The Clinton Rules
December 22, 2001
Well, Buzz,
Whenever the Bushies pull something that warrants extensive coverage and the media bends over backward NOT to cover or to minimize it, I apply "The Clinton Rule."
For example: What would the press have done if, in one week, Bill Clinton and anyone connected with his administration:
- Lied by omission regarding a potentially serious (or, for that matter, any) health issue;
- Announced to the press that he had "reached an agreement" with the opposition. Then it was revealed that this was an out and out lie, intended to embarrass the opposition's party leader;
- After delaying the release of a tape that was alleged to be the "smoking gun" --evidence of "evil doer's" role in a heinous attack that took thousands of lives--the media became restless and was clamoring for answers. Then, when the tape is released, it is discovered that major chunks of the tape were found to not have been translated. AND, that portion of the tape points a guilty finger squarely at a country whose regime, let's say, Hillary had close business dealings with;
- Your vice president continued to refuse to release information regarding his secret energy committee meetings with, let's say, Enron representatives;
- AND those representatives, who fudged the books BIG TIME, became richer as their company collapsed around its employees' and outside investors' ears;
- AND those representatives refused to show up before a Congressional Hearing;
- AND they were also huge contributors to him and his bid for the White House;
- AND you, as governor, made a call to another governor to cut through the red tape for this company to do business in his state;
- AND a funeral company you were heavily involved in back in your home state was found to be desecrating the bodies they were supposed to have buried;
- AND, just for icing on the cake, while this country is fighting an enemy who cannot be found and is in the midst of a spiraling recessing, you read books to elementary school children on a regular basis instead of tending to the "serious" business of the nation.
My opinion: Clinton, along with any other party deemed to be involved, would have been crucified. We would have had "health-gate," "economy-gate," "tape-gate," etc., etc., etc.
Proof?
Just look back to the false stories circulated by the bushies in January about the Clintons' stealing anything that was not nailed down in the White House, the vandalizing of White House offices, and the thefts of items from Air Force One. Those stories did not have a grain of truth and, without any investigations into the allegations, the media reported every sleazy--and bogus--detail.
George II and his cronies are guilty of all ten items listed above AND THEN SOME, so one would expect the press to be salivating and jockeying to uncover the next Watergate. These are real scandals that are brewing and one would think that reporters would be firing up the old computers, hoping to be in line for a Pulitzer Prize. Think again.
That bush has, once again, been given a pass is frustrating enough. I heard everything from Carolyn Campbell on MSNBC say that the tape debacle was "an understandable error" to Daryn Kagan on CNN say it was "an unintentional omission." BUT, this is what I find truly maddening: While the Republicans have a regular tag team set up to step up to the microphone to commence an effective character assassination on the "Democrat of the Day," the Democrats seem to demure from attacking bush & co. on any VALID points. Hell, those first three items in the above list were out and out lies perpetrated by bush himself!
Remember the Howard Kurtz topic of discussion earlier this year, "is bush getting a free ride"? One journalist was quoted as saying that there was no one on the Democratic side to force coverage of any stories on bush & co., so there was no incentive to do any real reporting. If it takes grabbing a microphone at every opportunity or calling and nagging reporters to follow leads then, for heaven's sake, do it!!! It is about damn time that the entire Democratic delegation do what Clinton is doing. Sit down and get a game plan in place. There must be a system put in place that immediately and decidedly diffuses the lies the republicans circulate AND one that forces the media to DO ITS JOB! Politics is not a spectator sport.
This
year, Santa, PLEASE deliver to each Democratic representative and
senator: a stiff
backbone and the will to stand up to this corrupt administration!
Liz
Houston
