As of tomorrow, the increasingly useless Washington Post will become more so. Dan Froomkin, one of the few journalists at the once-credible newspaper who bothered to do his job by investigating and asking the questions that mattered during the Bush Administration’s historic gutting of America and so much of what it stands for, filed his final “White House Watch” column today. He described, today, what he does as “accountability journalism.” We could use dozens more like him in the MSM.
His piece today echoes FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley’s exposé on these pages yesterday, in his description of Bush as “the proverbial emperor with no clothes.” He goes on to note how, after 9/11, “the nation, including the media, vested him with abilities he didn’t have and credibility he didn’t deserve.”
As Rowley pointed out in her piece, in relating her frustration at 60 Minutes failing to air their interview with her warning about the dangers of going to war in Iraq, historians will “at some future point, [try] to figure out how such a naked emperor was able to continue despite some of us who tried to yell.” When that history is put into perspective, they’ll find Froomkin’s paper trail, revealing him to be one of the loudest (ignored) shouters. For that, he’s now (at least temporarily) out of a job.
In addition to the litany of Bush lies (a word that WaPo became allergic to over the last eight years) which Froomkin looks back on today, he also continues his critical warnings about the Obama Administration and recognizes some of those journalists — in both the MSM and the blogosphere — who didn’t fail in their Constitutional duty to the nation over the past few years.
We most appreciate both the shot he takes at WaPo’s own Bob Woodward, while recognizing the “fine investigative blogging over at Talking Points Memo and by Marcy Wheeler.”
[Ed Note: Wheeler will be joining me this evening as a guest on the nationally syndicated Mike Malloy Show, which I’ve been guest hosting all week. Update: Audio interview now here…]
“Hopefully, the next time the nation faces a grave national security crisis,” Froomkin writes, “we will listen to the people who were right, not the people who were wrong, and heed those who reported the truth, not those who served as stenographers to liars.”
On a personal note, back in 2006, when the bulk of the MSM were still deluding themselves, in full-tilt denial about the credibility of the work those of us who are “just bloggers” were doing — (Isn’t it odd that they blame us, even now, for their own impending failure, after so many years of marginalizing the relevance of ‘bloggers who work in their pajamas out of their parents’ basements’? If we hastened their demise, what does that say about them?) — Froomkin recognized the importance of the work The BRAD BLOG was doing and invited me to pen a column on questions of election integrity that the media should have been asking in advance of the 2006 election, for Harvard’s prestigious Nieman Foundation for Journalism’s “Watchdog” website, where he remains their Deputy Editor. We are ever grateful for that opportunity, his frequent linkage to these pages, and, frankly, for his early and continuing recognition of the importance of the blogosphere over all. After all, we were getting it right from day one. The MSM weren’t. (And still aren’t.)
But this sounds alot like an obit, and it is not. Froomkin will reemerge soon, after he “take[s] a few weeks off before embarking upon [his] next endeavor.” Whichever outlet is lucky enough to have him grace its pages will be infinitely better off for that contribution, even as WaPo seems satisfied with withering on the vine with rightwing liars, those who brought on so many of our current problems, still staining their pages on a daily basis. At “worst,” hopefully he knows he’s always welcome to contribute here at The BRAD BLOG. Though he may have to buy some pajamas, and we’ll have to find out if our parents mind him moving into their basement.
[Cross-posted at the Commonweal Institute’s ‘Uncommon Denominator’ blog…]
So, it occurs to me that we truly have to get rid of some morons that are in representation at our nation’s capital. When you have front groups like MoveOn.org, MediaMatters, and all the other front groups that George Soros (Will somebody please push this guy off the Sears Tower or out of a 747, please?) in all his socialist wisdom, funds, it seems that we’ve really done this to ourselves. “Why do you say such things?,” you ask. This is why:
It’s because of dumbass representatives like these that my stomach turns and I have stress. Do you guys even know what stress means? Allow me to digress. Stress is the ability to want to choke the crap out of somebody who needs it. ‘Nuff said. I’m sure that we have many people who feel the same way. I say we need to replace everybody who’s trying to destroy this country.
In Stu’s blog, previously I stated what we need to do:
Here’s your multi-phase plan to take care of the whole damn thing. I’m throwing this out there because I don’t see anyone else doing so.
1) Illegals
a. All illegals that are in the country at least 18 years of age need to be in the military for no less than 4 years. In other words, for you illiterates and libs who don’t understand, “You serve, you stay.” If you don’t serve in the military, you go back where you came from. Mass deportations would have to happen and the job market will then open up, freeing up capital for investments, operating costs for hospitals (without financial collapse), unemployment drops.
2) The Military
a. All criminals are placed under military control and serve. Depending on the crimes that they had done, they can work off their time. The amount of time worked off during their tenure will help their record to be cleansed/lessened. This would be on a sliding scale that lesser crimes would mean less time served in the military. Hardened criminals in time of war will either be placed on the front lines or behind enemy lines in order to circumvent any initiatives our foes may have against us. Between illegals and prison population, the military grows to 5 times what it is presently. If said hardened criminals do not serve, they are then given the option of firing squad or hanging. This will not only take care of the prisons, but also cut down costs of running prisons and storage of said prisoners. Not to mention, the crime rate would drop like a damn rock. You numbnuts out there is lib Obamaland don’t undertand (yes, I said it like that, for the special people) and never will. You should also be kicked in the nuts multiple times for general purposes.
3) Banking
a. Banking should be done in fashion fair to all individuals. All rates should be frozen to allow customers to know the costs entailed without additional charges. If you have a note through a bank that is financed, the max as far as a percentage rate that all banks should charge is no more than 10%. Do like Germany did and create “fiat” money until economy is back on it’s feet. Then, replace with official US currency due to the fact that nobody else will accept it. Hey, guess what this means. We can actually afford things like “food”. I know libs and far left dumbasses read this, but for my namesake, I love pissing you off.
4) The U.N.
a. Tell all UN representatives they have 72 hours to leave the country or be forcibly removed. Turn UN building into an apartment complex for the homeless. Relocate UN to The Hague. Also, another alternative mentioned later in my previous blog was to turn it into the world’s largest and most expensive aquarium, because we all know we’d get more use of it that way.
5) The National Debt
a. What debt? Write it off and default on all debt. Since, other countries have screwed us by doing so, it is only fair to do the same. Plus, we also tend to rebuild everybody else without rebuilding and taking care of our own first. Obama and that idiot Biden don’t get this one.
6) Senate, Congress and Supreme Court
a. I’m sick and tired of our representatives not listening to us and doing their own thing, screwing up everything else. Fire every one of them and them place common people who want to get the job done into office. If there is any protest, anyone who does has “habeus corpus” suspended until we take care of business. Any takers?”¦
7) Close borders
a. The reason why you want to do this is to make the country more secure. Place National Guard troops on Northern and Southern border to prevent illegals, terrorists or anyone else from getting in without proper identification. Here’s your damn comprehensive immigration law!!! If you don’t like it, leave. Go to Europe and sit on your ass where you don’t have to work.
If you think you have a better idea, I want to hear it. this is only a sample of what I’ve got for ya. Feel free to checkout my blog.
So, if you can’t handle the ideas or the truth, maybe it’s better said by someone who actually knew what the hell he was doing along with a few others:
Enjoy, because he knew what was coming and so did the others who signed their names and their lives away to create this country. I love this country, but hate what it’s turned into. If only more understood that we could take it back, if we’d just stand”¦
By the way, numbnuts. I’m a registered independent, ya cracker.