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Showing posts from November, 2006

Sticks and Carrots in Iraq

After suddenly coming down with a so serious a case of the vapors that he could not attend a meeting with the President of the United States , Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki got some good news: yes, the Iraq Study Group is going to recommend redeployment of a substantial number of US troops in his country, but no, there won't be any pesky timetables -- for now. Al-Malaki was allowed to twist slowly, slowly in the wind for only a few hours. Bush folksily declared him " the right guy for Iraq " -- like this was just another whirlwind campaign appearance for a member of congress whose seat was in jeopardy -- shortly after someone in his administration leaked a Nov. 8 memo from National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley that questioned al-Malaki's commitment, honesty or competence (your pick). I hope one of the US exports to Iraq these days are episodes of "The Sopranos," because this sure looks like the diplomatic equivalent of a serious warning f

A War By Any Other Name?

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They say you are always wise to pick your fights, but did NBC expect a fight by deciding that the Iraq fighting had become a civil war? The decision not to stay the course was revealed, of all places, on the "Today" Show, and no discussion of what would seem a fairly momentus change was yet on The Daily Nightly , the mostly Brian Williams blog, by the time of the evening network newscast. This is not the posture of a newsroom that was braced for criticism of a delicate semantic choice. Donald Rumsfeld is in no position to complain but the White House is, and is . "While the situation on the ground is very serious, neither (Iraqi) Prime Minister Maliki nor we believe that Iraq is in a civil war," the administration said in a statement. There are no rules on who gets to decide these things, but newsrooms always -- always -- need to describe things accurately. Sometimes the same thing can be called two things by two different sides -- quick: is it Myanmar, or Burma? -

When OJ Simpson thinks you've crossed line ...

Simpson tells AP he knew 'If I Did It' profits would be 'blood money' "In the course of the interview I said, 'This is blood money and I hope nobody reads it,'" Simpson told the AP. So it's official: the music has stopped and the only person involved with the OJ Simpson book and TV-special deal that hasn't said it was a bad idea yet is Janice Regan, who published the book and conducted the interview that was to have aired on Fox next week. In the AP interview Simpson says the book is no confession but a needed shot in the arm to his finances. "Everybody who has written a book about this has taken blood money; you can't have selective morality," Simpson tells the AP. Oh yeah -- News Corp Chairman Murdoch is getting off easy in the court of public opinion, OJ says, and that's just not fair. "I'm taking heat and I deserve it," Simpson said. "But Murdoch should not be taking the high road either." There m

When Rupert Murdoch thinks you've crossed a line, well ...

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Fox TV's schedule for the week of Nov. 26, which did not yet reflect the canceled Simpson programs shortly after they were pulled. News Corp, the corporate parent of the broadcast network that brought you "The Littlest Groom," Temptation Island" -- I, II and III -- and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancee," has decided that pimping O.J. Simpson's tell-nothing fantasy non-confessional book and Fox TV interview just goes too far . At last, we have found a bottom. "I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson." There had been some backlash from some Fox affiliates, who said they would not air the show , and tons of criticism, from expected and unexpected places. With no obvious connection to his life other than his folksy contempt for things vile, CBS

Kissinger Lays Groundwork for Redeployment?

The AP is picking up a BBC interview with Henry Kissinger in which he says "military victory" in Iraq as no longer a plausible outcome. The story backs up the headline, Kissinger: Iraq Military Win Impossible , with this quote: "If you mean by 'military victory' an Iraqi government that can be established and whose writ runs across the whole country, that gets the civil war under control and sectarian violence under control in a time period that the political processes of the democracies will support, I don't believe that is possible," he told the British Broadcasting Corp. Leaving aside the snide aside that one impediment to victory might be lack of resolve by the citizens of the U.S and what remains of its coalition partners, this looks like a campaign to soften the enemy in preparation for advancing troops. The AP item was rip-read by Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation" and was immediate fodder for a question to an unprepared Sen. Lyndsay Gra

Publish and Perish

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Janice Regan's various explanations for why she has published O.J. Simpson's latest pleas for attention, "If I Did It," just make no sense . And In tying up with someone who is widely thought to be beyond redemption, Regan has done herself and her imprint irreparable damage. For what? The silliest of her explanations is the notion that publishing Simpson would ensure that the world was not deprived of the "... historical value in such work; there is value for law enforcement, for students of psychology, for anyone who wants to gain insight into the mind of a sociopath." Let's say there is some benefit to hearing more from Simpson. He can publish himself. Lots of aspiring writers resort to this. He can blog. Between DOS attacks he'd probably get plenty of attention. Then there is the chance to purge her own demons. Perhaps she should consider writing a book of her own ... This public service must include the proposition that ReganBooks expects to mak

Nancy Fumbles, Trent Returns

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The U.S. Congress ( photo by tsnyther ) This might not rank up there with the enduring mystery of why Bush 41 a) picked and then b) stuck with Dan Quayle, but incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's very public support of Jack Murtha for majority leader seems oddly naive for a veteran politician. Not that Murtha didn't deserve a shout out -- he will chair a powerful defense appropriations subcommittee anyway -- but he erased any doubt that a leadership post exceeded his skill set when, just before the election process, he called Pelosi's pet ethics reform rules "total crap." Real men curse, of course, but not about the things that are important to prospective bosses. Quite a bit is being made of the spectacle of Pelosi being so thoroughly rebuked . I doubt many people are paying much attention, and Republicans deserve to have a laugh at the Democrats expense. It's been tough for them recently. But why didn't a seasoned pol like Pelosi work in the shadows,

Parting the Curtain

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it may be that Schlesinger is the most senior editorial executive blogging (though not the highest paid. See Katie Couric or Brian Williams or Charles Gibson for that.) T here is something new going on at the traditionally stodgy place where I used to work. I've already written about Reuters' foray into covering non-events from a place that doesn't exist by opening a "bureau" in the Sims-like online community, Second Life. This may be too hip to be cool or too cool to be hip, but either way it is iconic rather than informative. Now, the global managing editor at Reuters, David Schlesinger, is taking the lead in blogging for senior editors at the news agency . This is notable in at least three respects: Reuters has always been exceptionally insulated, not behaving as if it were terribly concerned with public image Reuters has tended to be at best reluctantly reactive to the discussion of journalism hot topics, engaging in public discourse only when necessary and u

I'd Like To Believe Him, But …

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Kerry's post "botched joke" news conference “ Give me five more John Kerry’s,” says Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.). “He’s a fighter, and he puts his money where his mouth is. ” – Roll Call, 5.1.06, as quoted on johnkerry.com ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** IMUS : Did you say you were going back to Washington? KERRY : I’m going to go back to Washington. And I’m going to go back to tackle this, you bet. IMUS : OK. You’re not going to Tennessee for Harold Ford, are you? KERRY : No. IMUS : Good. KERRY : I was not going down there. IMUS : Thank you... (LAUGHTER) -- Imus in the Morning, Nov 1, 2006, as transcribed by MSNBC Say what you will about whether Republicans are making fair hay of Sen. John Kerry's remarks in California last Sunday (no, they are not, and yes, it is good politics), but even the most liberal of liberal die-hard Democrats have to admit this was an avoidable gaffe by a criminally inept campaigner. This