20071001 CyberAlert

CyberAlert

Monday October 1, 2007

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1. MSNBC Smears Limbaugh with 'Phony Soldiers' Distortion

All day Friday, even after Rush Limbaugh corrected the misinformation, MSNBC promoted a story fed to them by the far-left Media Matters about how Rush Limbaugh had called military personnel who served in Iraq and oppose the war "phony soldiers."

Limbaugh opened his noon EDT radio show on Friday by explaining how he was referring not to any real soldier but a phony one, notably Jesse MacBeth, who became a hero to the left when he recounted how his Army unit murdered innocent Iraqis. In fact, he hadn't even completed basic training.

Nonetheless, MSNBC headlined a 4pm EDT segment "'PHONY SOLDIERS' INSULT; Rush Limbaugh: U.S. Troops Who Oppose Iraq War are 'Phony.'"

At the top of the next hour, Chris Matthews teased Hardball: "Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh says veterans who support withdrawing the troops are 'phony soldiers.' Those are his words."

Then at 8pm EDT, with "Limbaugh Bashes Vets for Withdrawal" on screen, and briefly "...Phony Soldiers..." over video of Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann teased Countdown: "Comedian Rush Limbaugh tries to back out of his quote: Servicemen protesting the war are quote, 'phony soldiers.'"

2. Sore Loser: With No Thomas Interview, NBC Features Anita Hill

CBS's 60 Minutes got the first interview with Clarence Thomas on the occasion of the release of his memoir and ABC's Good Morning America is in line for the morning show exclusive interview with him to air multiple days this week, thus leaving NBC News out of the mix.

So, the losing network decided to resurrect Anita Hill.

Anchor Lester Holt teased Sunday's NBC Nightly News: "Her story. Justice Clarence Thomas speaks out, and tonight so does the woman who nearly derailed his confirmation. My exclusive interview with Anita Hill."

Though Hill's charges against Thomas look pretty tame through the later revelations of Bill Clinton's actions with women, Holt depicted them as "charges of crude sexual advances" and "shocking allegations." Also, without any mention of the left-wing activists with whom Hill colluded, Holt sympathetically described her as "a reluctant witness."

3. Steph on Clinton: 'Philanthropist Who Happened to Be President'

ABC's George Stephanopoulos put on a sycophantic display in his pre-taped interview on Sunday's This Week with his former boss, ex-President Bill Clinton.

Holding up the magazine as the two sat in a room at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting, Stephanopoulos touted "this great story in The Atlantic this month about your philanthropy" which "says you're basically re-inventing philanthropy" and, quoting the author, "'history may remember Bill Clinton as the philanthropist who happened to be President.' You okay with that?"

The ever humble Clinton insisted: "I'll have to live a very long time to have as positive an impact on as many people in the United States and around the world in my after life as I did as President."

Next, Stephanopoulos oozed that the 1991 campaign slogan of "buy one, get one free" with Bill and Hillary is now "about as resonant as ever" with Hillary and Bill.

As Clinton chuckled, Stephanopoulos wondered: "Is it more true now than it was then?" In the previous segment, Stephanopoulos was a bit less celebratory about GOP prospects, asking in-studio guest Newt Gingrich: "How much are you worried that, you know, this year, 2008, is shaping up to be another 1964 for the Republican Party?"

4. ABC Lobbies for Liberal Legislation on Time Off; Touts '08 Dem

On Friday's Good Morning America, for the fourth time this year, the ABC program skewered America for not being generous with paid leave and openly lobbied viewers to support a Democratic, big government initiative.

After lumping the U.S. in with countries such as Liberia and Lesotho, as being one of only five countries that don't provide paid maternity leave, GMA contributor Tory Johnson appeared with Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd to promote his legislation. "First and most important is to make your voice heard, Johnson exclaimed. Openly advocating this government expansion, she added, "On the GMA Web site, we have links to all the Senator's and Congressmen's offices. Call them. E-mail them. Let them know where you stand."

5. Field Charges that Anti-War Comment Caused Fox to Bleep Her

Actress Sally Field charged, on Friday's Good Morning America, that Fox censored, as part of some pro-war agenda, her Emmy night remark that "if mothers ruled the world, there would be no Goddamned wars."

According to the Flying Nun star, "when it has to do with war at all on Fox, I think they all ran around like a bunch of chickens and started pulling wires, you know, 'Get her off the air!'"

Of course, the actual reason her comments were edited was because Fox feared being fined by the FCC for her use of "Goddamned."

Other edits that night included a profanity and Ray Romano's use of the word "screwing." In fact, Fox allowed several conservative-slamming, non-vulgar jokes to air unimpeded.

GMA co-host Diane Sawyer again indicated that the TV star's edited anti-war tirade at the September 16 Emmys was simply no big deal. Sawyer dismissively observed: "Again, we were saying at the time, everybody in Canada heard the whole thing, sat at home and watched it."

Agreeing with the implication of American provincialism, the Brothers and Sisters star noted, "And in London. A friend of mine in London." Sawyer added that the cultured British must have been "thinking probably nothing much of it."

6. NBC Gives Springsteen Platform for Litany of Liberal Complaints

Giving a live concert on the Friday Today show, Bruce Springsteen didn't just sing but railed against the past six years of George W. Bush's administration. Although he didn't mention Bush by name, the outspoken liberal rocker didn't need to connect the dots as he hit just about every complaint leftists have charged against the current administration. During his talk-up before his performance of "Living In the Future," Springsteen yelled about "rendition," "illegal wiretapping," "voter suppression," "an attack on the Constitution," "the neglect" of New Orleans and "the loss of our best young men and women in a tragic war."

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A usually-daily report, edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert is distributed by the Media Research Center, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

The 2,499^th CyberAlert. Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996

6:25am EDT, Monday October 1, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 172)