- CBS' Roberts: McClellan is a "truth-teller" and a "stand-up guy" with a "pretty good job"
On the November 6 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources, CBS News chief White House correspondent John Roberts vouched for White House press secretary Scott McClellan -- after watching a video clip of ABC White House correspondent Terry Moran telling McClellan at an October 31 press briefing that it was not the job of the White House press corps to "vouch" for McClellan to the American people. During the briefing, Moran questioned McClellan about false statements McClellan made to the press about the involvement of White House officials in the alleged leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. Despite McClellan's false statements, during the Reliable Sources segment, Roberts called the press secretary a "truth-teller" and a "stand-up guy" and noted that he and McClellan have "a pretty good working relationship."
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- O'Reilly called for "a full-body search" on co-host Lis Wiehl; added that she "asked for it"
On the November 3 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly called for "a full-body search" on his co-host, Lis Wiehl. During a conversation about a recent New York Sun editorial (subscription required) on a lawsuit over New York City's policy of subway bag checks, O'Reilly said: "Would you please -- would you please bring in some security to do a full-body search on ... Lis Wiehl." When Wiehl repeated, "I said my bags, not my body," O'Reilly responded, "Full-body search on Lis Wiehl right this minute. She asked for it." Wiehl is also an author, Harvard-trained law professor, and legal analyst for Fox News.
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- NY Times reported that anonymous "[p]eople involved" in the CIA leak investigation "confirmed" that Bush was unaware of Rove's role
In a November 6 article by reporter Richard W. Stevenson, The New York Times reported that anonymous sources "involved" in the investigation into whether senior White House officials illegally outed undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame "confirmed" that President Bush was unaware of White House senior adviser Karl Rove's involvement in the leak. Citing "people involved in the case" for the assertion that Bush was the innocent recipient of false information from Rove in September 2003, Stevenson wrote nothing about who those "people" are or whether they might have an interest in publicly affirming Bush's ignorance of Rove's involvement.
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- Time whitewashed Progress for America; ignored Republican eagerness for Alito confirmation battle
In an article for the November 14 edition of Time magazine, staff writer Daniel Eisenberg identified Progress for America (PFA) and People for the American Way (PFAW) as two "[a]ctivist groups" weighing in on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. But while Eisenberg described PFAW as a "liberal group," he identified Progress for America simply as an "organization," despite PFA's self-described intention to forward a "conservative legislative agenda" and its strong ties to the Bush administration.
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- Led by Roberts, conservatives continued to falsely claim government reports found that Bush administration didn't manipulate intelligence
In recent days, conservative pundits have repeated the false claim -- now advanced by Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) -- that government investigations have already cleared the Bush administration of "manipulat[ing]" intelligence in 2002 and 2003 as it made the case for the war in Iraq. In fact, while several reports found that analysts felt no "pressure" from senior policy-makers in reaching their intelligence assessments -- a conclusion that has since been challenged by several senior intelligence officials -- no government entity has thus far investigated and reported on whether Bush administration officials manipulated that intelligence once they received it.
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- Coulter: If Republicans run Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele for president, Democrats could "start burning crosses"
On the November 4 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter said she "think[s] everyone watching this program needs to contribute to Michael Steele, because I think if we run him on our presidential ticket, we could get the Democrats to actually start burning crosses." Coulter, appearing with Fox News analyst Susan Estrich, was discussing Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's initial dismissal of controversy surrounding a fund-raiser held in July by Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., with whom Steele ran successfully in 2002, at the Elkridge Club, a country club in Baltimore that has no African-American members. Steele, who is black and a Republican, recently announced his bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006.
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- Brooks falsely claimed Clinton and Reagan approval ratings "were in the 20s"
On the November 4 broadcast of PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, New York Times columnist David Brooks falsely claimed that during their presidencies Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan saw their job approval ratings fall to "the 20s." During a discussion with nationally syndicated columnist Mark Shields, Brooks argued that President Bush's recent slide in the polls is "not irreversible. Clinton was much lower than Bush is now. Reagan was lower." When Shields countered, "Not in the job ratings," Brooks replied, "They [Clinton and Reagan] were in the 20s."
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- O'Reilly renewed attacks on columnists Hernandez and Rodriguez; claimed Hernandez is "incompetent" and a "Latina ideologue"
On the November 2 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, host Bill O'Reilly once again falsely attacked columnists Macarena Hernandez of The Dallas Morning News and Cindy Rodriguez of The Denver Post, accusing them repeatedly of lying. "Hernandez basically attacked me and the Fox News Channel and The Radio Factor for demonizing undocumented workers from Mexico," he said. "That's a total lie. You know, and she doesn't have anything. She took it from a left-wing website," he added, in an apparent reference to Media Matters for America. He went on to say:
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- Limbaugh falsely claimed 9th Circuit Court is "the most reversed court of appeals in the country"
On the November 3 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is "the most reversed circuit court of appeals in the country." Limbaugh assailed a recent ruling by the court, which found that the Palmdale, California, school district, in administering a psychological survey containing questions on sexuality and masturbation to elementary school students, did not violate parents' privacy rights or their right to control their children's upbringing. Limbaugh stated that the ruling would "probably end up being one of the many such cases [decided by the 9th Circuit Court] that eventually get overturned [on appeal]." But in recent years, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' reversal rate has been approximately equal to the average reversal rate for circuit courts nationally, and during its most recent term, the court's reversal rate was below the national average.
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