Month: August 2006

Jordanian News Producers Denounce Fox News as ‘Instrument’ of ‘White House and Israeli Propaganda’

Jon Ponder

TV Newser:

Two Amman-based Jordanian freelance producers have declared they will no longer work for Fox News Channel in a message that denounces the network as an “instrument of the Bush White House and Israeli propaganda.”

Serene Sabbagh and Jomana Karadsheh’s letter, dated July 31, was forwarded to scores of reporters and others. In the letter, they write: “We base our decision on moral issues. We can no longer work with a news organization that claims to be fair and balanced when you are so far from that.”

The two women say the network has a responsibility to report fairily for the “sake of your very naive viewers.” They say they hoped the network would “develop a degree of respect to people in this part of the world.” But: “The disdain and blatant one-sided coverage of all Mideast conflicts only highlights your total lack of humanity and bias toward Israel.”

They also criticize “inexperienced anchors” and their “racist comments,” calling them a “shameful scar on the American Media,” and comparing them to the “state run Television networks in countries you despise in the Middle East.”

Murtha Sued for Statements on Haditha — On Same Day Army Confirms Atrocities

Jon Ponder
“When I spoke up about Haditha, my intention was to draw attention to the horrendous pressure put on our troops in Iraq and to the cover-up of the incident.”
— Rep. Jack Murtha

The first week in August seems to be an odd time for the swiftboaters to roll out their latest campaign, this time against Rep. Jack Murtha, the conservative Democrat, decorated Vietnam-era Marine and war critic. And yet, they have.

A group called Veterans for Truth is holding a “national” rally in Murtha’s Pennsylvania district tomorrow “to show their outrage at John Murtha over what he is saying about our troops,”according to a spokesman for the group.

As part of the campaign, there was an announcement today that Murtha is being sued for libel by a U.S. Marine:

Staff sergeant Frank D. Wuterich brought suit against Murtha earlier today, charging that the Congressman’s public statements that Marines had “killed innocent civilians in cold blood” defamed the Marine.

The incident in question occurred last June in Haditha. A group of Marines went on a rampage, allegedly killing 24 citizens, including unarmed women and children. Rep. Murtha was the first government official to reveal that the atrocities had occurred.

Coincidentally — or maybe not — results of a Pentagon investigation leaked to the press today confirm that reports of atrocities are accurate:

The Associated Press this morning reported that evidence collected by the Pentagon “supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot” 24 civilians, including unarmed women and children, in Haditha, Iraq last November–the incident Murtha was referring to.

Murtha was magnanimous about the lawsuit:

“I don’t blame the staff sergeant for lashing out,” Murtha said in a statement today. “When I spoke up about Haditha, my intention was to draw attention to the horrendous pressure put on our troops in Iraq and to the cover-up of the incident.”

The Representative once again used the occasion to call for a withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.

FL Sen: Staff Walked Out after Learning Harris Hid Subpoena

Jon Ponder

I’m telling you, Katherine Harris is a VH-1 celeb-reality show waiting to happen:

U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris received a grand jury subpoena from federal investigators but kept it from her top campaign advisers, leading to the latest round of staff departures last month, a former aide said.

“Yes, there was a subpoena. She didn’t tell us,” former campaign manager Glenn Hodas told The Tampa Tribune for a story published Wednesday.

Hodas, who resigned from the Republican congresswoman’s Senate campaign in July along with the spokesman, did not immediately return phone calls Wednesday from The Associated Press.

The Justice Department is investigating Harris’ dealings with Mitchell Wade, a defense contractor who later pleaded guilty to bribing another congressman. Hodas did not say whether the subpoena was linked to that probe.

Harris was reached on her cell phone Wednesday by The Associated Press, but said she had a bad connection and referred the call to her campaign office.

Campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Marks on Wednesday repeated an earlier statement that said Harris is cooperating with the investigation but is “not a target,” and declined to comment further.

Marks declined to answer a question about whether Harris received the subpoena and said Harris would not be available to comment because her personal schedule was too busy.

How many staff rotations is this, anyway? I think Ed Rollins was the first campaign manager and there have been at least two since he quit. Anyone keeping score?

Fidel Will Live Forever

Jon Ponder

Too bad Buck, our expert on the politics of South Florida, is on vacation when news comes that Fidel Castro is doing poorly. What I want to know is this: When Fidel’s 47 year revolution (so far) is over, will all those Republicans in Little Cuba go “home?”

Maybe our Northeast Florida editor can sub for Buck. What think, Trish?

Personally, I don’t think Fidel will ever die. Sort of like General Franco.

Charlie Cook Sees a Rout by Dems in November

Jon Ponder

Charlie Cook strikes me as a straight-shooter. He calls ’em as he sees ’em. Well, get a load of this:

In a very large tidal wave election, as this one appears to be, it would not be unusual to see all tossups go to one party, along with a few out of the leaning column as well.

With fewer than 100 days left before the Nov. 7 election, certain assumptions can now be made, contingent upon the absence of a cataclysmic event.

First, the political climate will be extremely hostile to Republican candidates. Second, while Republicans benefited from turnout in 2002 and 2004, this time voter turnout will benefit Democratic candidates. And third, the advantages that the GOP usually has in national party spending will be significantly less than normal.

In terms of the political climate, the facts are clear. All of the traditional diagnostic indicators in major national polls taken in the past 10 days show numbers consistent with an electoral rout.

In the latest Cook Political Report/RT Strategies poll, conducted last Friday through Sunday among 809 registered voters, only 27 percent said the country was headed in the right direction and 63 percent said it was off on the wrong track. In polling for NBC and the Wall Street Journal, conducted July 21-24 and for CBS and the New York Times, taken July 21-25, the right direction numbers were 27 and 28 percent, respectively, while wrong track results were 60 and 66 percent respectively. These numbers are about the same as they were at this point in 1994 and going into Election Day that year […]

In the House, where Democrats need a 15-seat gain to win a majority, Republicans have 15 seats that the Cook Political Report currently rates as tossups. No Democratic seats remain in that column. Another 21 GOP seats are rated as leaning Republican.

In a very large tidal wave election, as this one appears to be, it would not be unusual to see all tossups go to one party, along with a few out of the leaning column as well. Republicans might lose their House majority just in the seats in which they are behind or in which their edge is within a poll’s margin of error.

In the Senate, while it is easy to get Democrats to a four- or five-seat net gain, six is tougher. But keep in mind that in the last four non-“wave” elections, between 67 and 89 percent of the races rated as “tossups” in the final Cook Political Report pre-election ratings broke toward one party each time, a domino effect, with the close races breaking toward the party with momentum.

Poll: Only 56% of Virginians Plan to Vote For Gay Marriage Ban

Jon Ponder

According to a new Mason-Dixon Poll, only 56 percent of Virginians are in favor of the ballot measure that would ban gay marriage in the state. Considering that a similar proposition passed with about two-thirds of the vote in California a few years ago, that is fairly astounding news.

It could portend that the saliency of gay-bashing as a wedge issue for Republicans is dwindling, or that Virginians are not as conservative as conventional wisdom would have it. Or both.