Taking It To The Milbank

There are a lot of postings on the topic of the Huffington Post's Nico Pitney giving a verbal smackdown to the WaPo's smarmy columnist Dana Milbank. In brief, Pitney responded to Milbank's misleading and snarky column suggesting that Pitney was "planted" by the Obama Administration to ask a question at last week's press conference. Pitney pointed out the errors in Milbank's account, and went on to remind viewers of Milbank's fawning over Preznit Chimpy during the first weeks of the Iraq War. You have to see the exchange.

The mainstream media Villagers are resentful of the access that non-traditional media have in the Obama Administration. It's reminiscent of the last years of the Clinton Administration, when Village elders such as David "Broderella" Broder and Sally "I Slept With The Boss" Quinn finally boiled over after years of having the Clintons decline to attend their Georgetown soirees, and engage in gossipy chit chat with them. Obama and his staff are wise to them, and he's signaling that they're not the royality of Washington any more.

EXTRA: Digby has more on the morons like Milbank and his WaPo co-Villager Ceci "No!No!" Connolly.

(photo: Dana Milbank, serious journalist)

Villager Cokie: "Journalistic Ambien"

Jack Shafer at Slate.com has a razor sharp piece on Villager emeritus Cokie "Okie Dokie" Roberts' NPR stints. We've long noticed Cokie's (hmmm, coke - e) narcotic effect on Steponaflagpinopolous' Sunday morning gas bubble, This Week. Rarely one with an original thought, Cokie likes to parrot whatever last month's conventional wisdom was, attempting to sell it as fresh insight. Shafer hits the Villager on the head when he refers to Cokie's morning radio rap as "journalistic Ambien." One hopes that drivers listening to her won't fall asleep at the wheel.

Twittering Into Irrelevancy

James Wolcott's blast at the Beltway media and punditocracy in Vanity Fair is today's reading assignment. The article begins with:

"Washington has always been out of synch with the rest of America, but since Obama's election, pundits seem more stubbornly and stupendously irrelevant than ever. Have three decades of being wired for Republican power blown their jittery, Twittering minds?"

Wolcott has the DC politico/journalist environment nailed, as he swiftly skewers such fixtures as David "Dancin' Dave" Gregory and George "Quill Pen" Will. All issues are seen through the prism of "bipartisanship" (that is, cooperate with obstructionist Rethugs or else) and the daily news cycle idiocy (who won, who lost, who's up, who's down). That the American voter has overwhelmingly chosen Democratic policies in two consecutive elections is lost on the Beltway grandees, who must think this Democratic business is just a passing fad and await the Rethug restoration. . .any decade now.

"Deep Thoughts," by Mark Halperin

No less an expert on "media bias" than Mark "Asshat" Halperin is now offering up his "thoughts" on the "extreme" media bias in favor of Obama. Asshat was polishing his glass belly button from the inside when the following pro-Obama stories occupied endless media hours: Rev. Jeremiah Wright, flagpin, bitter people clinging to guns and religion, shouldn't Obama be doing much better in the polls, the phone call at 3 a.m., Obama's illegal alien aunt, and of course, Obama: Muslim terrorist, or simply Muslim? John Cole nails Asshat along with some of his fellow snivelers, all of whom demonstrably had man-crushes on McMaverick, or would for anyone with an "R" next to his name.

Just more "working the refs" from the right wing propagandists.

More On Why It's 50/50 (Or Worse)

Not to belabor our point earlier (ok, we will), but Adam McKay has a piece today that elaborates somewhat on the post-RNC-Palin bounce, and why we're seeing McBush riding so high when, in reality, he's just more of the same discredited, exhausted Rethug corpus, only much older.

(Oh, and this, too. Is anyone in the Obama/Biden camp reading this?)

First Night

Last night at the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama were up to bat, and both hit home runs. Kennedy provided the emotional charge for the evening, who continues to pass the Kennedy mantle to Obama: "The work begins anew, the hope rises again, and the dream lives on." (Shakesville has all the videos, if you're so inclined.)

What can you say about Michelle Obama, the Obama children and the interplay with their dad? By all measures, her speech was a smash, honest and personal, portraying the real person rather than the caricature the wingnuts and their media handmaidens have tried to paint.

Speaking of which, as usual, the numbnut cable tools were trying to generate buzz about the Obama- Clinton dynamic. Cooler heads like NBC/ MSNBC's Chuck Todd were cautioning that in a week or so, he doubted anyone would think that was "the story" coming out of the convention. That wouldn't stop the Fux Folks, Fux-Lite (CNN's Wolfie Blitzer and the "Best Team of Hacks on Teevee") from energetically pushing the meme. We wonder if they will be equally interested when the Rethug convention rolls around next week. As Daily Kos notes today, the Rethugs have issues of their own.

Wanker of the Week

We stumbled onto George Steponaflagpinopolous' teevee gig today to see how the punditz would assess the Obama-Biden ticket, and other stuff. First of all, aside from Donna Brazile, has there ever been such a collection of mutts in one place? You had the Georgies (Prissy & Teeny), Obama vacation adviser Okie Dokey Cokie, and finally, our Wanker of the Week, Mark Halperin. Balloon Juice beat us to the punch in awarding Halperin their own special award, and for capturing how Halperin just can't hide his love of all things McBush (P.O.W.!), including his four/ seven/ ten (but who's counting) homes. Move aside, Matt Drudge! Now it's McBush (P.O.W.!) who rules Mark's world!

David Gregory, Turdblossom's BFF

Why is it that whenever we see NBC/MSNBC's David Gregory, we picture him running around the track at Pimlico and then chowing down to some oats? Hmmm. Anyway, on Friday, Seabiscuit -er, Gregory - tried his best to link Obama and Democrats to the John Edwards affair. Media Matters has the evidence.

That's one more reason why every time we see him on teevee, Gregory is someone we "struggle to overcome."

(Photo: AFP/Getty Images - David "Giddyup" Gregory, at left, gettin' down with his buddy DJ Karl "Turdlossom" Rove)

Monday Media Hangover

It ususally takes us a day to recover from Sunday's gab fests in which our esteemed Beltway punditocracy expound on what they think are major issues (Edwards' affair, is Obama "arrogant," are Bill and Hillary still mad, McSame's a great guy, etc. etc.). They typically frame these discussions as "what Americans are talking about" when it's really all about what fellow Villagers - - media elite in DC - - spend their time gossiping about. The credit and housing crises and gasoline prices don't touch their lives or huge incomes.

Take for example Cokie "Okie Dokie" Roberts. She's Village royalty, having both a political (father was former Louisiana congressman Hale Boggs) and a media pedigree. In her appearance on ABC's This Week, she said that Sen. Obama shouldn't have picked Hawaii as his vacation spot (despite the fact that his grandmother is there, and he lived there for some time): "too exotic" she thinks. Better that he go to Myrtle Beach, SC, according to her. Actually, Okie Dokie should leave her Village bubble and journey to Kansas, or Georgia, or Connecticut and talk to real people with real problems, and not worry so much about where Obama goes on vacation. Her appearances on Sunday talk shows might improve, but don't bet on it.

(photo: Okie Dokie discussing Village chatter about John Edwards' "endowment")

How True

Sen. Barack Obama today on Republicans:

"They're very good at negative campaigning. They're not so good at governing."

Of course, with the ever-willing "main stream media" available to keep its thumb on the scale for the Rethugs.

McBush's "Dick Move of the Week"

"The Daily Show" had a wonderful riposte a few days ago to the recent asinine McBush ads and the notion McBush and his "base" (the media) want to insinuate in the public's mind": that Obama is the dreamy, ungrounded one. They awarded McBush "Dick Move of the Week." You'll see some of our "favorite" Media McBushies in the clips. If only the Obama campaign could buy this and run it nationally for a month...

(h/t to Crooks and Liars)

"Presumptuous" And All That Crapper

The concerted effort by the graduates of the Karl Rove Camp for Rethug Politics, now working for Mavericky McBush, to paint Obama as an elitist, "celebrity," presumptuous (read: "uppity") pretender is well underway. Will it be eaten up by the voting public? Sadly, No! seems to think so. Given the eagerness of the "moran" media to aid and abet Mavericky McBush and his Rovian accolytes in this effort, we're too starting to think, sadly, yes.

(h/t's to Sadly, No! and Rising Hegemon)

(Photo: ABC's Jake "Crapper" Tapper, looks "uppity" his ass to discover he has no soul)

"Liberal" Media, Indeed

George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, which has tracked election coverage for several decades, has issued a study proving what we already knew: the "main stream" broadcast media (NBC, CBS, and ABC) has been much more negative in its reporting on Barack Obama than St. John McBarbecue in the 6 weeks since the head-to-head- match up began. Fox (aka GOP-TV) was not included in the study since it's not a credible news organization. The results? Reporting on Obama was 78% negative , while reporting on St. John was 57% negative.

So, the next time we hear how biased the "liberal" media is, we have a steaming cup to offer you.

(h/t to Crooks and Liars)

The WaPo's Pollution

Some years ago, residents of the Washington, DC area had a clear choice between progressive and conservative newspapers: the Washington Post and the Washington Times (and earlier, the Evening Star), respectively. Sadly, over time, the WaPo has shifted well to the right under the direction of neocon editor Fred "Right Turn" Hiatt. Asshat columnist Michael Gerson, former Bushie speechwriter, is a prime example of how their op-ed page has become a platform for numerous wingut pundits.

Sunday's op-ed column by Gerson blames environmentalists for the lack of progress in environmental protection, not corporate polluters or their enablers in the Bush Assministration (see EPA). As John Cole points out, it's like blaming doctors for not working hard enough with the tobacco companies in fighting cancer. This is what passes for "conservative" thought these days. Shame on the WaPo.

Wanker of the Week

Yes, it's our favorite Washington gas bag, David "Bipartisan" Broder, with this morning's column, "Listening to the Governors." The dean of beltway thumbsuckers uses his column to extol the wisdom of governors, especially "the lessons of bipartisanship." Then, at the end, comes this clinker that wins him the trophy:

"Both John McCain and Barack Obama have their roots in a Congress suffering from massive public disdain. They need to listen to governors - and learn."

Fact check: Years in Congress - St. John McBush (26); Barack Obama (4). Anyone with even a passing grasp on reality knows Obama spent most of his adult life as a community organizer and later as an Illinois State Senator (we're sure he did a lot of listening to the Governor of Illinois at the time).

(Photo: Broder using his own gas to effect "lift off.")

Dumbya Lifts Offshore Drilling Ban

In a transparent political stunt, Dumbya announced today that he's lifting the executive order banning offshore oil drilling, a ban in effect since the days of former president George H.W. "Poppy" Bush. Of course, this does nothing to relieve gas prices (it would take 7 years or more for any oil found today to reach consumers). It would do nothing but add to the already huge, un-drilled undersea plots (68 million acres) already leased by Big Oil. It obviously does nothing to decrease our dependence on oil. It's only a partisan gimmick intended to "pressure" Congress to enact legislation to allow offshore drilling, put some money in Big Oil's pockets, and hopefully score some points for St. John McBush and beleaguered Rethugs in Congress who are trying to find anything that will distract voters from connecting the dots with the failed Rethug policies of the last 7 years.

In other words, it's the domestic policy equivalent of invading Iraq to fight al-Qaeda. Let's sit back now and watch the main stream media pronounce this a bold, decisive move.

McBush Economix

This is a fine example of the oxymoron "McBush economics," economics being something St. John McBush admits he doesn't know much about. Let's see how much the "MSM" critiques this "plan," which amounts to extracting moonbeams from cucumbers...

Underqualified

We're into our fourth day of the faux outrage over Gen. Wesley Clark's response to a loaded question by CBS' Bob Schieffer that flying a jet and getting shot down doesn't qualify you for the Presidency. He had prefaced that response by profusely praising McSame's patriotism and service as a Navy pilot, but the mainstream media had its soundbite and they've twisted it but good.

Davis Rees has a good take on qualifications for various positions in today's Huffington Post. We'd suggest that most of the mainstream media is underqualified for the jobs that they do if they can't see that what General Clark said didn't "call into question the military service" of McSame. Clark, a highly decorated Vietnam vet himself, would be the last person to do so. But it's to the economic advantage of the media to stir up "controversy" in every comment, and to magnify "gaffes". The American public deserves better.

"Only Bush and Rove Can Attack McCain's Military Record"

We missed "Face the Nation" this weekend, on which Gen. Wesley Clark made this mild and quite accurate statement concerning St. John McBush: "I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president." One doesn't get executive experience either from the sensation of bailing out of a fighter or spending time in a North Vietnamese prison. It would qualify you as a patriot and hero, but not necessarily pass muster as commander-in-chief material. That's all Gen. Clark was saying.

You would think he'd called St. John a "mooslim" who wanted to bring all his relatives from Africa over here illegally, given the immediate move to Defcon 4 in the McBush campaign, wingnut media and their willing handmaiden, the "main stream media." NBC/MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell has been breaking out, anew, and clutching her pearls all day. CNN's Rick "The Prick" Sanchez, for example, asked, "Did Wesley Clark pull a Swift Boat on John McCain today?" Uh, no 'tard, he didn't. We know who was Swift Boated, and by whom. By the way, we also know that McBush has brought on Bud Day, one of the Swift Boaters, to help with his "truth" squad - we see a huge contradiction there, St. John.

But, thanks to Firedoglake, we can return to yesteryear and see who's allowed to question St. John's military record. Swift Boat that, Rick!

More On (Moron?) the Brain-Dead Media

Daily Kos has an edifying piece today, focusing largely on three numbnuts who happen to write for the increasingly horrific Washington Post: Richard Cohen, David Broder and Ruth Marcus. But the piece extends to media coverage of the election so far, which, to no one's surprise is seen by Democrat, Independent and Republican alike as poor.

(Photo: Cohen, Broder and Marcus, interchangeable concern monkeys)