Charlie Rose Science Series
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The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals
by Jane Mayer
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by Jane Mayer
Buy it
02/21/2008
Michael Isikoff, Franklin Foer, Charles Black
A discussion about John McCain and the NY Times lobbyist allegation
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A discussion about John McCain and the NY Times lobbyist allegation with Charles Black, Michael Isikoff of Newsweek & Franklin Foer of of The New Republic.
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Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
Charlie Rose DVDs on Amazon.
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Audio available through Audible.com.
Audio available through Audible.com.
Transcripts
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Transcripts available through Voxant.
Check out these pretty interesting John McCain MOTIVATIONAL POSTERS ~ strictly for your amusement: http://motivationalpostersonline.blogspot.com/2008/07/john-mccain.html
I know that you don't want to rock the boat,I know you don't want to make any waves but God DAMMIT somebody needs to stand up an say this country is going to Hell. I just read a story about this poor guy that lost his home to a tornado in Pincher Okla.He had no insurance on his home because he could not get insurance on his home. The reason he could not get insurance was because some lead mining company pilled up a god damned mountain,a GOD DAMNED MOUNTAIN of lead behind his house. Mr.Rose something is wrong with this picture. This country still to this day, right now,as we speak tortures people. How can you, a respected person be a part of the Bush propaganda machine. Mr. Rose PLEASE,Mr. Rose PLEASE ,start to defend what you know in your heart is right. I am tired of these interviews with these human rights criminals like Negropante where you support him,at the very least look your guest up on Wikipedia first. If Wikipedia says that he is a total human rigts scumbag please , please, please, don't say the jerk has been a repected diplomat for four dacades.If you need money to say what is right you don't need to depend on corporations and foundations. If you wanted to be a voice for America,we would support you.
I looked today at your old programs on McCain because the media just reported that Sen. John McCain suddenly parted with his top campaign executive Mr. Goodyear, nominated to run the Republican National Convention this summer â?? â??onlyâ?? because the media reported that Goodyear was an important military lobbyist for the murderous military junta in Myanmar. In Burma (now called Myanmar) Gen. Ne Win, tyrannical rule could make Stalin or Hitler envy. Why in such clear-cut case McCain would employ as his top aide some lobbyist working for human rights violators ? Mr. Goodyear was important staffer for Mr. McCain on many levels. It also comes after McCain was criticized by many for employing so many lobbyists and former lobbyists to run his campaign, and his senatorial office. And Sen. Obama said that a scandal from Senator John McCainâ??s past â?? the Keating Five â?? was relevant to the presidential campaign. Frequently, the agendas of these lobbyists directly contradict Sen. McCainâ??s positions. While he has often criticized the outsourcing of American jobs, his lobbyist pushed for a Defense Department award to the German-French company Airbus when Boeing could easily do the better job. Earlier McCain referred Airbus to Air Force even though US government has filed a complaint with WTO because Airbus had been receiving illegal subsidies. Air Forceâ??s contract provided steep penalties for the subsidies but â?? according to the media - McCainâ??s letter warned that he was â??troubledâ?? by such subsidy clause. The subsidy clause was changed. Why would McCain write such a letter ? Is there any truth to those media stories ? The most crucial thing is, in my opinion, that McCain shouldnâ??t lobby the government. He has very powerful position in the government â?? in fact he is a government. It is like Politburo member writing a letter to the head of the Soviet parliament and asking him why certain things are not done yet. He is not a mere citizen petitioning government but a commanding officer and he should be able to understand the implications.
I had been wondering about this story for days and I am glad it was given time to be lay it on Charlie Rose. The one thing that rings in my head is that NO ONE DENIED ANY OF THE STORY. They just blamed the messenger. Hopefully McCain didn't trade sex for influence, but private flights with a young blond? I think if you are going to step out of your wife, a corporate jet trip would be the place to do it, no witnesses and plenty of time to fix your hair. Mr. Blacks absolute anger and certainty reminds me of the people who got us neck deep in Iraq. Just turn up the volume until people believe it.
If you think the New York Times is attacking Joh McCain, thatâ??s nothing compared to what Iran is doing! Check out this great blog post about the Iranian government claiming McCain is involved in a Jewish conspiracy! http://jewishjournal.com/iranianamericanjews/2008/02/iranian-tv-commercial-ties-mccain-to.html
Karl Rove, you took the words right out of my fingertips! Succinct!
Since when is the Press under any obligation to tell the truth or report the facts correctly. If one remembers it was William Randolph Hearst with his "Remember the Maine" yellow journalism rhetoric that almost single handedly pushed the USA into a "Glorious Little War" with Spain back in 98. So the McCain candidacy should just man up to the facts of journalistic life and adopt the attitude of move on nothing to see here.
Some quick points...... The NYT has put out several "non-stories" lately. For example, they did an investigation of Barak Obama's drug use and they couldn't find anything. Instead NOT writing a story, the NYT wrote a story suggesting that Obama exaggerated his drug use for political gain as if being a drug user looked good on his political resume. What was not mentioned on Charlie Rose was The NYT endorsed John McCain as the Republican nominee. Lastly, John McCain's campaign are contacting their donors asking for more $$$ so they can combat the NYT.
On the face of it there's no liberal conspiracy here. It appears it was concern about the New Republic story that encouraged the NYT to take preemptive action. Keller's first instict was correct; sometimes there's a good reason not to go with a story long on innuendo but short on sources or facts.
Funny how the New Republic" couldn't confirm anything in the story being illegal or even unethical; but insisted their was a story....
The liberalism of the NYT is no doubt why it wrote reams about Whitewater and Monica, why it enthusiastically supported the activities of Special Prosecutor, Ken Starr, why its columnists routinely slimed Al Gore during the 2000 election and largely supported the invasion of Iraq when GWB's character, intellectual limitations and problems with the truth were plain to everyone but the Washington cocktail circuit. This liberal media conspiracy is just too much to endure, ain't it?
I may have missed it, but it appears that the show -- and Charlie himself -- failed identify Charles Black not only as an advisor of McCain, but as the president of an influential lobbying firm. So we get a lobbyist defending McCain from charges that he's unduly influenced by lobbyists.... A pity that viewers weren't informed of this irony (or is it infamy?.
The NYTimes authors report only a sources' concern for appearances of impropriety in relation to McCains friend, the lobbiest .No claim of impropriety.If such were found to be true, its goodbye McCain. Too bad the rest of the full page article not based on unnamed sources, but on facts of behavior in Congress,has been ignored, including McCain's being one of the 5 in the Keating scandal. It is in the public interest that this self proclaimed paragon of virtue, McCain, be shown to be flawed just like many others.
'Charles Black called the NYTIMES a liberal paper so often that'.... because they are a liberal newspaper, they would never have done a story with no proof and two unnamed" sources" that were fired from John McCain's campaign about Obama .... not even a liberal could say with any honesty that if you substitute John McCain's name for Barack Obama's would they have printed this story, and another thing even if you take out that this could destroy a man's career and reputation how about his family did the NYT care that this man would have to look his wife and three kids in the eye and deny cheating on their mother and that all he stood for had not been a lie .
Charles Black called the NYTIMES a liberal paper so often that Mr.Isikoff's suggestion that it serves the purposes of supporting a conservative candidate's conservative credentials seems right on target. Mr. Black protests so much that they are attempting to distract from the integrity and credibility issues. Mr Black doth protest, and project, too much.
Like having the chore of taking out the trash, I guess you have to discuss this nonsense on your show, Charlie; meaning this "news" is beneath you. NYT reports on the ANXIETY of McCain's minions? That's news? THEIR anxiety? Nothing more? "Oh, we were worried 'cause she kept showing up." For pity sake. The authors need to get a real job, work with the poor-?, and get a handle on real anxiety and what's important. "It's the economy, stupid" to coin a phrase.
Way-to-go NYT!
No fan of McCain but holy shit there's limits. The NYT is being self-destructively insidious. Giving liberalism and journalism a bad rap. Stupidly! Heads should roll. That's a neocon-type dirty trick. Swift-boating?
John McCain, at his age, no doubt suffers dementia and erectile dysfunction. So let's not get too too uptight about the latest skinny.