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George Stephanopoulos Zeroes-In on Meghan McCain’s Spat With Palins

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos interviewed media darling and nominal Republican Meghan McCain on Tuesday’s Good Morning America and devoted the bulk of the segment to her love-hate relationship with Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol. Stephanopoulos devoted so much time to the Palin issue that McCain interjected, “For the record, my book is not just about Sarah and Bristol.” The anchor gushingly endorsed the McCain daughter’s new book, “Dirty Sexy Politics,” at the beginning of the interview, which aired 42 minutes into the 7 am Eastern hour: ” It is savvy, it is saucy, and it’s just what you’d expect from the first daughter of a presidential candidate ever fired by her father’s campaign .” He then labeled his guest a “fun writer” and first asked about her “firing,” in which she actually sent away from the main stops of her father’s presidential campaign and did a bus tour in the battleground state of Ohio. After four questions on her “firing,” Stephanopoulos raised the issue of Mrs. Palin with McCain. She put all of her answers in the context of herself and her experiences, while the ABC anchor pressed her on the former governor of Alaska, with two negative follow-up questions about Palin and two neutral: STEPHANOPOULOS: Since the campaign, you had said you didn’t want to talk about Sarah Palin. But you write about her quite a bit in the book. You say there were a lot of things you like about Sarah Palin, but you also point out that she snubbed your Mom’s efforts to reach out to the Palins, that she wasn’t much of a team player. You believe- you talk about doubts you had at the end where you thought she actually hurt the campaign. ” MCCAIN: Yes, but I do clearly state at the end that we did not lose because of her, and I’m speaking out now because I do have conflicting feelings about her. I mean, she brought so much momentum and enthusiasm to the campaign. I mean, you saw the crowds double, and you saw a lot more women coming to rallies- STEPHANOPOULOS: But you also write that she brought- quote, ‘drama, stress, complications, panic, and loads of uncertainty.’ MCCAIN: (laughs) It’s true. I mean, a lot of things happen, but I think that’s how campaigns are in general, no matter who comes, and- you know, I respect her, as a feminist or Republican feminist, and going out there and working for women, especially Republican women. It’s no secret that I’m more socially liberal than she is, but I’m here to say that two different kinds of Republican women can work together for the same cause. STEPHANOPOULOS: And you talked about this moment in the campaign where you’re being interviewed, and you almost got tongue-tied when you were asked about Sarah Palin. You said you had doubts about her. What are the doubts? MCCAIN: It was a reflection on me, because she was so celebrated in the Republican Party, and it’s- again, no secret that I’m so unlike her, and I thought, how am I ever going to fit in? How am I ever going to do this? And it’s still something that I struggle with today because people so see me as sort of this rebel and this new Republican, which I take pride in, but a lot of, sort of, older Republicans seem to have a problem placing me. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, you say there’s room in the party for both of you, but you want a Republican to win in 2012- you say that as well. Could she be your candidate? MCCAIN: Anyone could be my candidate at this point. I really don’t like these hypothetical questions, but I think that so many candidates are doing or- you know, people that could be running right now, are making very smart moves. I think Mitt Romney is doing a lot of smart things right now. I think it’s going to be a very interesting election, no matter what happens (unintelligible)- STEPHANOPOULOS: Would you vote for her? MCCAIN: It depends [on] the situation. You know, I’d have to hear more on what happens in the primaries. As you’re well aware, anything can happen in the primaries, and I would have to see. It was when Stephanopoulos brought up McCain’s spat with Bristol Palin over teen abstinence and teen pregnancy that the liberal Republican replied with her “my book is not just about Sarah and Bristol” line and added, “a lot of fun stories.” The anchor replied, “I want to ask you about one of those stories in a second. But first, you say that at that point, the campaign seemed to be glamorizing teen pregnancy, that the campaign really wanted to suggest that a pro-life message was more important than the message of how to avoid teen pregnancy to begin with? ” McCain answered, in part, “I have a sister who is almost exactly- my little sister Bridget is almost exactly Bristol’s age, and I just know that I want teens in this country to be aware of what can happen when you have sex. You can die from sex in this era, and not necessarily- I just think that the pro-abstinence complete campaign isn’t necessarily the most effective one.” Stephanopoulos concluded the interview by asking his guest about another of her “fun stories” involving a visit to the White House where she was apparently “dis-invited” from a lunch at the White House with Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna. The anchor repeated his endorsement of McCain’s book at the very end of the interview: “Meghan McCain, it is a terrific book, it’s a fun book, it’s a revealing book about life in politics as well .” ABC has promoted Ms. McCain’s liberal flavor of Republicanism in the past with her appearance as a guest host on The View, where she slammed conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham , and profiled her support of same-sex “marriage” on World News .

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ABC’s Stephanopoulos Highlights Two Conservative News Agenda Items, Briefly

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC News producers on Thursday night managed to sneak, into the script read by World News fill-in anchor George Stephanopoulos – ever so briefly – two news items from a conservative news agenda which were skipped by CBS and NBC: ♦ A study from the Pew Hispanic Center found that, in 2008, one out of every twelve babies born here had parents in the country illegally. ♦ We have some reassurance tonight for all of you who believe that faith and love are linked. A new study from the Journal of Marriage and Family found that couples who pray together do, indeed, stay together. And they have happier marriages than those who don’t. African-American couples are most likely to be on the same page when it comes to religion. Pew’s report, “ Unauthorized Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children ,” also determined “nearly four-in-five (79%) of the 5.1 million children (younger than age 18) of unauthorized immigrants were born in this country and therefore are U.S. citizens.”

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George Stephanopoulos Touts Obama’s Liberal Achievements: ‘What More Could the President Have Done?’

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Thursday interviewed liberal Congressman Dennis Kucinich and defended Barack Obama’s left-wing achievements. Stephanopoulos touted, ” Congressman, what more could the President have done? You’ve got this almost $800 million stimulus bill. You’ve got a financial reform package .” [MP3 audio here .] The GMA host was trying to make peace between Obama and those who had been derided by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs as the “professional left.” The former Democratic operative turned journalist trumpeted, “[Obama] did something that…no Democratic president in 50 years has been able to do, lay the groundwork for universal, national health care. That is quite a legislative record, isn’t it?” This isn’t the first time co-host has attempted to mediate a dispute between liberals. On March 13, 2010 , Stephanopoulos lobbied wavering Democrat Bart Stupak to support the health care bill. Using similar language, he cajoled, “What more do you need?” Stephanopoulos also pressed, “Did he say anything to change your mind that could move you from no to yes?” A transcript of the August 12 segment, which aired at 7:08am EDT, follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: For more on this, let’s go down to Washington. Congressman Dennis Kucinich called out there by Robert Gibbs, joins us this morning. He, of course, ran for president the last two around, I believe. So, Congressman, how did you take Mr. Gibbs’ comments? An insult? REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: No. I think that Mr. Gibbs and the White House needs to realize that liberals support the President, but there’s still- the criticism is really a measure of the hopes that have not been realized. And I don’t think they ought to take it in the manner in which Gibbs, and apparently, the rest of the White House does take the criticism. STEPHANOPOULOS: Congressman, what more could the President have done? You’ve got this almost $800 million stimulus bill. You’ve got a financial reform package. He did something that no president in- no Democratic president in 50 years has been able to do, lay the groundwork for universal, national health care. That is quite a legislative record, isn’t it? KUCINICH: Well, you can’t take away from the president his accomplishments, and I certainly don’t. But, there is this factor at the beginning of yours news show, you demonstrated, the economy is in a deep trough. We’re looking at a double dip recession. We have 9.5 percent of Americans out of work, over 15 million American has out of work. You have the trade deficit which is the largest it’s been in the last two years. We have to do something about the joblessness. It’s a key issue. And until the administration effectively addresses that, then those of us who call ourselves liberals are going to continue to insist, look, we should be talking about a full employment economy. We should be talking about getting America back to work. We shouldn’t be capitulating to the Fed or Wall Street with this false notion that a certain amount of unemployment is necessary for the proper functioning of the economy. We have to get America back to work. That is the key and central issue to all of this. And, in addition, if I might add, don’t forget about getting out of Afghanistan and Iraq, because that also inevitably has a drag on the economy. STEPHANOPOULOS: I know those are all big- The President has been pushing, though, very hard for more job creations programs. But the votes just aren’t there in the House and Senate, are they? KUCINICH: Well, you know what, though? The kind of tremendous hope that America felt in January of 2009 with the election of Barack Obama, an election which I supported after the- they’re still out there. People still want to believe that government has this transformational power. And it does. But we need the leadership that can make it happen. Franklin Roosevelt recognized in 1933 that America needed not just a New Deal, but we will to put America back to work. Rebuild the economy, rebuild America. We still have the capacity to do that now. And that’s what I say, the criticism is about hopes that have not been realized and the intention to make sure they get realized while we have a President we do want to support. STEPHANOPOULOS: Democratic governor Ed Rendell said the other day at that President is vulnerable to the primary challenge from the left. Are you considering on running again? KUCINICH: No. And I think it’s, you know, what we have to do is focus on coming together for the purpose of getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, the news is they want to slow down the movement out of Afghanistan. We have to focus on creating jobs. And, you know, it’s important who’s president, yes. But it’s also important that we as Democrats come together on mainstream economic ideas and try to paint as out of the mainstream, people who want a full-employment economy. People who want peace, people who want to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s the mistake that Mr. Gibbs made. He’s missing exactly what’s happening out there across America.

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ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Hits Michelle Malkin With White House Spin on Dem Corruption

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin made a rare appearance on Wednesday’s Good Morning America and highlighted the issue of Democratic corruption. Co-host George Stephanopoulos responded to criticisms of a Colorado Democrat by touting White House talking points. Malkin made the point, almost entirely ignored on GMA, that now-defeated candidate Andrew Romanoff was apparently offered administration jobs in order to not challenge the incumbent senator. Stephanopoulos promptly defended, ” Which I should say, [the allegations] were denied by Romanoff and by the White House about whether or not he was offered a job to get him out of the way. ” [MP3 audio here .] Malkin then mentioned e-mails released by the Denver Post backing up the claim of job offers. This prompted the former Democratic operative turned journalist to weakly protest, “Well, except he had been going for the job before the campaign began.” Of course, Stephanopoulos and GMA have showed little interest in the subject of Andrew Romanoff’s troubles. Other than a brief mention by Jake Tapper on June 3, 2010, the morning show has ignored the allegations of job offers from the White House. Even though Malkin was on the program to promote the paperback edition of Culture of Corruption, Stephanopoulos focused on potential Republican problems: “[Democrats] believe that when tea party candidates like Ken Buck in Colorado, like Sharron Angle in Nevada, like Rand Paul in Kentucky win, they actually give the Democrats a better chance of winning in November.” It should also be noted that the Malkin segment aired at the very end of the show, at 8:48am EDT. A transcript of the August 11 segment follows: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Last night’s primary results have set the political landscape for the fall campaign. What did we learn about President Obama, Sarah Palin and what may happen come November? Here with her always provocative point of view, Fox News contributor and author of the New York Times number one best-seller Culture of Corruption, Michelle Malkin. Good to see you. MICHELLE MALKIN: You too, George. STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s start out. Quick take on last night. MALKIN: You know, there’s no inevitabilities in politics. And I live in Colorado now which, of course, had a bunch of very high-profile primaries. And the White House is patting itself on the back but probably more exhaling with ultimate relief that its candidate in the Senate race, the appointed incumbent Michael Bennet eked through and he faced a very scary challenge from a far left progressive candidate, Andrew Romanoff. And you’ll recall that there is a culture of corruption angle to this because this was the race where allegations of attempted bribery, in essence, came up because- STEPHANOPOULOS: Which I should say, they were denied by Romanoff and by the White House about whether or not he was offered a job to get him out of the way. MALKIN: Of course. The Denver Post had reported last fall that White House chief of- the deputy chief of staff Jim Messina had approached Romanoff and offered a plethora of White House administration jobs to get him to drop out and Romanoff released E-mails that essentially confirmed that. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, except he had been going for the job before the campaign began . But, let’s talk about Colorado- MALKIN: Well, I think the point there though is it’s not just conservatives and people on my side of the aisle that are talking about this stench, this culture of corruption that seems to stick to the Chicago team and Obama. This was a Democrat who blew the whistle and he blew the whistle after Joe Sestak came forward and made similar allegations. STEPHANOPOULOS: You talk about the stench. And there is just no question that all across the country there is a real anger at Washington. But in some ways, you can say it’s kind of bipartisan . You talk about Colorado last night, the President’s candidate survived. On the Republican side, you had the tea party candidate win the primary against the more establishment Republican figure. I know you’re deep in the middle of the Tea Party, Tea party supporter. B ut how do you respond to what a lot of Democrats believe? They believe that when tea party candidates like Ken Buck in Colorado, like Sharron Angle in Nevada, like Rand Paul in Kentucky win, they actually give the Democrats a better chance of winning in November. MALKIN: Look, you can look at this as purely from the electoral standpoint or you can look at it if you’re a grassroots conservative like I am, and I live out in the west now, I live in Colorado. And we have a longer view about moving the party to where we think it should be. Committed to conservative principles and we were very dispirited during the Bush administration at seeing beltway Republicans capitulate and essentially become big government versions of the people that they say they opposed. And that’s what’s making 2010 such an interesting period because no establishment Republican is safe. STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s clear. MALKIN: We saw it in Utah. Bob Bennett is no longer in office because grassroots conservatives kicked him out. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, are you saying it’s better to be pure than to compromise for victory? MALKIN: Well, that’s always been my position as a grassroots conservative. And I think that’s what the Tea Party has always tried to say. I was covering the Tea Party movement before it was called a Tea Party movement. And this was in the days around the stimulus debate when it was getting shoved down the American taxpayers’ throat and something unfortunately the mainstream media refused to acknowledge that it was a bottom-up movement that could never have been coordinated by beltway Republicans, that they were tired of a lack of corruption. That they were tired of a lack of transparency and the trampling over the deliberative process. And, of course, Obama and the Chicago team and the Democrat majority have been at the center of that. But nobody is immune to that kind of criticism and revolt and that’s why these beltway Republicans have been under fire. STEPHANOPOULOS: So, given that and you say you take the long-term view. Let’s jump ahead then to 2012. Who is the potential Republican candidate for 2012 that most embodies the Tea Party principles? Is it Sarah Palin? MALKIN: Well, certainly she is a favorite and she’s spoken at tea party conventions and she embodies this outside the beltway mentality. She gets it. She has an authenticity that I think that a lot of these beltway Republicans and old tired names have been lacking. But, just getting back to the culture of corruption for a moment, we didn’t talk about Connecticut where you have this outsider Republican Linda McMahon who easily won against the more establishment candidate Rob Simmons. I think people need to be reminded that the reason that race is happening in the first place is because voters were sick of corruptocrat Chris Dodd. STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, the computer’s going to cut us off. I could talk to you all morning. But, thank you very much. The book is called Culture of Corruption. The paperback is in book stores now. You can read an excerpt on ABCNews.com/GMA.

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ABC’s Cokie Roberts Defends Michelle Obama’s Spanish Vacation: ‘What Real Difference Does It Make?’

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos and Cokie Roberts on Monday downplayed the potential bad PR Michelle Obama might suffer for taking a Spanish vacation costing a quarter million dollars during bad economic times. Roberts justified, ” But in the grand scheme of things, what real difference does it make? I would guess that Sasha is probably learning some Spanish. ” Continuing to spin the First Lady’s vacation, she argued, ” We need Spain to be stronger economically than it is in the Euro zone. I mean, you can make the case if you really need to.” Co-host George Stephanopoulos searched for reassurance that the visit wouldn’t have negative ramifications: But you don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal? They just fade the heat and move on.” Yet, when Laura Bush introduced new White House china just prior to leaving the White House in January 2009 , co-host Robin Roberts called it a “brewing brouhaha.” Reporter Ann Compton worried, “So, why is Laura Bush introducing new Bush china two weeks before they move out?” In a segment airing just before the conversation between Roberts and Stephanopoulos, reporter Yunji did hit some tough facts: “The bad PR comes at a time when the White House could use good news. We learned Friday that the economy lost 131,000 jobs last month. The President’s approval rating is at 41 percent, his lowest ever.” She also noted, “This girls’ getaway wasn’t cheap. These hotel rooms run from $400 to nearly $7,000 a night. The White House says the Obamas paid their own way, but their security is covered by American taxpayers.” De Nies’ report on Monday was in contrast to her piece on Friday . For that segment, she lauded the ‘luxurious’ vacation and made no mention of possible controversy. A transcript of the August 9 segment, which aired at 7:17am EDT, follows: STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay. And for more on this, we’re joined by our friend Cokie Roberts in Washington. And, Cokie, thanks for coming in this morning. You heard Yunji saying the White House hopes is hoping this is going to blow over. But, they probably could have seen this criticism coming. COKIE ROBERTS: Sure they could have. And they probably did and decided to go anyway. You know, politically, it was not a smart move. But in the grand scheme of things, what real difference does it make? I would guess that Sasha is probably learning some Spanish. Maybe she learned Spanish on her trip. You know, the fact is, Spain could use help, too. We need Spain to be stronger economically than it is in the Euro zone. I mean, you can make the case if you really need to. STEPHANOPOULOS: But you don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal? They just fade the heat and move on. And it does seem that that sentiment did take hold. ROBERTS: I think that’s exactly right. Look, the President’s in trouble with the voters because of the economy. And whatever the First Lady does is not going to make any difference one way or the other. And, you know, she did go with her child. It was not like a Jackie O trip, you know, where she was sort of wiling away her time on a yacht. STEPHANOPOULOS: Aristotle Onassis’ yacht. That’s exactly right. And it does come- the irony, it comes at a time when the First Lady actually has very high approval ratings in great demand on the campaign trail. The Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Joe Sestak, says “I’d rather have her than the President.” ROBERTS: Well, because she’s not responsible for the economy so she doesn’t take the same heat. And that’s traditionally true for first ladies. She’s very much in the path of other first ladies who have come before her. And people like these women because they do go out and do good. And have causes that everybody can get behind. STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, Congress is out for the summer, but there’s another big primary tomorrow in Colorado, which is kind of interesting because it’s a classic case, and both Republican and Democratic side, establishment candidates facing a real challenge from the outsiders. ROBERTS: Right. Michael Bennet, the sitting senator, one of the several appointed senators in trouble this year in an election bid is backed by the White House. The President calls him a breath of fresh air in Washington, a city full of hot air. But his opponent, Andrew Romanoff, is backed by Bill Clinton. And, so you’ve got a real battle of endorsements going on there. And on the Republican side, you have Ken Buck, who is a Tea Party candidate, against former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton who has John McCain behind her. And the governor of Arizona, the controversial governor of Arizona, behind her. But, she’s having a lot of trouble from Ken Buck who says, at least he doesn’t wear high-heels. How that goes with voters, I don’t know. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not a bad line. We’ll see if it’s another day for outsiders. Cokie Roberts, thanks very much.

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NYT: WH Defending Health Ins. Penalties As ‘Taxes’ In Court Despite Obama’s Vehement 2009 Denial

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The truth comes out. Okay, it was always out there. It’s just that the Barack Obama and the folks in his administration were denying it. The issue in question is whether the individual mandate and penalties for not purchasing health insurance in the statist health care legislation commonly known as ObamaCare should rightly be considered taxes, or if they are something else. In a report dated Friday that appeared in the paper’s print edition at Page A14 on Sunday , Robert Pear at the New York Times noted that in legal proceedings, in response to litigation brought by state attorneys general, the administration is now characterizing the mandate and penalties as taxes. Note the subtle water-down that occurred between the web page’s title bar and the published article’s headline: When Congress required most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, Democrats denied that they were creating a new tax. But in court, the Obama administration and its allies now defend the requirement as an exercise of the government’s “power to lay and collect taxes.” And that power, they say, is even more sweeping than the federal power to regulate interstate commerce. Administration officials say the tax argument is a linchpin of their legal case in defense of the health care overhaul and its individual mandate, now being challenged in court by more than 20 states and several private organizations. Under the legislation signed by President Obama in March, most Americans will have to maintain “minimum essential coverage” starting in 2014. Many people will be eligible for federal subsidies to help them pay premiums. In a brief defending the law, the Justice Department says the requirement for people to carry insurance or pay the penalty is “a valid exercise” of Congress’s power to impose taxes. Congress can use its taxing power “even for purposes that would exceed its powers under other provisions” of the Constitution, the department said. For more than a century, it added, the Supreme Court has held that Congress can tax activities that it could not reach by using its power to regulate commerce. While Congress was working on the health care legislation, Mr. Obama refused to accept the argument that a mandate to buy insurance, enforced by financial penalties, was equivalent to a tax. “For us to say that you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase,” the president said last September, in a spirited exchange with George Stephanopoulos on the ABC News program “This Week.” When Mr. Stephanopoulos said the penalty appeared to fit the dictionary definition of a tax, Mr. Obama replied, “I absolutely reject that notion.” Now that the legislation has passed, Team Obama has clearly changed its tune. What a surprise (not). As a refresher, what follows is the excerpt from the Obama-Stephanopoulos “spirited exchange” to which Pear referred that I posted last year (at NewsBusters ; at BizzyBlog ). In his annual exercise in legitimate journalism (the one that preceded it was when he moderated an April 2008 Democratic presidential debate and gave then-candidate Obama grief about his relationship with Jeremiah Wright), Stephanopoulos maneuvers an arrogant President into a de facto assertion that Barack Obama’s take on a word’s meaning is more important than the one found in the dictionary: STEPHANOPOULOS: …during the campaign. Under this mandate, the government is forcing people to spend money, fining you if you don’t. How is that not a tax? …. OBAMA: No. That’s not true, George. The — for us to say that you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase. What it’s saying is, is that we’re not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase. People say to themselves, that is a fair way to make sure that if you hit my car, that I’m not covering all the costs. STEPHANOPOULOS: But it may be fair, it may be good public policy… OBAMA: No, but — but, George, you — you can’t just make up that language and decide that that’s called a tax increase. Any… …. STEPHANOPOULOS: I — I don’t think I’m making it up. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary: Tax — “a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes.” OBAMA: George, the fact that you looked up Merriam’s Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you’re stretching a little bit right now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to the dictionary to check on the definition. I mean what… …. STEPHANOPOULOS: I wanted to check for myself. But your critics say it is a tax increase. OBAMA: My critics say everything is a tax increase. My critics say that I’m taking over every sector of the economy. You know that. Look, we can have a legitimate debate about whether or not we’re going to have an individual mandate or not, but… STEPHANOPOULOS: But you reject that it’s a tax increase? OBAMA: I absolutely reject that notion. At time, I reacted by writing: “If you don’t think we have a problem of Orwellian proportions with Barack Obama, I’d suggest you re-read the excerpt. He thinks he’s above the dictionary, that words mean only what he says they mean.” It turns out that I understated the extent of the Orwellian problem. Not only does Team Obama want words only to mean what they say they mean, they want to be able to change the meaning of words at will to suit their purposes. Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com .

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Oliver Stone Lauds Hugo Chavez, Criticizes Action Against Iran on ABC’s GMA

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Liberal director Oliver Stone revealed his anti-American bent on Monday’s Good Morning America, praising the rise of mainly left-wing leaders across South America and even went so far to support Brazilian President Lula da Silva for “trying to strike to deal with Iran,” wildly predicting ” it’s going to be like North Vietnam again ” if the U.S. pursued sanctions against the country. Anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewed the Oscar-winning director 44 minutes into the 8 am Eastern hour. Stephanopoulos referenced how Stone has “tackled war, Wall Street, and the Kennedy assassination” and is now “taking on South America. He says our neighbors to the south haven’t gotten a fair shake from the American media, and, armed with a camera, he’s set out on a road trip to try to change that.” Before asking about Chavez, Stephanopoulos played a clip from Stone’s documentary “South of the Border,” which included a sound bite from CNN’s John Roberts that gave the impression that the anchor was condemning the Venezuelan leader: “He’s more dangerous than Bin Laden, and the effects of Chavez, his war against America, could eclipse those of 9/11.” Actually, Roberts, in the January 15, 2009 segment from his American Morning program, actually was reading a quote from a book by his guest, Doug Schoen: “Right off the bat, in the very front of the book, you quote Otto Reich, who was the former ambassador to Venezuela back in the 1980s, as saying that he’s more dangerous than bin Laden and the effects of Chavez, his war against America could eclipse those of 9/11.” Earlier, the ABC anchor asked, “Why take this on?” The director characterized the left-wing trend in leaders in South America as a “march towards reform” and praised these favorite leaders on the continent without naming them: STONE: They have democratically-elected leaders who look like the people who elected them. They have a priest in Paraguay. They have a woman in Argentina. They have an Indian leader- the first Indian- in Bolivia. They have an economist in Ecuador and they have a soldier who’s poor- comes from a poor family- who was elected three times in Venezuela- that’s Hugo Chavez. These are good people. When you look in their eyes, you see it, and you see it on film. That’s why you have to do a  film because on paper, it sometimes it didn’t come across, you know? The leader of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, is actually a former Catholic bishop who admitted that he fathered a child with a woman in her 20s when he was still a bishop. Lugo led a mainly left-wing coalition into office when he was elected in 2008. Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, nationalized $30 billion in private pension funds late in 2008. Bolivian President Evo Morales and Ecuador’s executive, Rafael Correa , are both avowed socialists. The ABC anchor later pressed the director on his endorsement of his Venezuelan “soldier:” STEPHANOPOULOS (live): Do you believe Hugo Chavez is a good person? STONE: Yes, I do- absolutely . STEPHANOPOULOS: But even the United Nations has said that Hugo Chavez has not been a paragon of free speech- his crackdown on the media in his own country. STONE: I have not seen that report. I know that- you know, there’s no pattern of censorship in this country . I’ve been there. So, you can see it. You can go down to South America, spend three days, and you’ll see the most vibrant opposition in the world . STEPHANOPOULOS: One of the reasons the United States has put a lot of pressure on Chavez is over oil, you believe, and there was particular opposition from the Bush administration. How do you think the relationship may change, now that President Obama is in office? STONE: Well, I hope it changes because America seems to want to control every oil-producing nation in the world, whether it’s Iraq or Iran or Venezuela. Since Stone named Iran, Stephanopoulos mentioned how “the president of Brazil [is] trying to strike a deal with Iran, counter to what the Obama administration is looking for.” The director replied that this move as a ” good thing .” When the anchor asked why, Stone made his “North Vietnam” comparison: STONE: Because- well, the march to sanctions in Iran. We want sanctions. We want- it seems to me, once they start intercepting their ships, we’re going to be in a- it’s going to be like North Vietnam again. We’re going to get into a position where we’re going to get closer to war. There’s no reason for to us go to war in Iran, any more than there was a reason to go in Iraq – STEPHANOPOULOS: Even if they want to build a nuclear weapon? STONE: Hmm? STEPHANOPOULOS: Even if they want to build a nuclear weapon? STONE: I think that has to be discussed. So the Oscar winner not only acted as a left-wing apologist but also vouched for inaction against a nation who has nuclear ambitions and has made threats against its neighbors. Stephanopoulos and Stone concluded by briefly discussing how the director was also releasing a sequel to his acclaimed 1987 movie, “Wall Street.” After thanking his guest, the ABC anchor noted that “‘South of the Border’ is open in New York now” as a title graphic for the movie flashed on screen. But, in a parallel to Stone’s edit of Roberts, the graphic that ABC used for the movie was actually cropped from its movie poster which emulated left-wing propaganda art . Eagle’s talons represented United States’s power in South America on the poster, which were mounted on top of South America which was appropriately painted red.

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George Stephanopoulos Fawns Over Obama’s Handling of McChrystal Controversy: A ‘Political Masterstroke’

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Thursday hyped Barack Obama’s handling of the decision to fire General Stanley McChrystal and replace him with David Petraeus, lauding the action as a ” political masterstroke .” His comments built on extensive media praise on Wednesday, including many reporters who called the move “brilliant.” Stephanopoulos seemed particularly pleased. The former Democratic aide turned journalist extolled, “…That pick really seems to have been the political masterstroke that got President Obama out of the tight box he was in. It’s being welcomed both by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.” Reporter Martha Raddatz agreed with Stephanopoulos, enthusing, “Sending Petraeus to Afghanistan is, by all accounts, a great save, for exactly the reasons the President described.” A transcript of the June 24 segment, which aired at 7:04am, follows: ROBIN ROBERTS: But, it, as you know, is a new day, under new leadership for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. After a high-stakes meeting with General Stanley McChrystal, President Obama announced his resignation, the general’s resignation. And named his replacement, the architect of the surge in Iraq, General David Petraeus. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Robin, that pick really seems to have been the political masterstroke that got President Obama out of the tight box he was in. It’s being welcomed both by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. Petraeus is expected to be confirmed quickly by the Senate and to be on the ground in Afghanistan next week. The big question, now, can General Petraeus fix a war effort that has been proceeding in fits and starts? President Obama said he was changing personnel, not policy. But, many wondering if a change in strategy is needed. We have Senator John McCain standing by live to talk about that. But, we’re going to begin with Martha Raddatz and the high drama in the high change of command. And, Martha, it was pretty stunning. 30 minutes with the President and a 30-year career is over. MARTHA RADDATZ: That’s exactly right, George. General McChrystal and his top aide will not be returning to Afghanistan and say good-bye. Their personal effects are being packed up right now for shipping back to the U.S. As an official in Kabul told me this morning, it feels like a death in the family. It all happened so fast. And in retrospect, was so obvious. Cameras trained on a White House entrance, caught Stanley McChrystal leaving his tense and final meeting with President Obama. And a short time later, David Petraeus arrived. He had come for a scheduled national security council meeting about Afghanistan. But we now know that just 45 minutes after McChrystal was ousted, the President called Petraeus to the oval office and asked him to take McChrystal’s job. BARACK OBAMA: He has worked closely with our forces in Afghanistan. He has worked closely with Congress. He has my full confidence. RADDATZ: Sending Petraeus to Afghanistan is, by all accounts, a great save, for exactly the reasons the President described. Petraeus is jokingly referred to by some in the military as a water walker, who seems to turn even the worst situations around. He received enormous credit for that in Iraq, where he served three, different tours, the last overseeing the surge. Ironically, he took over central command in 2008 because the man who was then holding the job, Admiral William Fallon, was ousted, after an Esquire magazine profile put him at odds with the Bush administration. The central command job, headquartered in Tampa, put Petraeus in charge of a swath of global hot spots, from Yemen, to Iran, to Pakistan. A senior administration official joked that sending Petraeus from Tampa to Kabul, was not exactly on the Better Homes tour. But clearly, the President is hoping that the magic touch Petraeus has had in the past, will help him in one of the toughest wars ever. And this may well be the hardest challenge Petraeus has faced. We also don’t know how long he will be in Afghanistan. He has already spent nearly half of the last ten years in a war zone. George?

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ABC Frets Over Pickle McChrystal Has Put Obama Into: Look ‘Petulant’ or ‘Weak’

Posted on June 22, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC, CBS and NBC all led Tuesday night with multiple stories on the “firestorm” over disrespectful coments by General Stanley McChrystal and his aides about President Obama and other administration officials, but ABC’s Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos particularly despaired over the position in which McChrystal has put Obama. Sawyer fretted that Obama “now faces a mind-boggling choice,” before Stephanopoulos kvetched “the President has really been put in a real political box” and “a very painful political position,” forcing him to choose between “looking thin-skinned and petulant” or “looking weak.” CBS’s Katie Couric didn’t go that far, but she was disturbed by the burden on Obama: “This controversy is about the last thing the President needed on his plate as he deals with two wars overseas and another against an invasion of oil off the gulf coast.” Sawyer asked chief political correspondent/Good Morning America co-host Stephanopoulos: “What are you hearing, George?” He worried about Obama’s plight: That a debate has been raging inside the administration since this article hit last night, and that the President has really been put in a real political box. If he fires McChrystal after this, he risks looking thin-skinned and petulant. But if he accepts these words, which some consider insubordination, then he risks looking weak. So it’s a very painful political position right now for the President. Sawyer had led the June 22 World News: Good evening. There was a giant explosion heard around the world today, and it had nothing to do with weapons. Everything to do with words. General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, gave an interview to a magazine. And in it, he and his aides took aim at everyone from the President to the Vice President to Senators and diplomats. The General has been summoned to the White House by President Obama, who now faces a mind-boggling choice. Does he fire the man central to the war right before a major battle? Jake Tapper takes us inside a stunned and furious White House.

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ABC Frets Over Pickle McChrystal Has Put Obama Into: Look ‘Petulant’ or ‘Weak’

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ABC’s Tapper: A ‘Good Week’ for White House After ‘Gift’ From Joe Barton

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

On Friday’s Good Morning America on ABC, White House correspondent Jake Tapper described  White House reaction to Republican Congressman Joe Barton calling BP’s $20 billion escrow fund the result of a government “shakedown”: “…the argument they’re making, that the Republican Party is too close to corporate America…..And they’ve been given this great foil by Joe Barton.” When co-host George Stephanopoulos wondered if the Obama administration was at all concerned about being seen as anti-business, Tapper recited the White House spin: “…they say, at the end of the day, there were inequities throughout the Bush years and they need to correct those inequities. It was the wild west. And they’d rather be on their side, taking on corporate America, than on the Republican side, in their view, defending it.” Later, Tapper concluded: “…they think it was a good week. The President’s trip down to the Gulf, the speech, the $20 billion escrow fund and then this gift from Joe Barton ….they feel like they had a good week. Perhaps their first good week since this crisis began.” At the top of the show, co-host Robin Roberts described the “political firestorm” surrounding BP CEO Tony Hayward’s Thursday testimony on Capitol Hill and Barton’s comments. Later, Stephanopoulos argued that the “beating” Hayward got by members of Congress was “overwhelmed” by Barton. In a report that followed, correspondent Jonathan Karl declared: “Hayward did find one friend on Capitol Hill, Republican Joe Barton.” Turning to Tapper, Stephanopoulos began by noting how Democrats “pounced” on Barton. Tapper quoted a tweet from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: “He said, ‘Who would the GOP put in charge of overseeing the energy industry and big oil if they won control of Congress? Yup. You guessed it, Joe Barton.'” Here is a full transcript of the June 18 Stephanopoulos and Tapper exchange: 7:08AM ET GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s go to Jake Tapper at the White House. And Jake, they just pounced yesterday when they heard that apology. JAKE TAPPER: That’s exactly right. Vice President Biden made comments. And then take a look at this tweet from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. He said, ‘Who would the GOP put in charge of overseeing the energy industry and big oil if they won control of Congress? Yup. You guessed it, Joe Barton.’ And that’s the argument they’re making, that the Republican Party is too close to corporate America, corporations throughout the world, like BP. And they’ve been given this great foil by Joe Barton. STEPHANOPOULOS: Are they concerned at all about the argument that the White House is overstepping its bounds? That the President is just viscerally anti-business, which you’ve heard from many Republicans. TAPPER: Well, a senior White House official I spoke to said that they – they’re careful to walk the line and not be anti-business, they invite businesses to be part of discussions. But they say, at the end of the day, there were inequities throughout the Bush years and they need to correct those inequities. It was the wild west. And they’d rather be on their side, taking on corporate America, than on the Republican side, in their view, defending it. STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Jake, how about the Left? You know, I think the White House was hoping – they kept calling the speech the President gave on Tuesday night an ‘inflection point,’ that it would be a turning point for the President. Yet, they were met by a chorus of criticism, not only by – from conservatives, but also liberals. Concerned by that at all? TAPPER: They are concerned by that. But they think it was a good week. The President’s trip down to the Gulf, the speech, the $20 billion escrow fund and then this gift from Joe Barton, which has really been a lightning rod for the Left, far more than the White House. So I think they feel like they had a good week. Perhaps their first good week since this crisis began. STEPHANOPOULOS: You’re going to have a chance to put a lot of these questions in a big exclusive on Sunday. TAPPER: That’s right, we have an exclusive with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. So we’ll talk to him on Sunday. And then we’ve got a great roundtable, as well, George. STEPHANOPOULOS: Okay, Jake, we’re looking forward to that.

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ABC’s Tapper: A ‘Good Week’ for White House After ‘Gift’ From Joe Barton

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