Update from Yahoo on the Letterman/CNN/WH squirming boy video.

[madfloridian]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=494&u=/ap/20040401/ap_en_tv/tv_cnn_letterman_1&printer=1

I still think the WH called....it was great last night. I hope the saga continues tonight.

[proud patriot]

1. I rated it

:-)

[jpgray]

2. So they lied about the white house calling, and they lied about the edit

Why? Who told them to do so? Where is the accountability?

[peekaloo]

3. Dave needs to send Biff Henderson on a mission to find the kid.

[0007]

7. I'd like to see that kid again in a campaign as for John Kerry

Looking alive and awake and interested in every word JFK sez, with split screen showing junior & the kid.

[randr]

17. Wasn't it a kid in the fairy tale that was the only one

who could see the emperor had no clothes.
This kid should be a national hero!

[linazelle]

36. Day 3 (about nothing): they found the kid...Entertainment Tonight did a

spot on this non-story this afternoon saying they talked to the parents and that the 12 year old was vacationing and had been up really late so he was sleepy. Ha ha. It was all very innocent and Bush is excused from even being boring. :eyes:

If they go through this much at NBC, CNN et al to cover up a story like this, one can only imagine what they do to cover up real news. Absolutely disgusting.

[qb]

4. So was CNN following orders from Karl Rove to discredit the story

or are they so thoroughly co-opted that they did it all on their own?

[MO_Dem]

9. I'd say Karl Rove

First thing on Inside Politics, Bill Schneider did a segment on a conversation he'd had with Rove about why Kerry's poll numbers went down (in CNN's poll <ahem>), all about Rove said this, Rove said that, Rove, Rove, Rove--he's in charge of CNN, I say! Now we have the fair and balanced Karen Hughes!

[ezee]

10. Karen Hughes

has been taking the same stuff that Schinder has...bad drugs!
seh makes me sick, why do I watch this crap!?

[0007]

5. I can't quite laughing, God how dumb of CNN ?

I quiet CNN a long time a go. Pimps & whores for a slimy lying crook that can't even complete a sentence. I don't understand it?

[mark0rama]

6. What a strange story - and then there's this Letterman quote:

"So when you cast your vote in November, just remember that the White House was trying to make ME look like a DOPE."

First Howard Stern, now Letterman. How long will be before the FCC starts cracking down on Dave, too?

[Cocoa]

8. "a misunderstanding among our staff"

Oops! Somehow some of our staff mysteriously got the idea that the freaking WHITE HOUSE called. Sorry, it was just a misunderstanding.

[ezee]

11. The msiunderstanding

was that APRIL FOOLS DAY was a few days off. Of course they get most eveything else wrong I guess its its just par for the course.

[KoKo]

12. Send complaints to: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv/

Ask them how folks can believe them when they report the White House told them the boy was "edited in" but a few days later it turns out someone in the "staff" made a mistake. What other mistakes are they making in reporting the News.

You don't quote the White House and call it a mistake!

[HFishbine]

32. Blitzer "mistakenly" quoted the White House too

Blitzer tried to backtrack from saying that the White House was suggesting there are "wierd" thinks in Richard Clarke's past; today objecting that he never mentioned the White House.

Someon posted some great links on the story earlier with a transcript of Wolfe's orginal comments and his "explaination." Links anybody?

[SoCalDem]

39. I SAW Blitzer interrupt a guest a while back DURING

the guest's interview.. He said something like "..I just heard from a white house staffer who said that blahblahblah is NOT true..what do you say about THAT?"..

It was a live 5 minute or less interview, and there is no way that the phone system could have been negotiated in that short of a time to get to an ON-THE-AIR interviewer(Wolfie) ...


UNLESS they have a live feed to his FREAKING EAR !!!!!

[DeepModem Mom]

41. Here are the CNN transcripts of Wolf's backtrack --

Eschaton's CNN transcript of Wolf's response to Krugman's column:

BLITZER (3/30/04): Last Wednesday, while I was debriefing our senior White House correspondent, John King, I asked him if White House officials were suggesting there were some weird aspects to Richard Clarke's life. Clarke, of course, is the former counter-terrorism adviser who has sharply criticized the president's handling of the war on terror. I was not referring to anything charged by so-called unnamed White House officials as alleged today by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. I was simply seeking to flesh out what Bush National Security Council spokesman Jim Wilkinson had said on this program two days earlier.

WILKINSON (videotape): Let me also point something. If you look in this book, you find interesting things such as reported in the Washington Post this morning. He's talking about how he sits back and visualizes chanting by bin Laden and how bin Laden has some sort of mind control over U.S. officials. This is sort of X-Files stuff. And what I'd say is, this is a man who was in charge of terrorism, Wolf, who was supposed to be focused on that. And he was focused on meetings.

BLITZER: Other than that, John Kerry (sic) reported White House officials were not talking about Clarke's personal life in any way. Lou Dobbs Tonight starts right now.


(Note, this from transcript above: "I was not referring to anything charged by so-called UNNAMED WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS as alleged today by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman.")


Now the transcript of Wolf's original statement that Krugman referred to in his column:

BLITZER (question to King, Wednesday, 3/24/04): What ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS have been saying since the weekend, basically that Richard Clarke from their vantage point was a disgruntled former government official, angry because he didn't get a certain promotion. He's got a hot new book out now that he wants to promote. He wants to make a few bucks, and that his own personal life, they're also suggesting that there are some weird aspects in his life as well, that they don't know what made this guy come forward and make these accusations against the president. Is that the sense that you're getting, speaking to a wide range of officials?


(Must have been Wolf's nervousness trying to pull off that lame excuse that caused him to misspeak and refer to WH correspondent John King, as John Kerry --)

[rumguy]

13. I'm so fascinated by this story

Notice that this was brought up by Kagan, AFTER THE BREAK, when she came back and tacked on that little lie. Someone told her to say that.

She clearly said that the WH had called! Someone told her that, who did, and why?

[Jacobin]

14. What I love about this is that Letterman will NEVER let this

die!!!!

He will rag them for eternity.

:bounce:

[dogonarug]

19. Oprah sighs relief!

Dave has a new target! though I think Dave ragging on Oprah all this time was somewhat friendly.

[LiviaOlivia]

29. Oh please. Poor billionaire Oprah. Give me a break..

LOL

[The_Gopher]

15. Letterman said last night that a source at CNN confirmed the WH call

[KT2000]

35. That's right!

The Yahoo story is not up to date, last night (Wed) Dave said that the WH did call CNN.I love how Dave comes right out and calls a liar a liar.
More to come - I hope.

[Iceburg]

16. Leave No Journalist Behind - New Gov initiative

Just fired this off to CNN:

Regarding CNN Errs on Reporting Bush-Letterman Bit
(http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=494&u=/ap/20040401/ap_en_tv/tv_cnn_letterman_1&printer=1)

My viewer response: This is not an error, this is bald-faced lie.

Does the "Brookings/Harvard Forum: Press Coverage and the War on Terrorism: "The CNN Effect": How 24-Hour News Coverage Affects Government Decisions and Public Opinion (http://www.brookings.edu/comm/transcripts/20020123.htm)" ring a bell?

Its a shame Ms. Woodroof didn't take notes at this session and share them with the typing pool at CNN.

And one final question -- In my profession (and in most others), we require frequent re-tooling and accredition to maintain our professional stature. Do you suppose the next president of the United States (whoever that may be) should sponsor a new federal initiative -- "Leave No Journalist Behind" program?

[Leilani]

18. I seem to be emailing CNN every other day

they are so pathetic. But what to do? FOX is out, & MSNBC keeps getting worse, if that's possible.

A couple of years ago, I liked MSNBC, but they radically changed. I think they tried to copy FOX with their snappy music, empty headed female anchors, & concentration on trash stories.

[0007]

26. I don't think that it's - I think you've gotton wiser.

[madfloridian]

20. Article about the boy from Orlando. LOL

http://www.wesh.com/news/2967927/detail.html

SNIP..."Sleepy Florida Boy Featured On Letterman Show

POSTED: 3:33 pm EST April 1, 2004
UPDATED: 3:51 pm EST April 1, 2004

New York -- A 13-year-old Orlando boy is getting a lot of attention for being a little sleepy. He was featured on David Letterman's "Late Show" as part of a collection of video clips Letterman showed Monday under the label "George W. Bush Invigorates America's Youth."

One showed Bush at a March rally in Orlando standing at a lectern with several listeners behind him -- among them, a boy in his early teens who could barely stay awake. While Bush spoke, the young man yawned, twisted his head, checked his watch and generally seemed dead on his feet....."

SNIP...."The father is taking full responsibility for Tyler's sleep deprivation, telling the Orlando Sentinel: "His mother was out of town, and I let him stay up too late."

Hilarious.

[SEAburb]

21. I'm sure Howard Kurtz is on the case and getting to the bottom

of this story. Yeah right.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

22. So who originated the lie? And for what reason?

If the WH didn't call CNN, someone at CNN fabricated a story about the WH calling. Who? Why?


If the WH did call CNN, someone at CNN fabricated a story about the WH not calling. Who? Why?


The only thing that is for sure in this story is that CNN is lying.

[SEAburb]

23. And why aren't any of the other networks picking up the story

to kill a rival? Hard to believe Fox or MSNBC wouldn't exploit this if CNN made up the call from White House.

[Jane Austin]

42. Oh, I'll bet

Fox News Watch will jump on this one this weekend.

[rocktivity]

24. I was born at night--but not last night

...CNN host Daryn Kagan added: "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video, which would explain why the people around him weren't really reacting."

Later, during CNN's "Live From ...," anchor Kyra Phillips reran the tape but cautioned viewers: "We're told that the kid was there at that event, but not necessarily standing behind the president."

The truth was: The White House never complained, and the footage was real.

Well, WAS there a call--or two? Who at CNN took it? If the call wasn't made by the Bush White House, then who--a prankster of some kind? Oh, well, it's a good thing that Bush isn't having credibility problems right now...

:eyes:
rocknation

[Junkdrawer]

25. The CIA disinformation interns at CNN jumped the gun...

I guess that's why they're "interns"...

[ParanoidPat]

31. LOL!

:evilgrin: :thumbsup: :toast:

[Guaranteed]

27. The White House DID call them.

Why would CNN say that the White House called them in the first place if they didn't call? That makes NO sense. What, they just made it up, out of thin air? How, exactly, does someone make a "mistake" like that?

[madfloridian]

28. This is the son of the Orange County chairman...Rich Crotty...it is real.

http://www.local6.com/news/2968435/detail.html

SNIP..."ORLANDO, Fla. -- The son of Orange County Chairman Rich Crotty is getting nationwide attention after being featured on David Letterman's "Late Show" yawning, twisting his head and falling asleep at a rally for President George W. Bush...."

Great pics from the video here. I am loving this.

[jean]

30. Your link offers viewing of the actual video also

[madfloridian]

33. This guy is a Bush Pioneer! I love it.

Thanks,I did not realize the video was there. It is so funny.

[DemBones DemBones]

34. Thanks for the link! I have been wishing Dave would

show the video again because of course I missed Monday night. The past two nights have been hilarious, though. Dave's imitation of himself being dragged off in cuffs, doing the perp walk, was classic.

[Oilwellian]

40. I'm wondering...

Was the kid really "sleepy" or did he pull a prank here? Curious minds need to know.

[Karenina]

43. Who cares?

That was an incredible "Kids Do the Darndest Things" moment. WHAT A HOOT! What is truly AMAZING is a fidgeting kid yanking back the curtain on DA MEDIA MAN. *dimwit wants to go mano-a-mano with Dave, eh? Pass the popcorn! :toast:

[Guaranteed]

37. Kick nt

[k in IA]

38. Dave said the kid is coming on his show - I think tomorrow night

[bklyncowgirl]

44. Of course the White House called

CNN is covering up for this bunch of losers. This also is a pretty good way to tell other entertainers as well as "serious" journalists that you could be in big trouble if you take us on. Unbiased reporting yeah right!

[DoYouEverWonder]

45. I wonder how bad

this kid's dad is going to punish him for embarrassing the pResident?

Of course as a true repug the dad will be all smiles, ha-ha, it's really my fault in public but when that kid gets home, I bet he's gonna get it.