While Friedman Skips Town, Kristof Wears the Fu Manchu

[BurtWorm]

Witness his latest piece of Friedmanesque shit:


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/opinion/30KRIS.html

OP-ED COLUMNIST
Calling Bush a Liar
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: June 30, 2004

...

I'm against the "liar" label for two reasons. First, it further polarizes the political cesspool, and this polarization is making America increasingly difficult to govern. Second, insults and rage impede understanding.

Lefties have been asking me whether Mr. Bush has already captured Osama bin Laden, and whether Mr. Bush will plant W.M.D. in Iraq. Those are the questions of a conspiracy theorist, for even if officials wanted to pull such stunts, they would be daunted by the fear of leaks.

Bob Woodward's latest book underscores that Mr. Bush actually believed that Saddam did have W.M.D. After one briefing, Mr. Bush turned to George Tenet and protested, "I've been told all this intelligence about having W.M.D., and this is the best we've got?" The same book also reports that Mr. Bush told Mr. Tenet several times, "Make sure no one stretches to make our case."

In fact, of course, Mr. Bush did stretch the truth. The run-up to Iraq was all about exaggerations, but not flat-out lies. Indeed, there's some evidence that Mr. Bush carefully avoids the most blatant lies ? witness his meticulous descriptions of the periods in which he did not use illegal drugs.

...

[NWHarkness]

1. Same old schtick

I don't recall Kristof being so sensitive about calling people liars in 2000

Bush makes up reasons for a war and that's an exaggeration.

Al Gore is off by a couple dollars on how much his dog's medicine costs and he's a liar.

[MikeG]

2. Hey! Can't we all just get alooong?

Kumbaya, my friend, Kumbaya.

(Meanwhile they are probably trying to get Kerry's divorce file.)

[wtmusic]

3. "This is the best we've got?" as in...

"We've got to get the American people to believe THIS?"

[Eric J in MN]

7. Kristoff is making a bizarre argument.

Kristoff cites an example in the Woodward book, which actually proves that Bush was lying when he said "There is no doubt" about wmds, as proof(?) that Bush wasn't lying.

Bush is a liar.

Avoiding saying it is ridiculous.

[yardwork]

4. Kristof needs to do some more reading.

In addition to Woodward's whiney-butt apology, Kristof would do well to read John Dean's "Worse than Watergate," where he will find evidence of lots of lying and other criminal activities.

Maybe then his delicate sensibilities won't be troubled by the statement of fact that Bush is a liar.

Big time.

[BurtWorm]

10. It's was that concrete-reasoning level reading of Woodward

in Kristof's column that really pissed me off. (No near rhyme intended!) Did Kristof not notice that Woodward "exaggerates" too?

[bluedeminredstate]

5. How infuriating!!!

Liberals are held to a different standard while Hannity, Rush, O'Reilly and the blonde bimbo hit squad practically call Democrats terrorists for criticizing Bush and having a different point of view.

I don't recall any pundits talking about the Akansas project while it was happening or the silliness of the Vince Foster hearings or Falwell's "murder" video, and those things were true conspiracy theories! No one asked Ari Fliescher for proof that Air Force One was stripped by the thieving Clintons. The state troopers were given endless air time to smear the President and I don't recall a debate over their credibilty.
It seemed all the talking heads did was call Clinton and Gore liars for years! Now it's "bad" when we have the most lying administration in history!

I can't believe the shit Moore is getting. Moore makes a movie that asks harsh questions based in fact, and the truth squads come out to devour every allegation.
The only "truth squad" I recall from the Clinton years was when Gore and Bush debated and the networks had segments immediately following the debates to check out Gore's statements. NBC actually called it the "truth squad" as though they were dectectives on the trail of pathological liar.

This kind of crap irritates the hell out of me when I read it.

[Eric J in MN]

6. The risk of being caught in a lie hasn't stopped Bush from lying

The risk of being caught in a lie hasn't stopped Bush from lying so far.

The Bush Administration literally says it rained when it was dry (bicylcle fall story).

It says terrorism went down when it went up.

It says a British pilot said "Did I just see Air Force One go by" when nothing of the sort happened.

Bush flew to Iraq to be photographed with a plastic turkey.

Bush is a liar.

Bush said "There is no doubt" about Iraq having wmds, when he himself had doubts, and asked Tenet and his assistant after a presentation if that was all they had.

[Eric J in MN]

8. Bush still claims that only "a few" were involved in the torture, when

Bush still claims that only "a few" were involved in the torture, when he himself signed a memo saying it's ok to break the Geneva Convention under the excuse of "military necessity."

Bush is a liar.

[LittleApple81]

9. What the Cheney is this guy talking about? He knows, and admits it,

that Bush is using his stupidity to hide his lies.... So he is not only a liar but also pretending to be stupid? (very convincingly):

True, Mr. Bush boasted that he doesn't normally read newspaper articles, when his wife said he does. And Mr. Bush wrongly claimed that he was watching on television on the morning of 9/11 as the first airplane hit the World Trade Center. But considering the odd things the president often says ("I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family"), Mr. Bush always has available a prima facie defense of confusion.

(By the way, Mr. Kristoff, using words like "prima facie" doesn't make you any smarter, if you cannot recognize a liar and a criminal when he is biting you in the butt)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

11. Get a grip

He's just saying don't over do it.

[BurtWorm]

12. Just don't overdo what?

Telling the truth about what a liar Bush is?

[thebigidea]

13. he's saying that we shouldn't call a lie a lie, a liar a liar

is that your strategy as well?

Bush didn't lie?