Evidence Of Communism?
Local political consultant and occasional guest talk radio host Chris Begala makes some interesting points about the whole CBS News memo controversy here.
Unfortunately, he does something that the bloggers most responsible for busting Dan Rather (Powerline, Little Green Footballs, etc) have avoided, and that's going way overboard:
They [CBS News] ended the story with the utter gall to again state that they stand by their story and the authenticity of the memos. This is Communism at its most fundamental level. Lie and continue to lie as you suppress the truth with your vast power. Rather has lied and avoided the truth with the same omnipotence of the Chinese Communist Government denying the Tiananmen Square massacre. 'How dare you even question us.
No, it's not Communism at a fundamental or any other level.
If it could be proven that Dan Rather knew these were fakes and ran with them anyway with an intent to deceive, you could call it propagandism perhaps.
But it's NOT Communism.
So far, conservative websites have been highly responsible in their treatment of this issue -- which is one reason people in the mainstream media, including Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz, have taken it seriously.
Our city's self-described media watchblog needs to back away from the silly labels and be a little more responsible itself.
(09-15-2004 Update) In contrast, here's local blogger Beldar, who levels strong charges at Rather and CBS News and then goes on to make a strong case, all without calling anyone Communists. That attention to detail and thoroughness are, among other reasons, why Beldar has become one of Houston's highest-profile political bloggers in recent weeks (deservedly so).
(09-15-2004 Update 2) Speaking of Kurtz (above), here's more from him in today's WaPo.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 09/14/04 21:44 | Other | Technorati
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Comments
Conservatives are none to happy when the extremes on the other side toss around 'Hitler' and 'Fascist'. It would be nice if conservatives didn't lapse into the same over-blown hyperventilating.
Posted by Anne @ 06:26 on 09/15/04
"It would be nice if conservatives didn't lapse into the same over-blown hyperventilating."
Anne, isn't that what this post was about? One Righty calling on another in that vein? I never see such discipline from the Atrios crowd. That is, naturally, because Republicans really ARE Nazis, right?
Posted by megapotamus @ 14:59 on 09/15/04
Megapotamus: Not sure if that's if that is meant as praise or criticism of me, Anne, both of us, neither of us, Republicans, or Democrats. :)
I do think that what distinguishes bloggers is that yes, we do call BS on each other (and sometimes ourselves) when warranted. The blogosphere is fairly self-correcting. Anybody who has a problem with that -- whether it affects conservatives, liberals, or martians in any particular case -- probably shouldn't produce, or maybe even read, blogs.
Now, there are clearly ideologues online, and one shouldn't believe everything that's written, but then that's true of mainstream media as well (the difference being, they prefer you to think of their enterprise as wholly objective).
Posted by Kevin @ 10:15 on 09/16/04
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