Patterico's Pontifications

9/13/2008

Too Good to Resist

Filed under: 2008 Election — DRJ @ 10:50 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Despite his staff’s promise that he wouldn’t do it again, Barack Obama again used without credit the words of Washington Post cartoonist Tom Toles to describe the policies of McCain-Palin:

“Except for economic policies, and tax policies, and energy policies, and health care policies, and education policies, and Karl Rove-style politics — except for all that, we’re really going to bring change to Washington! We’re really going to shake things up!”

Scroll down at the second link. The mention is buried in an otherwise complimentary article about an Obama speech in New Hampshire.

— DRJ

Washington Post: Shock! There are Different Versions of the Bush Doctrine

Filed under: 2008 Election,Media Bias — DRJ @ 4:52 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

The Washington Post says there are different versions of the Bush Doctrine and Charlie Gibson’s isn’t the right one:

“Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin seemed puzzled Thursday when ABC News anchor Charles Gibson asked her whether she agrees with the “Bush doctrine.”

“In what respect, Charlie?” she replied.

Intentionally or not, the Republican vice presidential nominee was on to something. After a brief exchange, Gibson explained that he was referring to the idea — enshrined in a September 2002 White House strategy document — that the United States may act militarily to counter a perceived threat emerging in another country. But that is just one version of a purported Bush doctrine advanced over the past eight years.”

Translation: That dumb bunny Palin lucked into the right answer.

I’m waiting for the New York Times and ABC to jump on this with a correction. Unfortunately, I suspect any “correction” would be that Palin unintentionally got one right.

— DRJ

Some Palin Cartoons

Filed under: 2008 Election,Humor — Patterico @ 3:46 pm



Sent to me by my sister:

(more…)

Extra: L.A. Times Reports Howard Rosenberg’s Cat’s Reaction to Palin Interview . . . But the Cat Didn’t Get the Whole Story!

Filed under: 2008 Election,General,Morons — Patterico @ 3:33 pm



Howard Rosenberg, writing in the L.A. Times:

Later, after Palin claimed that advocating energy independence somehow gave her national security chops, Gibson asked, “What insights into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks” — he meant the Russia/Georgia fracas — “does the proximity of the state give you?” She explained, “They’re our next-door neighbors,” then added, “You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.”

Even my cat, who never laughs at my jokes, laughed at that.

More important to me than whether Howard Rosenberg’s cat laughed is whether that exchange fairly sets forth Palin’s response. As Allahpundit put it right after the interview: “Did she really give a non-answer that goofy or did they just smear her by editing it that way? I would have given them the benefit of the doubt earlier but not after botching the prayer quote.”

We now have the answer: they smeared her by editing it that way.

Let’s go to Newsbusters’ complete transcript, with the edited-out parts placed in bold type:

GIBSON: Let’s start, because we are near Russia, let’s start with Russia and Georgia.

The administration has said we’ve got to maintain the territorial integrity of Georgia. Do you believe the United States should try to restore Georgian sovereignty over South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

PALIN: First off, we’re going to continue good relations with Saakashvili there. I was able to speak with him the other day and giving him my commitment, as John McCain’s running mate, that we will be committed to Georgia. And we’ve got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable and we have to keep…

GIBSON: You believe unprovoked.

PALIN: I do believe unprovoked and we have got to keep our eyes on Russia, under the leadership there. I think it was unfortunate. That manifestation that we saw with that invasion of Georgia shows us some steps backwards that Russia has recently taken away from the race toward a more democratic nation with democratic ideals. That’s why we have to keep an eye on Russia.

And, Charlie, you’re in Alaska. We have that very narrow maritime border between the United States, and the 49th state, Alaska, and Russia. They are our next door neighbors.We need to have a good relationship with them. They’re very, very important to us and they are our next door neighbor.

GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?

PALIN: They’re our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.

GIBSON: What insight does that give you into what they’re doing in Georgia?

PALIN: Well, I’m giving you that perspective of how small our world is and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good relation with all of these countries, especially Russia. We will not repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it’s in their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be getting along.

If your brain isn’t already addled by hatred for Palin, you can easily see how the question and answer make a lot more sense when placed in the full context.

Someone read the whole passage to Howard Rosenberg’s cat and let us know if that changes anything for the little kitty.

Krauthammer Says ABC’s Gibson Played ‘Gotcha’ with the Bush Doctrine Question

Filed under: 2008 Election,Media Bias — DRJ @ 3:20 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Charles Krauthammer, the journalist who first used the term the “Bush Doctrine” in 2001, says the New York Times and ABC’s Charlie Gibson got it wrong on Sarah Palin’s answer to the Bush Doctrine question:

“There is no single meaning of the Bush doctrine. In fact, there have been four distinct meanings, each one succeeding another over the eight years of this administration — and the one Charlie Gibson cited is not the one in common usage today. It is utterly different.

He asked Palin, “Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?”

She responded, quite sensibly to a question that is ambiguous, “In what respect, Charlie?”

Sensing his “gotcha” moment, Gibson refused to tell her. After making her fish for the answer, Gibson grudgingly explained to the moose-hunting rube that the Bush doctrine “is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense.”

Wrong.”

Krauthammer explains the four versions of the Bush Doctrine that have evolved since he first used the term in June 2001. Read the link if you want to understand what Charlie Gibson and the New York Times clearly don’t understand.

By the way, Krauthammer initially criticized McCain for picking Palin so he’s not a Palin supporter. Unlike ABC and the New York Times, his interest seems to be the truth.

— DRJ

Death on the Train

Filed under: General — Jack Dunphy @ 11:53 am



[Guest post by Jack Dunphy]

I received a text message from an LAPD colleague involved in the rescue operation at Friday’s rail disaster in Chatsworth:

A cell phone was ringing on one of the dead bodies under tarp. Probably family calling to see if ok. Heartbreaking.

— Jack Dunphy

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: The death toll is up to 25. A horrible disaster.


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