Did anyone hear Cafferty's question? Calling out Reid because of the

[babylonsister]

false Politico/Drudge report that said he was name-calling generals. Did he or didn't he? John Aravosis doesn't seem to think so...


http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jun/14/two_more_bloggers_deny_politico_report_about_reid_disparaging_generals

Election Central
Two More Bloggers Deny Politico Report About Reid Disparaging Generals
By Greg Sargent | bio

Okay, we've just spoken to two more bloggers who we're on the conference call with Harry Reid.

John Aravosis, who founded and runs the popular AmericaBlog, and Joe Sudbay, a D.C. political strategist who also writes for AmericaBlog, told me in interviews that say they don't remember Reid describing General Pace as incompetent or hear Reid disparaging Petraeus, as The Politico is reporting.

"I don't remember him saying this," Aravosis told us when asked about the assertion that Reid had called Paced "incompetent."

Sudbay, meanwhile, added: "If he had said something really juicy, we would have posted that ourselves."

Both Aravosis and Sudbay remember Reid discussing the two Generals, but said they don't remember him talking about them in the way that the Politico characterized the discussion. The Politico story claimed that Reid had called Pace "incompetent," and added that Reid had made "similar disparaging remarks" about Petraeus. Both Aravosis and Sudbay said they didn't remember Reid making any disparaging remarks about Petraeus.

The Politico story has set off an uproar, with Drudge linking it, John McCain and other leading Republicans attacking Reid over it, and White House press secretary Tony Snow using the story to slam Reid as anti-military at his press briefing today. But as we reported below, three other prominent bloggers on the call -- with Aravosis and Sudbay, that makes five total now -- didn't hear Reid say any such thing.

The Politico reporter who wrote the story is declining to comment on the bloggers' assertion and declining to comment on whether he spoke to anyone who was on the call. All five of these bloggers say they didn't hear from the Politico reporter.

more...

[ShortnFiery]

1. Cafferty definitely has his faults. Sometimes he does get it right though.

:shrug:

[BootinUp]

2. This politico site is starting to look like trash

that should be discarded.

[aquart]

4. Yeah, but specifically WHOSE piece of trash?

[aquart]

3. So...was it a planted story?

For any particular purpose?

Or do conservative bloggers make things up for fun?

[ShortnFiery]

5. BTW do a Google search on "Reid" "Pace" "Incompetent" and you get Free Republic,

Fox news AND MSNBC

The only source is ta da ... the WH's mouthpiece politco.com.

HOWEVER, MSNBC claims that NBC has *confirmed* politco.com's accusation. I think we need to ask NBC how they made this INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION?

I think that MSNBC is just jumping on the bandwagon with FOX based on politico.com's claims alone. :grr:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/14/226276.aspx

[babylonsister]

6. And THAT'S how lies surface. Why they think Politico is a valid source

after all the FUBARs they've had is beyond me. If bloggers in the room claim Reid didn't say anything, who's claiming otherwise? :mad:

[ShortnFiery]

7. At the very least, NBC owes the readers *more information* as to how politco.com's story

was CONFIRMED. :grr:

I envision some guy at NBC calling someone at politco.com asking, "Is that what you are REALLY reporting? That Reid said that Pace was incompetent." And the politico.com hack replying, "Yes."

There's your bogus confirmation for you. :grr:

[babylonsister]

9. Ya know, the more I think about it, even if Reid DID say it, he's

just speaking the truth. These generals haven't shown much competence in my book.
Sounds like it's much ado about not much. But after reading about this incident, and then hearing Cafferty's indignation, I got a bit hot under the collar myself.

[Gabi Hayes]

8. and the reason Pace SHOULDN'T be considered incompetent is:

what's the big deal?

Iraq is going GREAT, right?

[BlooInBloo]

10. (shrug) I don't know what there is to complain about - DU has already clearly kicked him to the curb

[ShortnFiery]

11. It's like Brian Lamb in the past quoting The Drudge Report like the NY Times ...

The Politco.com is constantly spewing trash but now, they are supposed to be viewed as a VALID online-news agency. No way!

If Harry Reid actually said it and owned up to it, I may have second thoughts about his courage and hope that he will hold The Unitary Executive to task.

Still, if he didn't say it, it's really smarmy to accuse him of such a statement. ESPECIALLY by a half-a** White House supporting Internet Rag like Politco.com. :shrug: