Lauer:"It's pretty hard to argue against the President now isn't it Tim?"

[underpants]

Russert: "Yes Matt yes it is"

I heard "successful" or "success" 20 times in the first 20 minutes of the Today Show.

Bremer was on talking about how great a job he did and how great we are doing training Iraqis. Katie said (close quote)~"Oh and I can't let you go without asking about another little matter there seems to be $9 Billion missing from the Iraqi Treasury how do you respond to that?"
Bremer:"Well we were in the middle of a WAR we didn't have time to set Western accounting measures.....the commanders on the ground told me that these funds needed to be spent to rebuild, you realize it was an economy much like our own Great Depression, so I instructed be released as requested and I did establish an inspector general in every ministry (didn't find anything)..."

Katie:"Okay thank you"

The 7:30 half hour included an almost Dating Game introduction of the "players" in the Michael Jackson trial

The Defense Attorney (top right corner of the screen with footage of him walking into the court house)
Thomas Mesereau Jr.
-former boxer
-law degree from Hastings Law school

All they were missing was the background music

[nickinSTL]

1. I've been ignoring MSM all weekend

I figured it'd all be Bush Administration propaganda.

Sounds like I was right.

[Mend]

2. Put pictures of *'s naked ass on every street corner

and we can kiss it as we walk by....promise.

[K-W]

3. What complete idiots.

I mean seriously.

[underpants]

4. Yes it was something to see

I couldn't believe Bremer would show his face the day after it turns out the medal recipient had lost $9 BILLION of our dollars but it quickly became apparent why he wasn't afraid.

[MADem]

33. It's a quid pro quo (the Family speciality)

Bremer: Gets a pass on the theft of billions and a cute medal.

Bush: Has a loyal lackey who won't write a devastating tell-all book.

Quid. Pro. Quo.

[underpants]

39. I actually heard Rush make that point the next day

In a smart-a**ed way

Well a medal for Tenet-no tell all book there hahahaha
A medal for Tommy Franks-I don't think there was any worry about him hahaha
and one for Paul Bremer hahaha

[papau]

5. Matt appears to believe that in the GE world "complete whore mode" wins

he may well be right.

[tom_paine]

52. I think he is right. In Totalitarian Nations such as Amerika or China

or the Soviet Union or Nazi Garmany.

Lauer is absolutely correct and the Wave of the Amerikan Future.

[mopaul]

6. put on the hip boots, it's gettin' deep in here

this crowing will soon diminish.

[Cha]

7. This will turn around...it's all built

on fake shit..so it will turn around!

[Bridget Burke]

8. "Western accounting methods" were not set up?

Oh, that's why the $9 billion disappeared.

Middle Easterners were inventing & using accounting methods when my own ancestors were rustling each other's cattle & swapping gold jewelry.

[underpants]

11. "Western accounting methods" aren't needed

Well lookee lookee them Muslim got themselves an accounting system too
http://www.islamicconferences.com/aaoifi/pressrelease.htm


Bahrain Premier extends patronage to prestigious AAOIFI-World Bank Conference on Islamic banking and finance

Manama (Bahrain) : A prestigious conference on Islamic banking and finance, being held in Bahrain on 2nd & 3rd March 2003, will be held under the patronage of HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The event is jointly organized by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and the World Bank.













http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3031315

[K-W]

12. I have a mental pcture of Bremer with an abacus.

What dopes. Accounting takes a pencil and a paper and plenty of Iraqi's know how to do it, especially the ones in government.

[robbedvoter]

9. Shock&Awe, toppling statue, Mishun accomplished, getting Saddam

provisional government, "elections" - so, after all this "sucess, how comes more and more keep dying?

[MarianJack]

10. I Argued Against Him...

... when he had 92% approval. I'm sure as hell not going to stop because **asskissers say so!

[gordianot]

13. Maybe Matt is trying for a real round of golf this time. n/t

[BiggJawn]

14. Not just the electronic "Pravda"

And that's "Pravda" in the sense of the bad, old Soviet-controlled "Pravda"....

"Resounding Success" says "The Exponent" (campus rag)

"Clasping Democracy" So sayeth the Lafayette "Journal and Courier"

And the Great Hoosier Daily states "This is Democracy"
Eh, what do you expect from Dann-O Quayle's in-laws at the "Indystar"?


Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid, Tastes GREAT!!!

[spanone]

15. Quit carping it's only NINE B I L L I O N $9,000,000,000.00

[gordianot]

16. Sheer pocket change.

[underpants]

17. 26,000,000,000 quarters

BIG pockets

[gordianot]

21. LOL With bigger hands in the pockets.

[GiovanniC]

23. Pfffft... A Guy Making $20/hour Could Easily Earn That Amount of Money

in 216,347 years.

[lectrobyte]

38. wouldn't that be 36,000,000,000 quarters? ;-) nt

[underpants]

41. Yes...yes it would sorry I didn't have time to use Western math

oh wait math was invented in.........

[lectrobyte]

58. You may be on to something...

The Arabic numeral system, going to miss all that when we convert to Freedom Numbers (I guess they are like Roman Numerals). Not to mention algebra and algorithms.

[vickie]

18. That Bremer quote about the $9 billion is almost verbatim what

Dan Senor his former flunky and propogandist) said on Faux this morning. They've already got their "story" down...

[cthrumatrix]

25. where the hell is the media outrage.... that is OUR $9B DOLLARS!

[hangemhigh]

46. Sadly, you have answered your own question. nt

[SmokingJacket]

19. Why do you watch that malarkey?

Honestly, it would make me jump off a building.

It's painful enough imagining Bush swaggering around the WH.

Do they have "postive" events scheduled every month or so for the next four years? Because I don't know what the MSM is gonna do when there's no Coronation or Fake Election to cover.

Who would the 100,000 dead Iraqis vote for???

[underpants]

20. Old habit

I have even tried watching GMA but there is something about Katie that keeps drawing me back :9

[leftchick]

22. really?

everybody loves a cheerleader....:P

[underpants]

24. I don't know why but I just like the format of Today

It took me a while to ween myself off the NBC nightly news (I watch ABC) so maybe I should give GMA a try.

KAtie!!!!!!!!!! hated by the left, hated by the right, LOVED down the middle ;-)

[leftchick]

26. I used to always watch the Today show....

up until the runup to the war. I could not stomach all of the pro-bush** war cheerleading by everyone on the show. Hell everyone on tv was cheerleading the WAR! That is why I don't watch any news on TV anymore.

[underpants]

27. Ann Curry actually lead a "USA! USA!" cheer on the USS Ab.Lincoln

the morning of the "Mission Accomplished" speech. I couldn't believe my eyes. She was standing in front of an organized group of sailors and she was actually jumping up and down.

[leftchick]

51. yuck!

can't wait to see her kids get drafted.

[underpants]

28. Link to video (2nd of 4 videos takes you to the video page)

The Lauer/Russert exchange is on there too.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/?ta=y

[aden_nak]

29. What kind of "accounting measures" do allow one to lose $9 billion?

[underpants]

32. Answer

NONE

Hell I just picked up petty cash from our lobby we have SOME SORT of paper trail. SOMETHING!!!

[Stirk]

30. I'd bet you real cash that the missing $9 billion paid for

alot of positive Iraq news coverage, among other things.

[MADem]

31. The SHIT is hitting the fan in "freedom loving" Kuwait

....and NO ONE IN THE LAME STREAM MEDIA IS COVERING IT!!!!

It's stunning--they are undergoing Iraq-level attacks, their security forces are running around like one-armed paper hangers, people are getting blown up and shot left and right, and NOT ONE WORD on our TV sets!!!

But hey, that guy with no nose, a squeaky voice, odd clothes, weird skin, and clever dance moves is on trial for fucking little boys...what's more important in the big scheme of things? Gulf security, or the Thrilla in Santa Maria??

America is not on the same page as the rest of the world, I fear.

[cthrumatrix]

34. haven't heard a damn word.....

[MADem]

43. I posted a REUTERS blurb in LBN

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1199253

It sank like a fucking stone in less than an hour with no comment. This shit is serious, too, if you look at the big picture. Here's what's even stranger--THEY'VE PULLED THE ARTICLE FROM THE REUTERS WEBSITE.

I'm hearing the Twilight Zone theme right about now....

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050131/2005013103.html

Here's what the Arab press is saying, from above cite:

The Kuwaiti government announced that three persons were killed in the confrontations which took place on Sunday between the Kuwaiti security forces and wanted persons in al-Salameyah quarters in the capital.....

This clash is considered the third of its kind since the beginning of January and came after the killing of one Saudi suspect in confrontations between unidentified gunmen and the Kuwaiti security forces on January 15 in Um al-Haiman to the south of the capital which is close to the borders with Saudi Arabia. On the 10th of January, other confrontations took place in Houli area in the Kuwaiti capital resulted in killing two security men and one Kuwaiti suspect.

Also the series of attacks took place between 2002-2003 in Kuwait resulted in killing two Americans and injuring many of them where 30,000 soldiers on the Kuwaiti territories.

The American and British embassies there recommended earlier their citizens not to head for certain areas and to be apart from crowded places.

======

Freedom on the march??? Smells like Teheran, 1978-79, to me!!!!!!!!

[underpants]

37. Here is a chronology-Someone trying to make an end run?

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B278779.htm

[BiggJawn]

40. We're not even in the same damn book....

"I will be acquitted and vindicated when the story is TOAD."

That's what Murka likes, sleaze and sex and affected speech...

[Rapcw]

35. the Today show today was exceptionally bad today n/t

[Arkana]

36. Actually, it's easier to hate him now

So suck it, Lauer!

[CalebHayes]

42. It's clear that Matt is a Republican. Did you ever see his interview...

with Mike Moore?

[Rebel_blogger]

44. Has anyone seen the link pointing out ...

the possibility that a lot of the election coverage was actually shot somewhere in the US using actors? I heard that someone had viewed some of the video and were seeing the same people over and over. I'm trying to find the link where I originally read it. Afterall, it's ALL about making it look "legitimate".

[RandomKoolzip]

49. And the moon landings were faked too!

Liberals can believe in some wacky shit (y'know, like that poor people should have health care: I mean, the nerve!) but anyone who believes that the Iraqi election TV shots were faked has a head full of feces.

[Rebel_blogger]

53. You don't think they have the capacity to fake those shots?

I mean, they were able to fake an entire election here in the US. How much easier would it be to fake one somewhere else?

[RandomKoolzip]

54. Having the facilities to do so does not mean that they would.

Last thing we need is a post like this to make the New York Times.

[adigal]

45. How about those marines killed today, huh, Matt???

Oh, I forgot - we don't like to mention or show that.

Their dishonesty must catch up to them sometime!!

[mopaul]

47. "Iss VERBOTEN to diss Der Fuhrer, ya Tim"?

"Ya, ya, iss verboten Matt".

[Swamp Rat]

55. Ja, besonders wenn der Führer Gott ist.

[Cocoa]

48. hard for them, maybe

much easier for them to argue with Michael Moore, which is why they did it so enthusiastically.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

50. NBC is crap! They are the propagnda arm of....

Arms Dealer GE!

:grr:

[welshTerrier2]

56. Did Matt and Katie "Moonwalk" today ??

i haven't seen that show in probably 20 years ... sounds like i haven't missed anything ...

[Lorien]

57. Matt and Katie are on the Federal payroll, no doubt. n/t

[Huckebein the Raven]

59. Lauer must go through kneepads like crazy

[FreedomFry]

60. So mad I fired off an email to "Today"

Little good it will do, but maybe the following email to the "Today Show" folks will be joined by other voices:

- - - - - - - -

I'm appalled at this morning's "Today Show" coverage of the Iraq elections, and especially the conversation between Matt Lauer and Tim Russert about the elections' purported "success." During the show, the words "success" and "successful" were used over and over; as if repeating a lie will somehow make it true. Even worse, Matt Lauer asserts, "It's pretty hard to argue against the President now, isn't it, Tim?" Tim replies, "Yes, Matt, it is."

Oh, really?

The truth is, Bush did not want these elections! He argued against them vigorously for a long time, and proffered a number of decidedly undemocratic alternatives before finally giving in, using the elections as a decoy to divert the Americans' attention away from the lack of weapons of mass destruction the President, Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Powell and others insisted would be found in Iraq. In fact, Bush's initial plan was to turn Iraq over to Ahmad Chalabi, a Bush favorite, who has since been exposed as a thief and a liar.

"Pretty hard to argue against the President?" What, the man who wants to make young women vulnerable to back-alley abortions again? Who thinks abstinence, rather than condoms, will protect our youth from unintended pregnancy and AIDS? Who's doing his best to turn the U.S. into an evangelical Christian nation? Whose strong-arm tactics on foreign and domestic policy issues would be the envy of the Third Reich? Who recently nominated an avowed advocate of torture to be our Attorney General? Who nominated a known liar (and who ignored pre-9/11 warnings and deceived the American people about our national security) to be the Secretary of State? Who, until he became President, had never traveled outside our country's borders? Who was convicted for drunk driving and tried to hide it during his candidacy? Who proudly says he doesn't read the newspapers? Who thinks the poor and middle class can easily save for their retirement and their families' health care out of their own pockets, investing in shaky stocks that assure his fat-cat Wall Street brokers cozy retirements of their own?

Not a chance.

Everybody knows the corporate media is the mouthpiece of the Bush administration, whose owners are profiting from this war, which most Americans and nearly all of the world's people do not support. Sadly, reliable reports out of Iraq affirm that the Iraqis who voted knew next to nothing about the candidates they voted for. And a number of candidates were killed during the run-up to the elections. How can you call this success?

To listen to Lauer and Russert chortle over the President's "success," and to suggest that there is no room for argument, is sickening. Count me out of the "Today Show" viewership from now on.

- - - - - - -

[Bluebear]

62. That email is a masterpiece. Good LTTE material too.

FreedomFry is a freedom fighter.

[Toucano]

61. That's the most profane thing I've heard all day.

What maroons!