Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Media Matters Daily Summary 02-19-08

Promoting segment on Obama, Hardball displayed a photo of bin Laden
Hardball displayed a photo of Osama bin Laden behind Chris Matthews as he promoted a segment on Sen. Barack Obama, saying: "[W]hat did Barack Obama say and why is it causing controversy? Well, we'll take a look at that fight that erupted today over something Barack said on the campaign trail." Matthews later stated, "You may have noticed a graphic over my shoulder -- a picture we showed over my shoulder -- that was a mistake earlier in the broadcast. We apologize for the error." Matthews provided no further explanation of the error or why it occurred. Read More

CNN's Foreman failed to keep McCain honest about his former opposition to the Bush tax cuts
CNN's Tom Foreman uncritically reported Sen. John McCain's claim that he voted against President Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts because "he wanted reductions in spending, too." But in a 2001 floor statement explaining his opposition, McCain did not mention the absence of offsetting spending cuts; rather, he stated, "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle class Americans who most need tax relief."
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Cavuto: Clinton "trying to run away from this tough, kind of bitchy image"
While discussing Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign strategy for the March 4 Democratic primary in Texas, Neil Cavuto said of Clinton: "[S]he's trying to run away from this tough, kind of bitchy image." Read More

Novak falsely suggested House Dems allowed FISA to lapse
Robert Novak asserted that "[a] closed-door caucus of House Democrats" had "instructed Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call President Bush's bluff on extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to continue eavesdropping on suspected foreign terrorists" and that "Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said there was no danger in letting the FISA legislation lapse temporarily." In fact, FISA did not lapse or expire; what expired was the Protect America Act (PAA), which amended FISA. Additionally, Novak falsely stated that "the Democratic leadership Wednesday brought up another bill simply extending FISA authority, this time for 21 days" and that most of the Democrats who voted against the bill "intuitively oppose any anti-terrorist proposal." In fact, the House voted on an extension to the PAA, not FISA, and most of the Democrats who voted against the extension have supported other bills to allow surveillance of suspected terrorists. Read More

Time's Halperin on Mrs. McCain, Mrs. Obama: "Would-Be-First-Lady on Would-Be-First-Lady Action"
In a February 19 entry to his website, The Page, Time magazine political analyst Mark Halperin highlighted comments made by Cindy McCain -- wife of Sen. John McCain -- following February 18 remarks by Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Barack Obama. Halperin's entry was titled: "Would-Be-First-Lady on Would-Be-First-Lady Action." Read More

Hume, discussing Michelle Obama comment: "[T]here is this feeling" that Dems "are kind of embarrassed by patriotism"
When Fox News' E.D. Hill asked Brit Hume to explain what Michelle Obama meant by her recent comments, Hume stated: "[I]t means that she is a liberal, and maybe an arch-liberal." He later stated, "But I think this was something that she kind of thinks," adding, "[T]here is this feeling, and it has affected Democratic politicians for a long time, that they are kind of embarrassed by patriotism." Read More

CNN'S Glenn Beck: "[C]ongressional game-playing by Nancy Pelosi will end up killing Americans"
While discussing the expiration of the Protect America Act (PAA) on the February 18 edition of his CNN Headline News show, Glenn Beck claimed: "[President Bush] feels -- and I happen to agree with him -- that this congressional game-playing by [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi will end up killing Americans." The blog Think Progress documented Beck's comments in a February 19 posting. Read More

Matthews: Bill Clinton's campaign speech "so un-American"
On Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough said to Chris Matthews: "Bill Clinton says, though, Chris, that we're naïve for believing that politicians can work together, that we're naïve for believing that Barack Obama." Scarborough added: "But it seems to me it's cynicism versus hope." Matthews said: "Any politician who runs in America on the campaign message of 'don't get your hopes up' deserves to be doomed. What an amazing -- that is so un-American, because Americans believe that the way things are is not the way they have to be." Read More

On This Week, George Will falsely asserted that "in the primaries," McCain "has achieved more independent voters than Obama"
On ABC's This Week, George Will falsely asserted that "in the primaries," Sen. John McCain "has achieved more independent voters than [Sen. Barack] Obama." In fact, in calculations based on exit polls, in each of the nine states that have held open or semi-open primaries contested by both Obama and McCain, Obama received more votes from voters who identified themselves as "independent" than McCain. Read More

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