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DEPT. OF NOT DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
You really have to get up early in the morning to be more wrong than Kirsten Powers. Today she makes the inane argument that Obama "mishandled the media" in the ongoing Blagojevich scandal and that's why they've been making so many assumptions about the president-elect's conduct without any evidence of wrongdoing, and considerable evidence that there was none. Powers says, "but you made me do this" while offering up a few bungling, idiotic errors of her own.
The Obama team has sometimes claimed that it's holding off on giving details at Fitzgerald's request - and sometimes that it will talk specifics as soon as it has found exactly what contact occurred. Which is it?Look, the fact that Kirsten Powers can't be bothered to put Obama's statements in chronological order is clearly the Obama team's fault for mismanaging Kirsten Powers. Moving on:Yesterday, the Obama team seemed finally to be getting the story under control, saying it has completed its internal review but will be holding it a week at Fitzgerald's request. That conflicts with Obama's past promise to release details "in a few days" but the Obama team can argue that it is out of their control.
In the intervening time, Obama has repeatedly stated defensively that he had no contact with the governor or his office and had not discussed the Senate seat, as if either would somehow be inappropriate.
So, if he hadn't had any personal contact with Blagojevich, he should have lied and said he did so that the press wouldn't be suspicious?
Then there is this gem:
Heck, an Obama staffer is on tape offering the furious Blago no more than "appreciation" for giving the seat to Obama's preferred candidate.
No actually, Blagojevich himself is on tape complaining that Obama was offering nothing more than "appreciation." There is no Obama staffer on tape anywhere in the report. There isn't even a clear indication that the appreciation statement is the result of communication between Blagojevich and Obama's staff, rather than merely Blagojevich's personal assumption. But Powers couldn't be bothered to actually read the complaint before dashing off an op-ed to the New York Post about how Obama mismanaged the media.
To reiterate: In the midst of arguing that ongoing coverage of the Blagojevich scandal unfairly casts aspersions on Obama, and that this is the result of the Obama team "mismanaging" the media, Powers commits basic factual errors. Ostensibly Powers' inability to do her own basic research is also Obama's fault, part and parcel of their "mismanaging" of the media. It's almost as if it's not the reporter or writers' responsibility to get the facts straight. Powers' argument is nothing but a retroactive justification of poor reporting from someone who didn't bother to fact-check their own work.
-- A. Serwer
COMMENTS (5)
By any measure Obama's performance on this has been bad. If he and his team of retreads can get so discombobulated by a scandal like this, what can we expect when they have to deal with real Presidential Issues. Like the new depression here at home, the health care mess, education getting worse by the day, Iran and alleged nukes, the Iraq mess post-Surge, Afghanistan being lost more and more by the day, Pakistan out of control, India burning mad at the Pakis, Israel crushing and starving out the Palestinians, surly and muscular Russia, the powerhouse that China is now, North Korea sinking, rotting European countries, Latin American dissing Uncle Sam, genocides, wars, rebellions, famines, epidemics, and what have you. Obama did know he was in for some crisis management didn't he? How's he gonna speechify his way out of all the crises anyway?
Posted by: Dustin | December 16, 2008 6:33 PM
dustin, he'll do it by not lending anymore cred to this blago bullshit. He'll leave that to you. And btw, what kind of car do you drive, and why the love for foreign car makers???
Posted by: red | December 16, 2008 7:05 PM
I don't drive any car right now, red. But if I did buy a car, you bet it won't be any of the crap coming out of Detroit. Aren't you being kind of bias against foreign car companies anyway? Why isn't it ok to buy foreign cars? Maybe you're one of those Joe the Plumber types afraid some slanty eye guys are taking over your precious country, maybe your girlfriend too. Better mellow out and say goodbye to Detroit and to your girlfriend, red.
Posted by: Dustin | December 16, 2008 8:34 PM
Ah, i'm pretty mellow. this:
"By any measure Obama's performance on this has been bad. If he and his team of retreads can get so discombobulated by a scandal like this, what can we expect when they have to deal with real Presidential Issues. Like the new depression here at home, the health care mess, education getting worse by the day, Iran and alleged nukes, the Iraq mess post-Surge, Afghanistan being lost more and more by the day, Pakistan out of control, India burning mad at the Pakis, Israel crushing and starving out the Palestinians, surly and muscular Russia, the powerhouse that China is now, North Korea sinking, rotting European countries, Latin American dissing Uncle Sam, genocides, wars, rebellions, famines, epidemics, and what have you. Obama did know he was in for some crisis management didn't he? How's he gonna speechify his way out of all the crises anyway?"
not so mellow. I have no problem with foreign cars( own one myself), but i have a big problem with republican senators washing and waxing japanese and german foreign car company's owners cars, to the detriment of american workers(unionized and non) and cities. ALSO, you need not worry about me losing my lady to anyone. She'll only ditch me if she finds i'm wasting time responding to tools. Feel free to speechify.
Posted by: red | December 16, 2008 9:40 PM
[[Then there is this gem: >Heck, an Obama staffer is on tape offering the furious Blago no more than "appreciation" for giving the seat to Obama's preferred candidate.
No actually, Blagojevich himself is on tape complaining that Obama was offering nothing more than "appreciation." There is no Obama staffer on tape anywhere in the report.]]
But see http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2008/12/exclusive-obama.html
The conversation was between Rahm Emanuel and Blagojevich Chief of Staff John Harris.
>In the course of that conversation, Harris asked if in return for picking Jarrett, "all we get is appreciation, right?" "Right," Emanuel responded.
Posted by: Pyre | December 21, 2008 3:17 PM