it. Again and again. If the past 100 years were widely considered the American Century, this new one is fast shaping up as the Anti-American Century. Just ask tourist Colleen Frost, 33, who hopped into a cab recently on her first day in Berlin. An English-speaking driver demanded an explanation for what he called "America's megalomania."... During Vaughn's stay in England, he found himself criticized on all those levels. Like a boxer countering each blow, he shot back with the best responses he could. Sometimes the complaints left him speechless, like the time he was told "'America had no culture' by a kid wearing a Kobe Bryant T-shirt and listening to rapper DMX." But one incident really stung. "Man, it was bad," says the Rat Pack-y star of Swingers. "These girls saw us and were kind of flirting, and they kept asking us if we were American. Finally we said, 'Yes,' and they just took off. "One girl turns and says, 'We were hoping you were Canadian.' Canadian? Since when was it cooler to be Canadian?" END of Excerpt
For the story in its entirety: For a picture of Vaughn and a listing of his acting credits, see his Internet Movie Database page: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Vaughn,+Vince [11] He's a co-star of the currently-playing movie, Old School. The guests scheduled for the Tuesday, March 11 Late Show guest-hosted by Vaughn: Angie Harmon, Geri Halliwell and Paul Simon. Too bad the scheduling didn't work out so that Vaughn was the host on Lange's night. -- Brent Baker [12]
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Goldberg revealed that she shares Lange's worldview. Goldberg praised Lange for participating in anti-liberation of Iraq protest: "I saw you this morning in front of the UN. I was really proud to see you doing this press conference." Goldberg assured Lange: "I believe a lot of people are listening, more people than the polls say."