OT: Why I HATE Fox News

[The_Noble_Cause]

Beck does and has done this several times with Olbermann's out-of-context remarks. Olbermann is a hack and always has been. For instance, Olbermann made a big deal over Beck asking a guest if he could take naked pictures of her. What he failed to say was that the whole thing was a huge joke, making it look like the request was serious. It was so obviously a joke that unless Olbermann is a total tool or just plain unintelligent, there's no way he could not have known that it was a joke.

Sure, Olbermann didn’t specify that Glenn was joking, but does one really have to ask?- (Beck’s commentary is laced with sarcasm even when discussing Iran’s potential for nuclear war).
Besides, Glenn's guest certainly didn’t see the humor in this "joke", as his request was proceeded by stunned silence and awkward body language.
More than likely, Beck made Olbermann’s shit list not because he was being juvenile (what else is new) but rather the inappropriateness of the question.

This was explained quite well by Raiderfan at least twice on this board, possibly more. I can't stand Rush or his show but he did not do what you or other smear merchants claim he did in this case.

LOL. You mean Raiderfan, who like Beck and Hannity before him, defended Rush without actually printing the actual comments or original (un-edited) version of the audio?
The only way anyone can defend Limbaugh is to pretend to know what he was thinking at the time he made his “phony soldiers” comment.
In its originally broadcasted form, the soldiers being discussed were any who talk to the media – and that includes a whole lot more than this Macbeth character.

[conversationpc]

LOL. You mean Raiderfan, who like Beck and Hannity before him, defended Rush without actually printing the actual comments or original (un-edited) version of the audio?
The only way anyone can defend Limbaugh is to pretend to know what he was thinking at the time he made his “phony soldiers” comment.
In its originally broadcasted form, the soldiers being discussed were any who talk to the media – and that includes a whole lot more than this Macbeth character.

As I've said before, I have no reason whatsoever to defend Rush. I've TRIED to listen to his show on three or four occasions and just can't get into it. He's too much like Hannity in that everything is the fault of a liberal (much like everything that goes wrong is credited to Bush by libs). I don't even like Rush personally. He's full of himself and he knows it and he doesn't care.

However, I can at least separate how I feel about the guy personally from what he does on the air and the fact of the matter is, he did not slander all troops. He "slandered" a certain few who claimed to be legitimate soldiers who were, in fact, not.

[The_Noble_Cause]

It has been a while, and I'll be happy to listen to the unedited audio again if you have a link to it. No chop-job audio, please.

Gladly.
Media Matters, an unabashedly liberal watchdog group, spearheaded the story and included the contexualized transcript and audio since day one. Of course, when discussing a 3 hour radio show, which is essentially a running monologue, you are never going have an ENTIRE transcript (which, of course, is what clowns like Beck and Savage who cry "out of context!" are counting on).
But still, this is pretty complete.

Some small-minded peons will dismiss MediaMatters out of hand on the grounds of being “liberal”.
But, y’know, there are occasions when Brent Bozell’s conservative media research center often has some valid stuff, too.
Personally, I read, listen, and watch for myself and make up my own mind.
For sure, some are a little too PC and knee-jerk, but some of their stuff is very valid.
The Rush story is one of the latter:


Original “phony soldiers” Story: http://mediamatters.org/items/200709270010

Rush spinning the story 2 days later: http://mediamatters.org/items/200709280009

[The_Noble_Cause]

However, I can at least separate how I feel about the guy personally from what he does on the air and the fact of the matter is, he did not slander all troops.

I am simply going by what Rush said. Feelings and sentiments are immaterial.

He "slandered" a certain few who claimed to be legitimate soldiers who were, in fact, not.

Macbeth, and impostors like him, were not even brought up in the course of the conversation.


Perhaps more telling than the "phony soldiers" crack, is what Rush initially says upon learning that the anti-war caller on the line was in the milliatry.

Rush: "Right. Right. Right, I know...And I, by the way, used to walk on the moon!"

[7 Wishes]

Chickenhawk - n. - A person enthusiastic about war, provided someone else fights it; particularly when that enthusiasm is undimmed by personal experience with war; most emphatically when that lack of experience came in spite of ample opportunity in that person’s youth.

Some individuals may qualify more for their political associations than for any demonstrated personal tendency towards bellicosity. Some women may be included for exceptional bellicosity.

Name: Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)
Born: January 2, 1942
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Dennis wasn't able to serve in the Army in Vietnam because his knees weren't up to it. He did OK as a wrestler in college, though.

Name: Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Born: February 14, 1947
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayeer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Another member of New Hampshire’s hereditary political aristocracy (see also: Charlie Bass and John Sununu) Judd’s daddy was Governor of New Hampshire from 1953 to 1955. Young Judd graduated from Columbia in ‘69 and apparently went straight to BU Law until the coast was clear. For good measure, he got written up for bad knees. They weren’t so bad he couldn’t spend half his term as Governor on the ski slopes.

Name: Rep. Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich (R-GA)
Born: June 17, 1943
Employer: Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: A virtuoso in the art of hypocrisy, the former Speaker of the House now claims the Vietnam War was a splendid idea, but at the time he opposed going himself. Newtie also speaks highly of morality, but as a serial adulterer he doesn’t want to get too close to it himself.

Name: Rep. Tom "The Exterminator" DeLay (R-TX)
Born: April 8, 1947
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Mr. DeLay has said he wanted to serve in Vietnam, but was unable to since all the positions had been taken by blacks and Hispanics. We suspect there might be someone in Iraq today who would be willing to trade places with Mr. DeLay

Name: Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Born: 1943
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: There are chickenhawks, and then there are chickenhawks. Saxby Chambliss is a chickenhawk supreme. He got himself elected to the Senate by casting aspersions on the patriotism of the incumbent, Democrat Max Cleland. Cleland lost three limbs serving his country in Vietnam. Saxby Chambliss was unable to serve because of his bad knees, but somehow is able to totter along as a recreational runner.

Name: Gary Bauer
Born: 1946
Employer: ouramericanvalues.org
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: A reliable cog in the Republican machine, a bureaucrat under Reagan, and later a preposterous candidate for president, Gary Bauer isn’t particularly combative - he’s no Ann Coulter. Diminutive and cherubic even in his fifties, he’s hardly the sort of recruit a drill sargeant would see as a potential soldier. Which is just as well, because when he otherwise would have qualified for the Vietnam draft, he had a “vague physical problem” that got him a 1-Y draft classification - “draft only if the Canadians are crossing the border shooting.”

Name: Rush Limbaugh
Born: 1951
Employer: Yack Radio
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Where to begin ... a joke about the Hindenburg? No, let's go right to the reason he had to stay home from the war - the world's most famous anal cyst. He's denied it, but www.snopes.com, the Urban Legends Reference Pages, has got the goods on him.

Name: Dr. Marion "Pat" Robertson
Born: 1930
Employer: Christian Broadcasting Network
Conflict Avoided: Korea
Notes: Dr. Pat claimed in his biography to have "seen combat in Korea. He was in Korea in uniform briefly, but his daddy the Congressman got his reassigned to Japan. His picture belongs in the dictionary next to "pious fraud." Just recently declared that the State Department ought to get nuked, but has yet to be indicted for uttering a terrorist statement.

Name: John Ashcroft
Born: 1942
Employer: The U.S. Taxpayer
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: 4-F'd from 'Nam because of a "debilitating shoulder injury". As we will never tire of saying, this guy lost an election to a dead man. Where do you go from there? If a Bush is in office, you rise. Annointed himself with Crisco before being sworn in. Also afraid of calico cats. Famously said, "To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists, for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies and pause to America's friends."

[conversationpc]

Bill O in trouble.....

(CNN) — Fox News talk show host Bill O'Reilly had a confrontation with a staffer for Barack Obama’s campaign that the aide and several eyewitnesses claim became physical.

The incident began when O’Reilly tried to get Obama’s attention after a Nashua campaign event. He allegedly began yelling at Obama’s National Trip Director Marvin Nicholson to get out of the way. O’Reilly then, according to eyewitness accounts, shoved the staffer.

Nicholson told CNN O'Reilly grabbed him by the arm and started "pushing" him. Nicholson also said that when he asked O'Reilly to stop pushing him, the talk-show host responded that he was "low class."

O’Reilly soon got Obama’s attention, and the two men spoke briefly.

"They shook hands and Mr. O'Reilly said that he thought Sen. Obama was great and that he loved him, and he'd love to have him on the show," Nicholson said. "And then the senator said that he would think about coming on the show after the primaries."

Then the Secret Service intervened to ask O’Reilly to step back behind the barricade that marked the press area.

Speaking later on Fox News, O'Reilly said he tried to "gently remove" the Obama staffer so his camera could get a shot of the Illinois senator.

"We're sorry we had to have that little confrontation," O'Reilly added, "but no one on this earth is going to block a shot on The O'Reilly Factor. It is not going to happen.

Dude, come California time, IK will definitely mess with this giant piece of garbage...watch me.

I saw the video of the footage on O'Reilly's show tonight and, considering they went to the trouble of trying to get the video of Obama, I might've done the same thing. Of course, O'Reilly's motive was most likely to make himself look like a tough guy, as usual.

[scarygirl]

Rip Rokken, you posted my very thoughts. I couldn't agree more.
t

[RedWingFan]

I am not sure I agree with that. There have been many Repubs that have been thrown under the bus for even little gaffes that the party perceived could hurt them politically. Ousting Trent Lott was a good example, over his casual comment about Strom Thurmond at his 100th birthday party. That's how quickly and easily you can get thrown under the bus by a political party. Politicians are politicians, and not a lot of integrity comes into play on either side in these situations.

Few are going to defend perceived racism, even when its not accurate.

The democrat party does, even when a former Klan member Robert Byrd dropped the N bomb on national television just a few short years ago.

For a more demonstrative example, look at the circle-the-wagons mentality that took hold when Tom Delay, one of the most obscenely corrupt congressman in recent history, was the subject of investigation.

Corrupt Delay was punished, while corrupt William Jefferson was promoted and still hasn't been dealt with.

[Rockindeano]

Anyone see Olberman do Puppet Radio with Bill-O? Hysterical. Bill-O calls the guy a son of a bitch, then pushes him down, then denies it.

Then on Bill-O's show, he bleeps himself calling the guy a son of a bitch.

Bill-O is a fucking asshole. No other word describes him.

[RedWingFan]

The audio and transcript is at complete odds with what he says. The Jesse Macbeth story was never even mentioned in the course of the conversation.

Rush originally brought up Jesse "Al-Zaid" Macbeth on his morning update a day or two before the "phony soldiers" comment.

Again, the Jesse Macbeth incident was only brought up after two Iraq soldiers had hung up and the "phony soldiers" slur had already been made.

Well if you believe that Rush thinks all liberal soldiers are "phony". Why does he really sit on the board of the marine charity he sold the letter for? Maybe it's really a conspiracy to cover for him? Maybe there's a clause with the foundation to only give money to conservative soldiers? When he travelled to Afghanastan to visit the troops did he refuse to shake liberal soldiers hands? Did he ask to see their RNC cards?

[Rockindeano]

Rush Limbaugh sitting on any board that has to deal with the Military is God forsaken wrong.

What a despicable scumbag. If I saw him I would run him over. I am serious. He preaches hate. He needs to die, fast.

[Rockindeano]

Fuck this nice guy crap.

I am about to take this Board over.

[chf34jmac]

Uh nice double standard there bro. Rush preaches hate and needs to die fast is quite the same as you saying If I saw him I would run him over.

Again, no agenda from me here just pointing out something I noticed. Carry on!

[7 Wishes]

Come on, Dean. Lay off Rush. An anal cyst is a great reason to get 4-F'd.

I mean, what, do you think he's a chickenhawk like 80% of the hypocritical Republican leadership out there...the warmongers who did anything they could to avoid serving in 'Nam or Korea or even Desert Storm?

And don't you dare suggest he is a hypocrite when he berates welfare recipients, just because he got fired for being late too often but managed to collect welfare for six years, while doing nothing other than laying down on his couch, eating potato chips, and watching TV (his words)?

Get off his enormous, cavernous ass, Dean. He's a great man. Actually, he's 1.75 great men.

[RedWingFan]

He preaches hate.

Rush preaches hate? It's liberals that write books and make movies on how to assassinate Bush.
Now exposing liberalism is hate.

[RedWingFan]

LOL. You mean Raiderfan, who like Beck and Hannity before him, defended Rush without actually printing the actual comments or original (un-edited) version of the audio?
The only way anyone can defend Limbaugh is to pretend to know what he was thinking at the time he made his “phony soldiers” comment.

You mean like the way you defended John Kerry's "stuck in Iraq" comment as a botched joke? Nowhere in his "joke" did he mention Bush. You must have been pretending to know what he was thinking also.
The difference between Rush and Kerry is slandering troops is very like John Kerry, he's built an entire political career on it.

[RockitRide]

[quote="Rockindeano"]Nice post, and right on with it.

Having said that, CNN is the world leader and rightfully so, ...quote]

Doh...might want to check with CNN co-founder Lou Dobbs on that statement...

[The_Noble_Cause]

Rush originally brought up Jesse "Al-Zaid" Macbeth on his morning update a day or two before the "phony soldiers" comment.

And for this reason, the service and valor of ANY soldier who holds anti-Iraq views or talks to the media is to be immediately called into question?
That's quite a stretch.
The "phoney soldiers" slur aside, why upon learning that the anti-war caller on the line had served his country did Rush instantaneously say: "yeah, yeah, and I walked on the moon."
The caller had no connection to Macbeth.
Whether the caller did serve or not is irrelevant.
When someone tells you they served their country you take them at their word and show them respect.

Well if you believe that Rush thinks all liberal soldiers are "phony". Why does he really sit on the board of the marine charity he sold the letter for?

What I "believe" is irrelevant. It's a matter of what was said, not what secretly lies tucked away in his heart of hearts. I personally don't think Rush or Beck or Hannity believe the overwhelming majority of what they spew. But it makes no difference.

Case in point: Don Imus has a life full of charitable work, some of it benefiting minority children.
Did that make his comment any less derogatory?
In a word, no.

Same rule applies.

[The_Noble_Cause]

You mean like the way you defended John Kerry's "stuck in Iraq" comment as a botched joke? Nowhere in his "joke" did he mention Bush. You must have been pretending to know what he was thinking also.

Not hardly.
The difference is, Kerry’s comment came smack-dab in the middle of anti-Bush comedic speech. In fact, his botched one-liner came straight on the heels of another tepid Dubya zinger, “Bush had formerly lived in Texas but now lives in a state of denial."

Kerry was cracking jokes at Bush's expense. It makes absolutely no sense for him to do a sudden 180 turn around and start attacking the troops - especially not while giving a speech on a colleague’s behalf.

And if you watched the entire speech, or had done so much as an iota of independent fact checking you would’ve known that.

Limbaugh's "phoney soldiers" cracks, on the other hand, weren't made during the course of a specific Jesse Macbeth-themed conversation. Jesse Macbeth hadn't even been brought up yet that broadcast day.
So what good reason would Limbaugh have had to immediately lump an anti-Iraq soldier in with the likes of Macbeth?


Context IS everything. Too bad Rush's is complete bullshit.

[conversationpc]

When someone tells you they served their country you take them at their word and show them respect.

Yeah, just believe everything everyone tells you. That's the ticket.

[The_Noble_Cause]

When someone tells you they served their country you take them at their word and show them respect.

Yeah, just believe everything everyone tells you. That's the ticket.

If someone claims to have put his or herself in harm’s way for me, then yeah, the very least I think anyone should do is give them the benefit of the doubt.
And Limbaugh couldn't even do that much.
Nor did he request name and rank.
He just went right ahead and ridiculed the guy.

[conversationpc]

When someone tells you they served their country you take them at their word and show them respect.

Yeah, just believe everything everyone tells you. That's the ticket.

If someone claims to have put his or herself in harm’s way for me, then yeah, the very least I think anyone should do is give them the benefit of the doubt.
And Limbaugh couldn't even do that much.
Nor did he request name and rank.
He just went right ahead and ridiculed the guy.

I'd have to listen to that particular caller in question, so I'll concur for the time being. However, if I thought I was being scammed by a caller, I probably wouldn't cut them any slack.

[RedWingFan]

When someone tells you they served their country you take them at their word and show them respect.

Yeah, just believe everything everyone tells you. That's the ticket.

If someone claims to have put his or herself in harm’s way for me, then yeah, the very least I think anyone should do is give them the benefit of the doubt.
And Limbaugh couldn't even do that much.
Nor did he request name and rank.
He just went right ahead and ridiculed the guy.

Actually some months earlier at the end of his show Rush took a call from a pro-war soldier who did give his name and rank. Talked about all he'd done and seen. He turned out to be phony, Rush started out the next days program saying he checked and there was no such soldier, apologized on air for falling for it.
Hell, anyone could call him up and recite Kerry's speech back in the 70's verbatim and Rush is supposed to believe it? That's nonsense. Anyway I'm sure you hold the insignificants of Air America to the same standard huh?

[Rockindeano]

How embarrassing. You actually listen to that idiot?

[RedWingFan]

How embarrassing. You actually listen to that idiot?

Yeah, Mark Levin also.

Some Mark Levin classics.

Nancy "stretch" Pelosi...."Her eyes bugging out isn't a natural thing."
Hillary "rotten" Clinton... aka "Her thighness"
Ted Kennedy.... aka "The Cape Cod orca"

[RossValoryRocks]

Rush Limbaugh sitting on any board that has to deal with the Military is God forsaken wrong.

What a despicable scumbag. If I saw him I would run him over. I am serious. He preaches hate. He needs to die, fast.

I love you like my brother Deano...but look at your comment here...smell some Pot and Kettle action cooking.

You preach hate as much as anyone I know.

EDIT: To clarify most people I know don't preach a lot of hate, and in saying Deano preaches it as much as anyone I know I was refering to the fact that he HAS on OCCASION been known to blow his top and say some not nice things, as much as anyone does when they get angry.

Thanks!

[lights1961]

THE FACT---ALL LIBERALS hate FOX NEWS....is what they wont tell you is that they watch it because the other stations are shit.... they cant stand that boring CNN so liberals watch FOX, then they can BASH the network and tell us how crapy it is...
that its bias and such.... WELL DUH...for 30 years CBS/NBC/ABC/PBS and in 20 years CNN/MSNBC and others were all liberal biased news and we conservatives had had NO VOICE period...until RUSH went national in 1988... Now we have FOX and RUSH and the liberals are PISSED off period... I LOVE IT ACTUALLY!!!!

Its like me hating the Vikings or the Bears or the PATS... you cheer for the other team to beat em!!

Rick

[The_Noble_Cause]

Actually some months earlier at the end of his show Rush took a call from a pro-war soldier who did give his name and rank. Talked about all he'd done and seen. He turned out to be phony, Rush started out the next days program saying he checked and there was no such soldier, apologized on air for falling for it.

And because of this, ANY soldier who happens to hold a dissenting opinion should have their service rightfully denigrated on the air?
You're drawing connections to all these previous isolated incidents (Macbeth, a crank call) but NONE of these have any bearing on the facts at hand.
If either had been discussed just prior to Rush's "phony soldiers" gaffe (not to mention also scoffing at the guy's service), then perhaps you'd have an argument.

As it stands, they do nothing to either absolve or explain Rush's comments.

Why can't you deal with Rush's comments in the broad-brush context they were actually aired?

Anyway I'm sure you hold the insignificants of Air America to the same standard huh?

Excluding the hysterical fire and brimstone cadence of Mike Malloy (who got fired), I can't think of anyone on Air America that even remotely approaches the vitriolic levels spewed daily by Rush.
Maybe Randi Rhodes, but unlike the Havana chomping hophead, at least she actually served her country.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Corrupt Delay was punished, while corrupt William Jefferson was promoted and still hasn't been dealt with.

Promoted?
Last I checked, Jefferson was thrown off the Ways and Means Committee.
And if Pelosi had more power, he would've been gone completely.
All your facts are shit. Stop wasting my precious time.