Here are today's news items from Media Matters for America, click on the title or 'read more' to read the entirety of each story.

2008 Elections

On CNN, Gergen distorted Obama's response regarding U.S. deaths in Iraq

During post-debate analysis of the November 15 Democratic presidential debate, U.S. News & World Report editor David Gergen claimed that Sen. Barack Obama "was asked about, is the surge [in Iraq] working, he couldn't even acknowledge, hey, look, the death numbers are down," adding that Obama "dismiss[ed] it altogether." In fact, Obama did not refuse to acknowledge that U.S. deaths in Iraq "have been declining steadily since the spring"; he said that it is "absolutely wrong" to conclude from a decline in violence in Iraq that President Bush's strategy is working. Read more

Politico's Simon on Clinton: "The (rhymes with rich) is back."
Politico chief political columnist Roger Simon began his November 16 column by asserting, "The (rhymes with rich) is back." Simon began his column with that phrase just two days after his colleague, Politico chief political writer Mike Allen, responded to a question about referring to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) as a "bitch" by saying, "All right. But what Republican voter hasn't thought that? What voter in general hasn't thought that?" Allen made his comment on the November 14 edition of CNN's American Morning while discussing a recent campaign event in Hilton Head, South Carolina, during which a questioner asked Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), "How do we beat the bitch?" -- presumably referring to Clinton. McCain called the question an "excellent" one, later adding, "I respect Senator Clinton. I respect anyone who gets the nomination of the Democrat [sic] Party." Read more

LA Times claimed Obama was "less than definitive" on human rights vs. national security, but omitted his specific statements
In a November 16 article on the Democratic presidential debate the previous night, Los Angeles Times staff writers Mark Z. Barabak and Scott Martelle reported that while discussing "the upheaval in Pakistan," Gov. Bill Richardson (NM) "stated that human rights sometimes must take precedence over national security in formulating the nation's foreign policy." The article then asserted that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) "was less than definitive" about his stance on the relationship between national security and human rights, quoting him as saying, "The concepts are not contradictory. ... They are complementary." The Times did not offer any further explanation as to why Obama "was less than definitive" on the issue. In reality, during the debate, Obama elaborated on his answer, saying that "Pakistan's democracy would strengthen our battle against extremists" and that "we've got to understand that, if we simply prop up anti-democratic practices, that that feeds the sense that America is only concerned about us and that our fates are not tied to these other folks. And that's going to make us less safe. That's something I intend to change as president." Read more

Malveaux misrepresented Obama's statements about Clinton on Meet the Press
During the November 15 Democratic presidential debate, CNN co-host Suzanne Malveaux falsely claimed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) had said "in a TV interview just this past weekend" that he "didn't believe" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) "was able to unite the country." However, during his interview with host Tim Russert on the November 11 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, Obama never said that he did not believe Clinton could unite the country. Rather, Obama asserted that, of all the Democratic presidential candidates, he believes he has "a better chance" of creating "a new working majority for change." Read more

Blitzer distorted soldier's mother's question on Bush admin and "neoconservative" Congress members "beating the drums of war again"
At the Democratic presidential debate, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer misrepresented a question by the mother of a Marine reservist to then ask Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, "[I]f you could address this young man and his mother about their fear that because of your vote [in favor an amendment that urged President Bush to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization], he might have to go fight in Iran." But neither the woman nor her son specifically referenced the amendment or asserted that it might cause U.S. military forces "to go fight in Iran."
Read more

GMA, NY Sun, Politico cut out part of Obama sentence in claiming he "stumbled" on driver's license question
In reporting on the November 15 Democratic presidential candidates debate, ABC's Good Morning America and The New York Sun misleadingly cropped Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) answer to a question regarding driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants in reporting that Obama "stumbled" on and "had problems" with the issue. Reporting that the debate's moderator, CNN host Wolf Blitzer, asked Obama, "Do you support or oppose driver's licenses for illegal immigrants," the Sun and Good Morning America quoted Obama saying: "I am not proposing that that's what we do," and: "I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety." Both the Sun and Good Morning America, however, cropped Obama's answer, failing to include the remaining portion of his sentence, in which he restated his support for allowing undocumented immigrants to have driver's licenses: "Look, I have already said I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen" [emphasis added]. Read more

Propaganda/Noise Machine

CNN, Chicago Tribune uncritically reported Hastert's claim that he "tried [his] best" to restore "civility"
On The Situation Room, Dana Bash said that former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who is resigning, "presided over a politically polarizing era. He said that was his biggest regret." A November 16 Chicago Tribune article also reported that Hastert "bemoaned the 'pool of bitterness' he believes exists in the nation's capital and urged his colleagues to try and work together in civility after he is gone." But neither Bash nor the Tribune noted Hastert's own history of partisan attacks. Read more

"Culture Warrior" O'Reilly, who chided Dean over Book of Job misidentification, says Revelation "was written -- what? Five thousand years ago?"
On the November 13 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, while discussing the "secularists" and their refusal to acknowledge the "holy war going on," Bill O'Reilly cited the Book of Revelation, the final scripture in the New Testament, saying, "This was written -- what? Five thousand years ago?" But the Book of Revelation, which addresses the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ, was, according to the book itself, written by "John" on the Greek isle of Patmos, after receiving "[t]he Revelation of Jesus Christ" (who was born about 2,000 years ago). The next day on his Fox News show, O'Reilly distorted actor/director George Clooney's comments on religion, claiming that Clooney is a "vivid example" of "the far left that is putting all of us in danger right now." Read more

Torture

NBC's Miklaszewski minimized House waterboarding prohibition as "poke in the eye of the administration"
In a report on the newly passed House bill containing a prohibition on the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski asserted that the House included the "waterboarding clause" "pretty much to ensure that it doesn't happen, but also ... [as] a poke in the eye of the administration, clearly." But the Army field manual's prohibition on the use of waterboarding currently applies only to the Department of Defense; the House bill would expand that prohibition to cover "the United States Government."
Read more

Taxes

Glenn Beck guest: "Believe it or not, tax cuts bring in revenue" -- several Bush economists don't believe it
On CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck, David E. Williams, vice president of policy for Citizens Against Government Waste, asserted that "the tax cuts are ... really what's saving this country right now. ... Believe it or not, tax cuts bring in revenue." However, several Bush administration officials have stated that tax cuts, including those enacted during the Bush administration, produce a net decrease in revenue, including Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, who said during his confirmation hearing, "As a general rule, I don't believe that tax cuts pay for themselves." Read more

Ignoring Obama's actual statements, CNN and Fox News claimed Obama "waffled" on driver's licenses
CNN's Anderson Cooper and Gloria Borger, and Fox News' Megyn Kelly claimed that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) "waffled" during the Democratic presidential debate on the issue of driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. In fact, Obama stated: "Look, I have already said, I support the notion that we have to deal with public safety and that driver's licenses at the state level can make that happen." When debate moderator Wolf Blitzer asked him to respond "yes or no" to the question, "Do you support driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?" Obama answered, "Yes."
Read more

This mail was sent by Media Matters for America to 'news@energy-net.org'. Please visit us at http://mediamatters.org

You can help support our work; become a volunteer media monitor, or donate to Media Matters for America.

To change your email subscription preferences, visit http://mediamatters.org/users/prefs.html

If you'd like to unsubscribe from all Media Matters for America emails, you can just click on http://mediamatters.org/users/unsub/_TFiSm6WIkiaci7iLu6ZtH8gu6JaPh8t_vLvpt4dfhY.

To contact us directly, reply to this mail or visit http://mediamatters.org/contact_us