ACLU ad equates/morphs Obama with Bush

By GottaLaff

Ouch. The ACLU took out an ad in the New York Times that morphs President Obama into Bush. I can't think of a bigger insult or a worse juxtaposition:

The military commissions are seriously flawed and unprepared to handle these complex cases. If President Obama reverses his attorney general’s principled decision under political pressure, it will strike a devastating blow to American values and do serious damage to our nation’s credibility. We urge the president to do the right thing and keep these cases in federal court, where they belong.”

Personally, I don't like to equate President Obama with Bush, even in cases like this one. It's too harsh, even if there are similarities. IMHO, Bush is a war criminal, so I reserve comparisons to him for other thugs.

I do, however, agree with the points the ACLU is making.

They also wrote a letter to the president. You can read the whole thing here (click on images to enlarge):


The ad's full text:

What will it be Mr. President?
Change or more of the Same?

Candidate Barack Obama vowed to change the Bush-Cheney policies and restore America’s values of justice and due process. Many of us are shocked and concerned that right now, President Obama is considering reversing his attorney general’s decision to try the 9/11 defendants in criminal court. Our criminal justice system has successfully handled over 300 terrorism cases compared to only 3 in the military commissions. Our criminal justice system will resolve these cases more quickly and more credibly than the military commissions.

President Obama can vigorously prosecute terrorists and keep us safe without violating our Constitution.

As president, Barack Obama must decide whether he will keep his solemn promise to restore our Constitution and due process, or ignore his vow and continue the Bush-Cheney policies.

Tell President Obama not to back down on his commitment to our justice system, and to try the 9/11 defendants in criminal court.

Remind the world that America stands for due process, justice, and the rule of law.

I've written extensively about this subject; you can track all my posts here.

The ACLU took a tough, clear stand. Somebody had to.

Headlines: L.A. Times v. N.Y. Times v. WaPo

By GottaLaff

Here are the most prominent headlines for the L.A. Times, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. All are online:

L.A. Times:

Weight-loss surgery for the obese may soon be widely used

New York Times:

U.S. Sees an Opportunity to Press Iran on Nuclear Fuel

WaPo:

Foes of reform look to courts to halt legislation

Interesting priorities... or what they think will attract readers.

And yes, it's such a slow a news day that I had to dig up dueling headlines.

New York Times calls Wall St. Journal what it is: Murdoch propaganda outlet

By GottaLaff

Rumble! Everyone duck and cover!

The Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief, Robert Thomson, has today claimed the New York Times is "uncomfortable" about his paper's increasing success "while its own circulation and credibility are in retreat".

Oh now, that was just rude. Just because a Times column said that the Journal represents right wing talking points and that Rupert Murdoch "plays politics"?

"Principle is but a bystander at the New York Times," said Thomson, in response to a New York Times column by David Carr, which said Murdoch's conservative preferences were infecting news coverage at the paper he acquired two years ago.

Here's a link to Carr's piece. Here's a link to Thomson's statement. So, whatcha gonna do about that little digaroony, New York Times?

Keller later responded:

"While David's column clearly got under Mr Thomson's skin, I don't see anything in this response that casts doubt upon it. The column was scrupulously fair and, if anything, understated, and I have no inclination to help Mr Thomson change the subject," he said.

Take that, Robert Rupert Murdoch Thomson. Well, actually, that was pretty mild. Come on, let's take off the gloves.

Wait. What's that I hear? Sounds like strains from the West Side Story sound track.

Carr's New York Times piece was also critical of Gerard Baker, the Wall Street Journal's deputy managing editor and former Times US editor, whom it called "a neo-conservative columnist of acute political views ... especially active in managing coverage in Washington".

Where's Riff when you need him?

H/t: DCPlod

Palin lands on top of NY Times bestseller list

Wow, I am seriously stunned. It doesn't even have the dagger notation (A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders.) as Huckabees's and Becks books do.

(CNN) - In the wake of a high-profile two week publicity tour, Sarah Palin's memoir "Going Rogue: An American Life" has landed at the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

The former Alaska governor's book takes over the top spot previously held by tennis legend Andre Agassi's tell-all, "Open."

(snip)

The Associated Press reported last week Palin sold 700,000 copies of her memoir in its first week, a number that far surpasses most political books. But it falls short of the more than 900,000 copies sold of Bill Clinton's 2004 memoir "My Life" during its debut week.

News Corp may get paid to take its news websites off Google

By GottaLaff

Rupert the Pirate wants us to pay to access his sites? Good thing I don't go anywhere near them:

Microsoft Corp has had talks with News Corp about a tie up, which would involve News Corp getting paid to take its news websites off Google Inc, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday. [...]

News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has said he wants to make people pay for access to his news websites. Other publishers including The New York Times are also searching for ways to charge for news online, convinced that they must not give news through search engines such as Google and Yahoo Inc.

I'll miss Frank Rich.

Photo- The Obamas on cover of NYT magazine

Love love LOVE this photograph. Via Greg.

AUDIO- Rush Limbaugh to NY Times reporter: "Why don't you just go kill yourself"

By GottaLaff



Look for this to pop up on Countdown.

I usually ignore cretins like Boss Limpdong and Blech (I rarely even watch the videos posted here on TPC), but readers seem to flock to posts like these. So, here you are. Flock away.

Post-ACORN, 'NYT' Assigns Editor to Monitor 'Opinion Media'

What a load of hooey. Are they going to subscribe to the Enquirer et all too? The underlying theme with this is that the majority of sources he cites are right wing bullshit factories. Via Greg.

Clark Hoyt, in this week's public editor column at NYT, says paper missed or underplayed the ACORN revelations (others are not so sure). In any case, the paper has now assigned an editor to monitor "opinion media" (i.e. Fox News, talk radio, blogs) for news breaks below the surface.

NY TIMES AD: Obama campaign staff for the public option

By GottaLaff

I cobbled this together on my photo program so you could grab a look, but the entire unedited ad can be found here.

(click on image to enlarge)

'New York Times' Launches Large-Format Photo Blog

Very cool. This one gets bookmarked.

NEW YORK After more than a year in development, The New York Times launched a large-format photo blog Monday to showcase photojournalism projects.

Lens, as the new blog is called, joins a growing field of sites that showcase photo projects that might not be able to find a home in print. The blog has the advantages of drawing on the prestige of the Times, which just won a Pulitzer Prize for photography, and the popularity of NYTimes.com, the most popular U.S. newspaper Web site.

“We’re pretty darn proud of it,” says Josh Haner, a New York Times staff photographer and one of three Times staff assigned to produce the blog. The others are senior staff photographer James Estrin and metro reporter David W. Dunlap.

(snip)

Haner describes it as a “centralized showcase of best work” from the Times photo department. “We really wanted a home for photography,” he says.

Pic from.

NY Times: “I’ve had more unsolicited offers ... from the Obama people in 45 days than in the last 8 years from Bush”

By GottaLaff

(Unrelated photo via)

Yesterday I posted about President Obama (with audio) following up-- unsolicited-- on a (ridiculous) question by the New York Times about whether he was a socialist. Yes, that question.

But here's what isn't ridiculous: Our very smart, very savvy prez isn't just reaching out to Congress, or red states, or Goldendoodles. He's reaching out to the very same conservative media that so often misquotes, disagrees, or outright bashes him:

“I’ve had more unsolicited offers for participation from the Obama people in 45 days than in the last eight years from Bush,” said [Andrew Rosenthal, The Times’ editorial page director].

Rosenthal said the Obama administration’s approach is consistent with the one the Obama campaign used, and for a reason: It worked. Citing an example, he said that an Obama campaign aide succeeded in convincing him back in July — before an editorial ran — that Obama had not, in fact, reversed his position on a controversial D.C. handgun ban.

“With columnists and editorial writers,” Rosenthal said, “I think the theory is that you can actually have an impact.”

Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said in an e-mail that the Obama team has been “open and responsive” to requests from The Post’s editorial writers. Hiatt said that helps The Post “produce smarter and more knowledgeable editorials.”

“My general view is, the more exchange of views, the better,” Hiatt added. “I welcome any outreach from the White House to my columnists or editorial board.” [...]

In an interview, [David] Brooks said that Obama’s people respond quickly to columns with which they find fault — but that, in doing so, they refrain from “personal insults,” opting for a “very nice, very evidence-based” approach instead.

The Obama outreach effort is different than Bush’s in part because the previous administration “only reached out to people who automatically agreed with them.” [...]

Rosenthal wondered if the Bush team had the kind of contact with The Wall Street Journal editorial board that the Obama team does now. WSJ editorial page editor Paul Gigot declined comment, but Tony Blankley — who ran The Washington Times’ conservative editorial page during the bulk of Bush’s tenure — suggested that it probably wasn’t so.

Although Blankley said he spoke regularly with senior Bush administration officials, many of whom he’d known for years, he said the Bush press team’s outreach was not as “aggressive in putting out useful things or complaining about editorials they didn’t like” as Obama’s is.

Part of the reason for that, says Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page, is that, like former President Bill Clinton, Obama “likes this sort of thing — the exchange with pundits.” [...]

[The Post's Kathleen] Parker, a conservative who clashed with Republicans over the Sarah Palin nomination, wrote a very personal account of the trip for The Daily Beast. There, she talked about the “adorable” Obama daughters and the president’s calm nature. “If you cut Obama open,” she said, “you’d find a little Buddha sitting inside, smiling.”

The personal touch is important, Dionne said, because “human beings, being who we are, it’s probably harder to eviscerate someone who you’ve sat down with and decided isn’t an evil person.”

Then why didn't they eviscerate Bush?

AUDIO: President Obama answers the question, "Are you a socialist?"

By GottaLaff

President Obama did something a little unusual. He actually called the New York Times back-- on his own-- after he had completed an interview. That's crazy! Who would do anything so conscientious?

Usually, it’s President Obama (or one of his aides) who ends the interview, leaving reporters clamoring for more. Indeed, Robert Gibbs, his press secretary, cut off the president’s exclusive interview with The Times on Friday after about 35 minutes.

But less than 90 minutes after Air Force One landed, the telephone rang. President Obama called The Times’s Jeff Zeleny, wanting to add one more point to a response he gave during the interview.[...]

When he called, he said he had been thinking about the question as he boarded the helicopter taking him back to the White House.

Yes, this president actually uses his brain, processes information, communicates, and even realizes when he hasn't been thorough, or even collected his thoughts enough, and takes the time to explain himself more accurately. Kinda hard to fathom, huh?

President Obama’s Response to the Original Question: “Are You a Socialist?”



He called the Times back and followed up. Here's the call:



Zing!

Full transcript of the interview aboard Air Force One, plus lots more audio here.

VIDEO-- CPAC: Tucker Carlson Tries to Defend the New York Times, Gets Booed

By GottaLaff



Sinner! At CPAC, yes, CPAC, Schmucker had the unmitigated gall to say something not-blistering about the N.Y. Times, daring to utter the words, "they care about accuracy".... and of course, he got booed:

Tucker Carlson attempts to convince the audience at CPAC that the New York Times actually cares about the accuracy of its news, but the audience isn't buying it. He also says that the conservative movement needs its own news gathering organizations who will create news that reflects its values and wishes there were twenty-five outlets like the Fox News Channel.

If there were 25 Faux Noises, we might all short out like this :

H/t

Outburst II: CNBC's Joe Kernen rips up New York Times on air

By GottaLaff

Whatever happened to professionalism and objectivity? How does it feel to have whiny little toddlers working for you, CNBC?

CNBC's Joe Kernen and Carl Quintanilla ripped a couple articles in the Business section of the New York Times today during "Squawk Box."

The first was the Times' story about News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch and his love of print. [...]

They also brought up Brian Stelter's story about the Rick Santelli outburst. "What is their point?" asked Kernen.

Unfortunately, I couldn't grab the clip. But you can watch Kernen make a fool of himself by sharing his feelings with America quite openly and ripping up the Times (video here). It makes a lovely bookend to Santelli's little tantrum.

Apparently, these grown men can't contain themselves on national Tee Vee. I don't want to begin to imagine how they act at home.

The Iseman settleth: Lobbyist who was subject of McCain affair rumors settles with N.Y. Times

By GottaLaff

Alrighty then:

A Washington lobbyist has settled a libel lawsuit with The New York Times over an article that implied she engaged in a romantic relationship with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), both parties announced Thursday.

Vicki Iseman agreed to end her suit without payment or a retraction from the Times, the newspaper noted in a story on its website.

According to a joint statement announcing the settlement, the newspaper will publish a note on Feb. 20 stating that the Times did not intend to conclude that Iseman “had engaged in a romantic affair with Sen. McCain or an unethical relationship on behalf of her clients in breach of public trust.” The newspaper will also allow Iseman’s lawyers to offer her views regarding the lawsuit on the Times’s website. [...]

Times Washington Bureau Chief Dean Baquet made a point to his staff in a memo that the newspaper did not have to retract the story.

"Vicki Iseman has dropped her lawsuit against the Times, just weeks after it was filed. We paid no money. We did not apologize," Baquet wrote in a memo to staff. "We did not retract one word of the story, which was a compelling chapter in the tale of Sen. John McCain and his political rise."

We posted about this very story here and here. I'll be waiting for the Showtime mini-series to come out.

H/t: Fernando

An Inside View Of An Oval Office Photo Shoot

Pretty cool. Bet they go thru alot of shoes. Via Greg.

O'Reilly Declares War On The New York Times - Again

This one is chock a block full of crazy more than usual. Via Newshounds.

President-elect Obama visits WaPo, gets cheers

By GottaLaff

Come on, Helen, tell us what you really think:

From a pool report:

After three and a half hours at his transition office, PEOTUS Obama took another 6 minute ride through Washington, arriving at 1:57 pm at the nondescript soviet-style building at 15th and L street that houses the Washington Post.

Around 100 people -- Post reporters perhaps? -- awaited PEOTUS's arrival, cheering and bobbing their coffee cups.

Pool is holding in a van outside, while Mr Obama does his Washington Post interview, and will exercise enormous restraint by ending report before saying what [she] really thinks about this turn of events.

-- Helene Cooper, New York Times

"Bobbing their coffee cups"? I've heard of bobbing hair, and bobbing for apples, but coffee cups?

Maybe the WaPos and their cups were responding to this Fox News report*:

Most people think that President-elect Barack Obama is meeting -- if not exceeding -- expectations so far, according to a FOX News poll released Thursday.

*There's more to the poll than that, but I felt like using that part to make a point because I'm biased that way.

Does the New York Times think "gay" is a bad word?

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

Think Progress caught this:

Towleroad notes that when a reader text messages someone a New York Times article with the word “gay” in the title, the New York Times web service censors the word “gay,” replacing it with a “beep”.

Try it yourself here, suggests Think Progress.

I could understand it if they did that with "Bush" or "Cheney"... but "gay"?

New York Times admits goof: Letter criticizing Caroline Kennedy was fake

By GottaLaff

Sacre bleu! The retraction:

Earlier this morning, we posted a letter that was signed by Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, sharply criticizing Caroline Kennedy.

This letter was a fake. It should not have been published.

Doing so violated both our standards and our procedures in publishing signed letters from our readers.

We have already expressed our regrets to Mr. Delanoe's office and we are now doing the same to you, our readers.

This letter, like most Letters to the Editor these days, arrived by email. It is Times procedure to verify the authenticity of every letter. In this case, our staff sent an edited version of the letter to the sender of the email and did not hear back. At that point, we should have contacted Mr. Delanoe's office to verify that he had, in fact, written to us.

We did not do that. Without that verification, the letter should never have been printed.

We are reviewing our procedures for verifying letters to avoid such an incident in the future.

La lettre originale:

As mayor of Paris, I find Caroline Kennedy’s bid for the seat of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton both surprising and not very democratic, to say the least. What title has Ms. Kennedy to pretend to Hillary Clinton’s seat? We French can only see a dynastic move of the vanishing Kennedy clan in the very country of the Bill of Rights. It is both surprising and appalling.

With all the respect and admiration I have for Ms. Kennedy’s late father, I find her bid in very poor taste, and, after reading “Kennedy, Touring Upstate, Gets Less and Less Low-Key” (news article, Dec. 18), in my opinion she has no qualification whatsoever to bid for Senator Clinton’s seat.

We French have been consistently admiring of the American Constitution, but it seems that recently both Republicans and Democrats are drifting away from a truly democratic model. The Kennedy era is long gone, and I guess that New York has plenty of more qualified candidates to fill the shoes of Hillary Clinton. Can we speak of American decline?

Bertrand Delanoë
Paris, Dec.18, 2008

Nice try. Busted. Au revoir, now.

H/t: Kingsburyqc