Patterico: Tipster to Brit Hume?
Last night, Brit Hume’s “Political Grapevine” segment featured the following observation:
Chris Wallace’s “FOX News Sunday” interview with Bill Clinton was one of six TV appearances the former president made last week. But despite Mr. Clinton’s highly publicized objections to the recent ABC docudrama about 9/11, no one other than Wallace asked him about the aggressiveness of his pursuit of Usama bin Laden.
As for Mr. Clinton’s assertion that Wallace did not challenge the Bush administration’s pre-9/11 record on terrorism? In 2004, Wallace asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to answer the charge that “the Bush Administration largely ignored the threat from Al Qaeda,” before 9/11, adding, “Mr. Secretary, it sure sounds like fighting terrorism was not a top priority.”
Now where might Brit have picked up that bit?
The other day Allah said, regarding the Arizona 9/11 memorial story:
From blogs to Drudge to FNC. Tinker to Evers to Chance, baby.
We need to work DR out of the equation, though. Open up an info pipeline directly to Fox HQ.
We appear to have bypassed Drudge with the story about Wallace’s interview with Rumsfeld. Does this mean we have achieved the direct pipeline that Allah spoke of? Maybe not quite. I did have some high-powered middlemen (and middlewomen), like Insty, Power Line, Malkin, and Kaus. And Allah! But working through them is an easier trick than relying on the Fella in the Fedora.
Hard to think the FNC Washington managing editor would have Chris Wallace show archives anywhere around, much less an inclination to rebut Bill Clinton.
steve (db6ba8) — 9/26/2006 @ 7:39 pmKeith Olberman, who is in imminent danger of becoming a parody of himself, denounced Chris Wallace as a “monkey in a reporter’s suit”. Now that strikes me as a fair description of old Olberman himself who seems to be channeling his inner Edward R. Murrow fantasies these days.
But couulllld it beeee? as the late Jim Healy said, that Chris Wallace and Brit Hume are but monkeys to Potterico’s organ grinder?
Don’t think so; those guys are good, and they do it on their own.
Mike Myers (f8ce82) — 9/26/2006 @ 7:47 pmBetter than a reporter in a monkey suit. I’m picturing Olberman wearing that cute little cap and vest, mindlessly clapping his cymbals to the music of the organ grinder.
MayBee (8aec89) — 9/26/2006 @ 7:53 pmHard to think the FNC Washington managing editor would have Chris Wallace show archives anywhere around, much less an inclination to rebut Bill Clinton.
Well, he might have dug the same thing up, I suppose — but the spokeswoman who talked to Howard Kurtz hadn’t bothered to find an effective rebuttal.
Patterico (de0616) — 9/26/2006 @ 7:57 pmI think steve’s got it right, odds are the second the interview was over wallaces producers did the digging.
Wickedpinto (d099bd) — 9/26/2006 @ 8:51 pmToo bad they didn’t have it together in time to give it to Howie Kurtz.
Patterico (de0616) — 9/26/2006 @ 9:01 pmI mean, it’s totally possible, of course. But given that this blog’s observation was made on numerous well-read blogs, and given that they read blogs, it’s also possible they picked it up here. And if it’s possible, man, I’m runnin’ with it! Direct pipeline to FNC, baby!
Patterico (de0616) — 9/26/2006 @ 9:03 pmI’ve been noticing for over a year, probably close to two or three, that Brit Hume has stories that I read in my morning blog-reading and nowhere else.
Veeshir (dfa2bf) — 9/27/2006 @ 7:53 amI’m pretty sure his “Grapevine” stories are mostly directly from blogs.
Did you drop your wallet down the pipeline by any chance? 😉
Gbear (c22f1c) — 9/27/2006 @ 8:52 amJust kidding – congrats if FNC is sourcing you.