By pure coincidence, no doubt, it so happens that on the Sunday talk shows both Ari Fleischer and Mary Matalin let NBC’s White House correspondent, David Gregory, have it. Like Al Gore, Gregory is probably now forever stamped with the “crazy” label by the coordinated Bushites.
On Meet The Press, reports Left Coaster‘s Steve Soto, Mary The Masticator accused Gregory of a “jihad” for pressing WH Press Secretary Scott McClellan on the Cheney shooting story:
David [Gregory]: there was disagreement and Mary [Matalin] well knows within the White House how this was handled–There were some WH officials who told me this week, it made the President look bad-it raised questions about who is running the rodeo in the White House.
[Maureen] Dowd: … […]
Matalin: It strikes you as odd (Gregory) because you live in a parallel universe–
Gregory: If the vice president did everything right by disclosing it the way he did-then why did you do a big national interview this week?
Mary: Because you went on a jihad, David-four day jihad-
David: That’s an unfortunate use of that word by the way..
Mary: Oh, OK…were you saving up for that line?
Now, this Mary Mad-gal-an is no holy virgin mama when it comes to selling GOP/Neocon bullshit spin and marketing lies that have killed hundreds of thousands of people. After all, she was a core member of the all-powerful White House Iraq Group (WHIG) that plotted how to bend the intelligence and sell the Iraq war to the American people.
Then, over on Howie Kurtz’s CNN gig, “Reliable Sources,” Ari Fleischer claimed that the WH press corps has gone “bonkers,” and Howie Kurtz eagerly followed with a let-me-help-you-nail-’em question, “Why are they going bonkers?” … below …
KURTZ: Each network, in fact, made sure to feature its own correspondent hammering McClellan. On “NBC Nightly News,” it was David Gregory.
[…]
FLEISCHER: Well, I think both. I think the White House correspondents were right on this one. They did have a legitimate beef. They should have been told about it. But I think you can be right and still go bonkers, and I think that’s what happened here.
KURTZ: Why are they going bonkers?
FLEISCHER: Well, I think they’ve just made this too big a story, too much the focus, too much the flashpoint. Is this really what dominates people’s lives when we have Iran enriching uranium, when there are so some other controversies around the world, about the path that this news flowed?
After all, the American people were told about it Sunday night on the network news. It’s just they weren’t told about it through the White House press corps.
In my judgment it would have been better if they had been told about it through the White House press corps, but I do think there is an element here of the press going bonkers because they didn’t get the story, somebody else did, and they wished it had been them.
KURTZ: Right.
Steve Soto says:
You can write Timmeh here and ask him why he allows Matalin to equate a free press with Islamic terrorism, and you can write Jimmy Carville and ask him if he shares her views.
It also goes without saying that by adopting Matalin’s patriotism test, every damn thing she and the right wing said against Clinton would similarly fall into a “jihad”, would it not?
Not sure Timmeh and Jimmy will care, but what the hell.
From now on, David Gregory will be the White House reporter who went bonkers on a four-day jihad.
Will he be reassigned any time soon?
What really should happen is that Ari and Mary end up in the hoosegow for at least a couple years for perjury, misuse of classified documents, or whatever else Patrick Fitzgerald could get ’em on. I know I’m dreamin’, but it’s the least they deserve for all of their lies that have actually KILLED people.
ha!
…like Ari knows how to give real answers to questions.
Have you checked out Arianna’s take on it? She notes the similarity between MM and Maleficent — and provides pictures.
First things first. The wardrobe. BooMan couldn’t have described it better himself. Clearly, she should have worn a pantsuit.
Oh Susan, you are too kind.
… a little old and Carville looks a little silly when she carries on in such a partisan way. I mean, are these issues so flimsy and unimportant that when they go home they can put this stuff aside?
Or is it all just a big circus act so when they go home they can put it all aside cause it don’t mean shit to them…doesn’t it gotta be one or the other ? Either the issues don’t matter or they don’t care. Either way it is a slap in our faces.
Occasionally the WH press corps works up the courage to stand up to that little piss-ant, Scotty. Then the right-wing spin machine starts to roll and they crawl back in their shell.
Mary(Frau Blücher)Matalin was allowed to spew a stupefying amount of unchallenged, unadulterated bullshit.
The truly fascinating result of the ari and mary show was the complete collapse of D Gregory. It appeared that either Gregory was offered a ton of bucks or what probably was the case– OK kid- shut the hell up or you are done in this town! Pathetic.
It should be quite interesting to see the coming WH press conferences!
billjpa
Surely, Mary’s apprearance is not grounds for criticism. What she says and what she stand’s for provide plenty of ammunition for legitimate attack.
Also, it is hard to imagine a couple more opportunistic than Carvelle and Matlin. Maybe Stephen Colbert should use “the word” Matlivellean to reflect just that.
She used the word Jihad intentionally to imply that Gregory is supportive of terrorism.
It´s as simple as that. It was intentional.
He got scared and shut up. That´s where their power lies, in the use of key phrases.
THe truth is there are practically no terrorists anywhere. It is alll a big myth.
There are no consequences for lying or misleading and there is no support for the truth. Nothing else will change until that does.
Once Matalin invoked the jihad word, Gregory was stuck in a no defense position. Nobody stood up for him either or spoke in his defense on that word usage so they all gave their silent nod of approval for Matalin’s reference.
They must be scared, too.
If he’d been etiher a gentleman or a decent stand-up host, Timmeh would have interveened for his host .. or Maureen Dowd should have too.
But Timmeh — and Howie Kurtz — are enablers of the Bushite lies that box in anyone who dares to stand up to them.
Kurtz did essentially the same thing by not calling out Fleischer on labeling the ENTIRE WH press corps as being “bonkers.”
I’ve run out of suggestions. What’s the answer to fix those problems or at least get them back to a purely partisan based type of insanity?
Have Amy Goodman host Meet The Press? She’d have Matalin on as a guest — that’s fair — but she’d challenge her on those kinds of wild statements, and FORCE MARY to defend using the word “jihad.”
I was thinking in more general terms of encouraging the moderators to not allow misinformation to go unchallenged. That’s where Dean is a perfect guest, IMO, and probably why he doesn’t get mmors airtime. It shouldn’t be up to the guests to do that as much as it should be the host’s responsibility.
I cannot believe what a poor presentation Matalin made.
Her make-up and costumery were right out of 101 Dalmations–the horrid hag who wanted the spotty coat.
I thought the bloom on her chest had been plucked from a man-eating plant. Now, I am a person with large hands, but Matalin has horribly monster-claw hands and she looked utterly threatening and witchlike as she ranted on.
OK! OK! So I’m having a meow moment but Mo Dowd was utterly lovely and saintlike in comparison.