The reality wars are coming...

Good post, Brad.

Jonathan Schwarz of A Tiny Revolution explains why the mainstream media will never get any better at reporting actual news in this excellent post.

Right on Brad. The mainstream media seems to be reporting from Pleasantville and its all in black and white. Something tells me they'll at least be SEEING some brilliant colors in the next few days. Maybe some of it will rub off on them.

Or, maybe a good dose of BradBlog will leave them green with envy! (Sorry, I couldn't resist adding this last play on the color theme)

Rove and Libby, two of the most powerful men in Washington, weren't identified by name in New York Times headlines in the past week.

In each case, it was the only story on Plamegate in that day's paper. Rove was called a "Bush Adviser" and Libby a "Cheney Aide." As if to pretend the Times' readership wouldn't know who these men were if identified by name.

The effect, of course, is to depersonalize the scandal and make it seem more remote from Bush.
After all, he has lots of advisers, and Cheney has more than one aide. Reading only the headline, one could imagine the story was about an obscure hireling, being questioned about something trivial.

Is it necessary to add that calling Rove a "Bush Adviser" and Libby a "Cheney Aide" has the subliminal effect of suggesting that Rove works for Bush and Libby for Cheney? In fact, their salaries are paid by the taxpayers; their paychecks aren't made out to "Bush Adviser" and "Cheney Aide," rather to "KARL ROVE" and "I. LEWIS LIBBY."

Going out with a whimper or a bang ? (Cheney & crew)

I think whimper (due to MSM) , some think bang (the way it should really go), the propaganda machine wins every time, their the ones that own the minds of the sheeple

Aren't all sordid lust affairs like that?

I mean the MSM is in bed (embedded) with the admin and is all ga ga eyed about it.

The MSM is too busy putting weathermen on with flapping windbreakers in hurricanes.

Did you see on Jon Stewart, the clip of a weatherman supposedly being blown away by a hurricane, and some guy walked by him totally normal in a tank top undershirt, like there was no hurricane?

The MSM isn't going to change, it's not set up to change. There has to be some new cable news channels not owned by Corporate America. I thought it would change at one point, but it's rotten at the foundation and will not change. You would have to remove the Corporate ownership and consolidation.

Nicely done!

RLM #4... sharp eyes you've got. Nice.

Same for Big Dan # 7.

The Sacramento Bee has been carrying the stories and had it on the first page yesterday - although it was buried today. They HAVE been naming names to their credit.

This could be promising - Could Signal That Fitzgerald Is Seeking Extension - with regards to the deeper issues regarding the run up to the war.

In the film "Orwell rolls in his grave" they have footage of the FCC commisioners voting to let the Big Boys swallow up all media outlets. What was really telling to me was that the only other people there besides the commissioners and probably a few representatives of said Big Boys were like 3 or 4 young women who were about 19 years old and they started vocally protesting and were immediately marched out. Apparently those were all the Americans who cared enough to do anything about it. So, the media you get is the media you deserve.

Another source speculating an extension of the Grand Jury: Aides To Be Indicted, Probe to Continue

"The probe is far from being at an end. According to this reporter's sources, Fitzgerald approached the judge in charge of the case and asked that a new grand jury be empaneled. The old grand jury, which has been sitting for two years, will expire on October 28."

ShadoGummit #12

While I agree with you that the MSM sucks and oppresses its reporters for being americans (link here), I can't agree that america "deserves" them.

After all it is the constitution that acknowledges the free press. That is what we deserve, a free press that keeps an eye on power.

I also realize we do have some responsibility to keep some tabs on the press.

But I do not like to blame victims for their condition. And the american body politic is a victim.

A victim of the MSM. The MSM should be the target of the majority of the problem. Of the crimes they commit by letting the neoCon fascists off the hook.

Good article, Brad. You'd think that people would be shocked and amazed at the current state of politics. Even though the Pubs have nearly all the levers of government in their pockets, they still have the leadership at nearly every level either in the dock or apparently close to it. I mean, that ought to be absolutely shocking, right? Almost like not having a functioning government at all.

But once the people of America seemingly decided that an illegal and disastrous war was aok, I guess just about anything could and can pass muster.

A couple of seemingly conflicting results from a poll:

"Only one in 10 Americans said they believe Bush administration officials did nothing illegal or unethical in connection with the leak, according to a national poll released Tuesday."

"The poll was split nearly evenly on what respondents thought of Bush officials' ethical standards --- 51 percent saying they were excellent or good and 48 percent saying they were not good or poor."

This seems to imply that some 40-50% of the people think it's ok for the government to act illegaly or unethicaly - go figure!

CIA leak probe has Washington waiting

My letter to the Oregonian: "Before the Indictments" At this point it appears imminent that Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald will bring indictments against members of the Bush administration for their roles in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame. As important as this is, I suggest we pay close attention to the heart of this issue which goes well beyond who outed Plame: who is responsible for developing the false assertion spoken by Bush and Powell that Iraq purchased nuclear weapons materials from Niger that was used to justify this tragic war?

I couldn't help myself. Oh well. I'm excited.

The anticipation is torture!

"The Chicago-based prosecutor has obtained new information from officials targeted in the leak probe, who are now interested in entering into plea discussions, they added.

Fitzgerald intended to announce that he had secured indictments against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, and Karl Rove, President Bush's deputy chief of staff, Wednesday afternoon as well as two people who work outside of the administration, those close to the case said.

But his office was contacted late Tuesday by attorneys representing figures outside the White House, lawyers said, who expressed interest in entering into plea talks with the prosecutor. Several have agreed to enter into last-minute plea negotiations with Fitzgerald in exchange for providing testimony that could result in criminal charges being brought against additional officials inside the White House, they added."

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