President lied in Buffalo, just as surely as Bill Clinton lied (Newsweek)

[kpete]

The Political Power of Truth
In recent years, failure and incompetence have been trounced by fear at the ballot box. But reality may be making a comeback.

By Jonathan Alter
Newsweek

The news conference wasn't a complete truthfest. No reporter managed to ask the president about his statement of April 24, 2004, when Bush told a Buffalo audience: "Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires—a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." This statement was false, and Bush knew it when he said it. The president lied in Buffalo, just as surely as Bill Clinton lied when he said: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Of course, Bush's Buffalo lie got a tiny fraction of the airplay of Clinton's Lewinsky lie.

............

The reason goes beyond Clinton's more colorful finger-wagging and sex with an intern. For four and a half years, Bush has politicized 9/11. His political motto has been "The only thing we have to use is fear itself." He was at it again last week, claiming with zero evidence that congressional scrutiny of the illegal NSA wiretapping would "give the enemy a heads-up on what we're doing." The media and the Democrats have both been intimidated by this devastatingly effective political strategy. It won the 2002 and 2004 elections for the Republicans and will continue to be their game plan for this November

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11078876/site/newsweek/

[MoJoWorkin]

1. Thanks, Alter, for saying it---Bush LIED!

Why is is so hard for them to say?:banghead: :nuke: :banghead:

[annabanana]

2. Boy! Newsweek is kickin ass this week!

This article and the one on the internal war against Cheney's office.....

Is this aspen's turning's public face?

[Maccagirl]

3. No shit Sherlock

<sigh>

"Mr. Alter, Mr. Rove is on the phone."

If this gets any attention, Jonathan Alter is in for a long, long week.

[0007]

4. The difference is what one lies about.

Murder = okay - The SOB deserved it. Are you sure? Mental illness...
Larceny = okay - Oh, don't we love it when the mafia steals (John Gotti hero)
Blow Job = okay Breaking God's law (GOP standard)

Kudos for Newsweek

[MelissaB]

5. NYT and Newsweek in the same day?

WTH is going on? :kick:

[robbedvoter]

6. Wow! "lied"! Not "misled" or dissembled" or "obfuscated"

Actually a word people get! And it's in print? Well, of course, then it goes to say they BFEE WON the 2002 and 2004 elections which pretty much cancels it for me.
And stil uses the mighty Clenis for cover - by the old and tried rule: balance the truth with a lie....

[LynnTheDem]

7. Superb quotes

For four and a half years, Bush has politicized 9/11.

His political motto has been "The only thing we have to use is fear itself."

Stay frightened, chickenshit stupid Americans. Stay frightened! It's bush's deepest desire.

[WePurrsevere]

8. Wow... Good for Newsweek! Now how about getting all the other Bush LIES &

CRIMES out there to the American public.

~*~
PS to any Republicans reading this: Remember how you went after Clinton for lying about a private BJ? You said that the president is not above the law... you claimed rule of law. Apparently for you HYPOCRITICAL partisan butt kissers these principles only apply to a Dem president who lies about a personal issue of cheating on his wife and screwing with a young female intern but not a Repub president/Admin that is cheating the poor, middle class, disabled and seniors while raping & screwing the Constitution, the American public, Iraqis, etc. How very sad that the Republican party has allowed itself to stray (or be hijacked) so far from the "grand" old party that they were at their inception and that my husband's family helped get going... and most, including my DH, have since left in total disgust.
:grr: :nuke: :grr:

[0007]

9. Listen to these lies that cost lives of ten of thousands

http://www.angelfire.com/creep/gwbush/remindus.html

Donald Rumsfeld
Colin Powell
George W. Bush
Arti Fletcher

[rock]

10. Two points, just for accuracy

1) Clinton did not lie using the definition that the court established for "sexual relations";
2) Clinton used to be president

[Paradise]

11. *statement: it WAS flagrant, and it IS sickening!! n/t

[M155Y_A1CH]

12. Welcome to the club Buffalo!

GW* lied in Cincinnati too.
Here are a few amazing highlights from that speech.

-Congress and UNSC agree

-Surveillance photos reveal

-Iraqi arsenal of terror

-Iraq using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for missions targeting the U.S.

-Possesses ballistic missiles with range of hundreds of miles

-We know that Iraq and al Qaeda have high-level contacts

-Confronting threat posed by Iraq crucial to winning war on terror.

-Saddam Hussein is harboring terrorists and the instruments of mass death and destruction

-high-strength aluminum tubes

-evidence Iraq is reconstituting nuclear weapons program

-nuclear weapon in less than a year

-mushroom cloud.

-mobile weapons facilities

Complete speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021007-8.html

[robbedvoter]

13. Funny though - I see "Clinton Lied" in the title, but not "Bush lied"

Somehow, just using the title makes it more impersonal....

[Hissyspit]

14. afternoon kick n/t

[Inland]

15. But not about sex. So it's a third term for Bushie! nt

[Straight Shooter]

16. I think they're pulling out all the stops in order to defeat Alito.

The truth is SCREAMING from some of the media, not all of it, and I think it's in an attempt to rally the Dems that bush will be severely weakened by Alito's defeat and hopefully held accountable for his lies and criminal actions.

Remember, it wasn't criminal for Clinton to receive sexual favors, just immoral by certain standards. But what bush did was absolutely, irrefutably criminal. Alito on the Supreme Court virtually assures that Lady Justice will never touch george w. bush, nor Cheney, nor perhaps Rove.

The wobbling Dems on the filibuster need to sit up and pay attention.

[Jackpine Radical]

19. I don't get it. Why now?

The corporate media have been willing participants in the Fascist overthrow of democracy in America throughout the last 12 years at least. Why should Alito bother them?

[skids]

21. Probably has to do with BuchCo pressuring the Times.

They finally realized that they can and will be the recipient of BushCo abuses, and have had a bit of a rethink about how this admin makes them feel.

[journalist3072]

17. K&R!!!!!

[raysr]

18. Hey America! Quit being

so AFRAID, don't you have your GOD to protect you????

[iconoclastNYC]

20. Isn't it counter productive to remind everyone that Clinton lied? n/t

[sandnsea]

22. Tell us WHY

None of these hard hitting, provocative news pieces matter if none of these courageous journalists will say WHY. :grr:

[fearnobush]

23. It won the 2002 and 2004 elections for the Republicans and will continue

"The only thing we have to use is fear itself." He was at it again last week, claiming with zero evidence that congressional scrutiny of the illegal NSA wiretapping would "give the enemy a heads-up on what we're doing." The media and the Democrats have both been intimidated by this devastatingly effective political strategy. It won the 2002 and 2004 elections for the Republicans and will continue to be their game plan for this November

What will make 2006 any different? I think a lot of Dems are in denial over the power of fear and how it has scared the sheeple to vote for evil. What can we do different this time?

[Disturbed]

24. Maybe some of the Media Moguls now realize...

that the Neo Fascists will muzzle them with the help of Alito on the SC?

[fearnobush]

25. I wish that were true, but the bought and paid for media's damage is done.

The Alito addition to SCOTUS will now surely crown the Chimp king. He and his evil will have full reign to bring back the third reich.