Russert Plays the Race Card With Obama

[Presstitutes]

http://daoureport.salon.com/synopsis.aspx?synopsisId=6f052bca-17ea-4b85-a2d4-ba85a5589324

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/why-did-russert-ask-obama_b_14258.html

In light of the still-burning Chris Matthews scandal, I watched Sunday's political shows with keener interest than usual. And something very strange happened on Meet The Press: Tim Russert asked Senator Barack Obama to respond to Harry Belafonte's remarks about George W. Bush being the "greatest terrorist in the world."

My question is, why? Why did Russert ask Obama in particular about the statements of someone who isn't an elected official, who doesn't speak for Democrats, who doesn't represent Obama, who doesn't represent the Democratic Party, who is entitled to his own opinion.

Why?

Since when does an elected Democrat have to answer for the words of a citizen, however outrageous, even if that citizen has a public profile? And what's the real motive behind bringing the Belafonte quote into a discussion with Obama? The guilt-by-association game between terrorists and Democrats has been in hyper-drive this past week, with Matthews and MSNBC, the Bush cheerleaders at FOX, Bob Schieffer and others ramming this RNC-driven talking point down our collective throats. Was this just more of the same?

Not to mention the painfully obvious racial angle...

(Posted with the author's permission)

[AX10]

1. Good point.

Why doesn't big timmy ask Repubs about right wing celebs who make controversial statements? Why is it that Clint Black, or should I say "KKKlint Blackkk" is allowed to refer to the Iraqis as "trash" in his "song" "Iraq, I-roll" and no one questions it?

[MADem]

6. Timmy Two Shoes (who looks very bloated of late) is a practicing Roman

Catholic. He made a BIG deal out of the fact that he and the Missus met Pope JP2. By his steeeeeenking logic, he should be forced to answer for all of the shortcomings of the Catholic Church, seeing as he is a member of that entity. So, come on, Timmy--what about all that ABUSE? The little children, after all!!!! And YOU, Timmy, PERSONALLY, MUST BE HELD TO ACCOUNT!!!
Because YOU are a highly visible MEMBER, and it all falls on YOUR very shoulders, what EVERY Catholic person does...

The Potatohead is a sleazeball of the WORST order. Enough of this "Black spokesperson" shit. Senator Obama was elected by a majority of, and represents all of, his constituents, not just the dusky toned ones.

On the bright side, I sense Ole Timmy is in a shitload of trouble. He looks like he is stress-eating and boozing, frankly....

[jonnyblitz]

2. the used to pull the same shit with the AA leaders whenever

Farrakan would say something controversial also. Always demanding denouncements like it is an obligation.

[DS1]

3. Russell grins like the troll from under the bridge

[chaumont58]

4. I couldn't agree more

I'm white and I wondered out loud, yelling at my TV, why is Fat Tim asking these questions? Is he baiting Obama?
In the Russel Crowe movie, Master and Commander, Crowe characters says at one point when he doesn't want to look for something he thinks would be hard to find, "It would be like looking for an honest man in Parliament." If the time frame of that movie were moved forward to present time, the statement could be: "It would be like looking for an honest reporter in Washington."
Has any country ever been as poorly served as ours by its national political reporters?

[flordehinojos]

5. tim russert is a man without class--and from what you say, and from what

i've seen him doing to others years ago, beginning in my recollection with les aspin, russert is ready to stick the knife in anybody's heart, or back, or gut, as long as he gets him GLORY! or so he thinks that's what it gets him. as far as i am concerned i repudiate russert and neither consider him a brilliant, erudite, man of class, nor a trustworthy man of honor. his father pushed a broom to clean shit from the streets of new york. he pushes the broom to clean shit from george's ass.

[MADem]

7. Sidebar (shocker, too): Les Aspin and Judy Miller used to be live-ins

They had a thing for years; shared a DC townhouse. No wonder he had a heart attack, poor sod.

[flordehinojos]

10. wow! i didn't know that ...

wow, that judy miller sort of like to play the field, doesn't she? (would she have been the one giving russert all the crap he threw on aspin's face on that fateful interview, shortly after which aspin resigned, and shortly after which he had his heart attack?

[MADem]

11. Yep, it is all very creepy...Judy apparently was a busy gal

According to some of her critics, they have occasionally been more than friends. In the early eighties, she shared a Georgetown house with her boyfriend, Wisconsin congressman Les Aspin—a rising star in the Democratic Party, who went on to become Bill Clinton’s first secretary of Defense. Aspin, many noted, had appeared a dozen times in Miller’s pieces, offering sage words about national security. Certain catty colleagues liked to read these stories aloud. Each time the phrase “Aspin said” appeared, a reporter would add, “rolling over in bed.” When Reagan nominated Richard Burt to be assistant secretary of State for European affairs, Jesse Helms and other right-wingers bludgeoned him for their relationship. “It would help ,” Orrin Hatch delicately wrote to Burt, “if you could lay to rest the rumors about Judith Miller’s articles on arms control appearing so soon after your own meetings with her. . . .”

http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/news/media/features/9226/index3.html

Then, her relationship with Richard Burt, a Times colleague, turned controversial when he left the paper and joined the State Department. Burt declined to speak on the record for this article. News articles of that period say Burt's relationship with Miller was questioned during his Senate confirmation hearings as an assistant secretary of state in 1982 and, in 1989, as a chief U.S. arms control negotiator. Some senators wanted to know whether Burt had passed classified information to Miller during their relationship. Burt denied it.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/09/AR2005110902555_pf.html

[flordehinojos]

12. well... no "Pretty Woman" this Judy Miller...more like a little

slutty it seems.}(

[oasis]

14. "Cold Case Files" Dig up his body and check the level of arsenic.

[Presstitutes]

8. UPDATE: Who else did Russert ask about Belafonte...

Colin Powell

http://daoureport.salon.com/synopsis.aspx?synopsisId=6f052bca-17ea-4b85-a2d4-ba85a5589324

[MODemocrat]

9. It does seem as if Russert is playing the race card

Why would Russert single out those two for their opinion on a non-racial remark? I do believe Tim is losing it; and furthermore, IMHO, he's always been on the Bush payroll. :spank: :thumbsdown:

[jmm]

13. He's just trying to make sure Obama is a "credit to his race"

Now that he's winning elections and gaining recognition Russert really has to make sure Obama is a good spokesman for his people :eyes:.