Washington Post goes too far: Cindy McCain's "courage," Michelle Obama's "bitterness."

[Faygo Kid]

Just take a look at today's Washington Post website. http://www.washingtonpost.com. This is appalling.

The always predictable neocon columnist Michael Gerson writes a love letter to Cindy McCain lauding her as "A Quiet Humanitarian." I can't bring myself to excerpt it much; here's an example:

"Given her history of humanitarianism, these adjectives might be associated with McCain herself. The election of her husband would also bring to the White House an adventurous, traveled, intriguingly fearless first lady. . . Cindy McCain has had decades of personal contact with the suffering of the developing world. And in some future crisis or genocide, it might matter greatly to have a first lady who knows the smell of death."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072202114.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama gets the attention of "Moderator" Ramesh Ponnuru in "Michelle Obama, Again." An excerpt:

"Given the comments she has made, it would be remarkable if people weren't criticizing her. Her combination of bitterness, ingratitude, anti-Americanism, leftism, and, yes, elitism rubs a lot of people the wrong way. (Her hostility to men, as evidenced in this 2004 interview, is unpleasant, too.)"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/community/groups/index.html?plckForumPage=ForumDiscussion&plckDiscussionId=Cat%3aa70e3396-6663-4a8d-ba19-e44939d3c44fForum%3a5543a34c-af92-4736-b81b-4aad0ab02e2eDiscussion%3a931d06e4-d528-4a85-a02a-e153e411cb78

And just to add icing to the cake, here is the photo of Michelle they put on the front page of their website:



The next time anyone tells you the media is "in the tank" for Obama, just send them to The Washington Post.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Michelle is the new Hillary Circa 1992--the strong, accomplished wife that the RW loves to hate.

[Avalux]

2. McCain said yesterday that Romney's wife "has shown great courage"

I'd like to know what either of these ultra-rich wives have gone through to be described as courageous and why the GOP has chosen that word for them.

It's an insult to strong hard-working American women.

Makes me want to PUKE. :puke:

[Bicoastal]

3. Let's be honest about Michelle's "bitterness" and "ingratitude."

Black women have such a poor reputation in today's media market that many are quite willing to believe the worst GOP propaganda about her.

[Hersheygirl]

4. Gee, I didn't know they called

someone who dated a married man a "humanitarian." I always called them a s**t.

[Cha]

12. The rw fascist a$$holes are trying to smooth that part of her bio

over with their running shit commentaries.

[Whisp]

20. ye ole double standard here again.

what word is there equal in vileness to 'slut' that you can call McCain
right, there is none. to be a 'slut' is to be the most vile creature on earth - a sexual woman.

reminds me of another 'slut' - Monika Lewinsky.
what word is there equal to 'slut' that you can call Bill Clinton?
right, there is none.

The guys get away with it all the time. and how many even here defend Bill against that horrible penis/mind controlling Monica. Poor Bill! but the media was so horribly 'sexist' against hillary!

:puke:

[me b zola]

5. Ah, Cindy McCain, the drug addicted, thieving, forging, heiress "humanitarian"

and all they have to use as spittle against Michelle O is a statement that was taken out of context, very similar to statements made by John McCain himself, yet the media seems to get the context of his statements.

:grr:

[11 Bravo]

You left out adulterous plagiarist.

[undeterred]

6. Cindy had the "courage" to steal drugs from her own foundation.

[TeamJordan23]

7. Such a double standard. nm

[libnnc]

8. takes a big heart to pinch pills from a charity -- what an angel n/t

[FredScuttle]

9. "might matter greatly to have a first lady who knows the smell of death"

Don't we have that already? Mrs. Bush knows the smell of death....also the smell of twisted metal, leaking gasoline and a hit job on a boyfriend well done.

Mrs. McCain has a long way to go to equal Laura Bush's record of homicide. All Cindee McAdulteress ever killed was John McCain's first marriage....with plenty of help from Johnny Desperado himself, of course.

[Poiuyt]

10. Of course Cindy McCain knows the smell of death

She always standing right next to the Cryptkeeper himself.

[Alter Ego]

11. The GOP has always been afraid of First Ladies that weren't mute Stepford rejects.

[Cha]

13. Could we leave comments?

I don't want to go to that vicious site but if we can leave our comments I would hold my nose.

[Faygo Kid]

14. You bet (at least at the anti-Michelle blog), and I hope you do

[Cha]

18. Okay..I'll go over there and

sign in and freakin' leave my pro Michelle comment.

[nc4bo]

15. Didn't O say not long ago to leave his wife alone? nt

[World Citizen]

16. COURAGE!!!!!!!!!

She can't even face the difficulties of being a multi-million dollar heiress without a drug induced consciousness adjustment.

[AlCzervik]

17. Gerson used to write speeches for Bush, his opinion of Cindy McCain and critique of Mrs. Obama

shouldn't really surprise anyone.

[Faygo Kid]

19. It's not a surprise - this is the Post's fault.

When you have Krauthammer and Gerson doing their predictable Obama bashing/McCain plugging in every column they do, you know you don't have opinion pieces - you have propaganda, and the Post is the enabler.

[SOS]

21. "an adventurous, traveled, intriguingly fearless first lady"

Really?

From the journal of Tom Gosinski, who worked for Cindy McCain at AVMT in the 1990s:

August 28, 1992: Work has been crazy--Cindy decided we should take a load of supplies to the Miami area to assist in the Hurricane Andrew relief efforts. It would be simple to complete the task if Cindy would not interfere with the rest of us doing our jobs, however, she is constantly stirring things up.

We are also contemplating a trip to Somalia... the State Department and the Department of Defense believe it is not safe to travel to Somalia. Cindy insists that we are going to go and that it may be wise for us to pack guns.

She is absolutely crazy--I don't know how to load a gun let alone shoot one. . . .

September 2, 1992: This past week at AVMT has certainly been a challenge. All of us that work for Cindy have been asked to put in extended hours at night and on the weekend and have not even received a thank you. Cindy is the most demanding and thankless person I have ever met.

September 29, 1992: Regardless of what happens with Cindy McCain, it is time for me to get out of AVMT. I have so little respect for Cindy and her objectives that even under the best of circumstances I do not think this organization merits existence.

October 2, 1992: Well, it is done. Last night Jim and Smitty confronted Cindy regarding her dependency to prescription drugs...

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1994-09-08/news/opiate-for-the-mrs

[Faygo Kid]

22. "Cindy is the most demanding and thankless person I have ever met."

Please post this as an independent thread. This is astounding stuff, and if the Post drivel is going to be accepted as fact, it's necessary to get this out.

[renate]

23. how can the media have failed so badly?

:wow:

This article was right here on the Internets for any reporter to see... if they used The Google to look. So many of the people who are going to be voting in this election were either too young to have ever heard about this or were too uninterested in Arizona politics to have heard it... but this goes so much more beyond the one-sentence "history of addiction to painkillers" that we sometimes hear in passing. This isn't a "gotcha" story: better people than she have become drug addicts; it's useful information about a potential First Lady, but it doesn't have to be a slam on her character to bring her history up.

But to give credit where credit is due--and I'm not being snarky, I really mean it--this was a nice thing to say about Cindy: "Cindy McCain was a hard worker, Gosinski recalls. She slept in the hallway, lugged boxes and tended children with the rest of the volunteers." Good for her... it sounds like her heart was in the right place before her addiction changed her.