Rove's Attorney Thumps The Blogosphere

Karl Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, takes a victory lap with Anna Schneider-Mayerson of the NY Observer.  He is not kind to the blogosphere:

Actually, it’s the media—not the prosecutor’s office—that he’s angry at, and especially the bloggers. Mr. Luskin was eager to portray the suffering of his client as a function of media attention and speculation, rather than real danger of a conviction.

 

Mr. Rove, Mr. Luskin said, had fallen victim to partisans and—more importantly—the bloggers who became their enablers.

...“That is a function of the tension that there is now between the mainstream media and the blogosphere. On the one hand, it seems to me that the CBS National Guard stories were the poster child for the principle that sometimes the blogosphere keeps the mainstream media accountable, and it seems to me that this story is, if you will, the poster child for the fact that the blogosphere is itself often not accountable, and that there are a universe of folks out there who have got personal or political agendas who were masquerading as news sources. That is just as destructive in its own way, or more than the mainstream media’s insularity is on the flip side.”

Meanwhile, the Wash Times names names in the mainstream media:

Unfortunately, at times, some in the media sounded more like cheerleaders for Mr. Wilson, who said in 2003 that "it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs." In October, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert referred to Mr. Rove as "the administration's resident sleazemeister, who is up to his ears in this mess but has managed so far to escape indictment"; in November he declared that Mr. Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, were "clowns" who had been "playing games with the identity of a CIA agent."

Keith Olbermann of MSNBC turned his TV show, "Countdown," into a veritable repository of misinformation: A Lexis-Nexis search shows that the subject of Karl Rove's demise was discussed 26 times on Mr. Olbermann's program. In an Oct. 28 appearance, Jim Vandehei of The Washington Post quoted "people close to Rove" who "are telling us that there's still a distinct possibility that he could be indicted, and that they probably will know soon." On the same broadcast, NBC News Correspondent Norah O'Donnell said that Mr. Rove "has come within a whisker of being indicted." But even though Mr. Rove had escaped indictment, Mrs. O'Donnell said it was still bad news, because he was still working at the White House: "In a way, it might have been even cleaner and more helpful to the president if Rove had gotten nipped with some minor level of indictment, so that you could just get rid of both of these people [Messrs. Rove and Libby] today." On the May 8 "Countdown" broadcast, MSNBC correspondent David Schuster said flatly, "I am convinced that Karl Rove will in fact be indicted."

How Chris Matthews escaped their lash I don't know.

Comments

[windansea]

way to go Jason Leopold, Will Pitt and Marc Ash, honorable mention the the hamsterwheel, schmearleft etc!!

Maybe they could be more explicit and say the "left" side of the blogosphere.

[Jane]

How pathetic the left is. They live in a world where facts don't matter. Delusion sells, and that is scary.

[Gary Maxwell]

So over the last couple years, how many of the highly exalted media have manged to drag their own reputation thru the mud?

Of course we have CBS and Dan Rather on Lucy Ramirez and Kinko's work products

And its seems to me Shuster and Olberman have made NBs and affiliate MSNBC look like ninnies on Rove to hear from the Judge.

I am sure I am missing some other major fubars. Help me build a list.

[verner]

I just checked out the emptywheel. Really pathetic. The guy must be wearing a faded Che t-shirt when he blogs.

The difference between the left and right blogsphere is that the right corrects the misinformation dished out by the MSM, while the left blogsphere FEEDS misinformation to the MSM.

[maryrose]

verner:
So true! Last night on Tucker Carlson he flat out told Rachel Maddow she was wrong about Rove. They keep repeating that he outed a covert agent. They build lie upon lie. It's disgusting. They feel Rove should be held accountable. When Matthews was told what would constitute a legal violation he acted as if he was hearing it for the first time! Baloney! He knows what the law is on this.

[BurbankErnie]

Where oh where is Matt Cooper???

tip o' the day.

[Extraneus]

Agree 100%, windandsea. The difference in the level of accuracy and integrity between the major left and right blogs is becoming clearer every day. This could and should have been noted more explicitly by Luskin.

[ordi]

Roger L Simon has a suggestion.

Let's get back to the real (Plame) story

(a HREF=http://www.rogerlsimon.com/mt-archives/2006/06/lets_back_to_th.ph
p

[ordi]

Sorry I hit the post button before I was done.

Let's get back to the real Plame story

[ordi]

Michelle Malkin and Pat Curley have a great vent today!

TM - your in it!

The Night Before Fitzmas

[Semanticleo]

If Luskin is taking a 'victory lap', as you say Maguire, why does it sound like the Book of Lamentations?

And if the Blogosphere and the Media (aka the Liberally Biased ,Larry David Prius Driving, Left Wing Commie Pinko, America Laster, Tax and Spend DemonRat moonbats) are the bad guys in the persecution
and villification of the
innocent babe-in-arms, Karl Rove, let's all support governmental regulation of the NET.

Then WingNut Nation can regain their monopolistic megaphone to peddle their wares
unchallenged. That will make everything peachy keen, neat-o once again.

[ARC: Brian]

Um, Leo, If I read any lamentations in the article its that he laments having to have to take a Victory Lap at all. The race should have never needed to be run.

[Sue]

aka the Liberally Biased ,Larry David Prius Driving, Left Wing Commie Pinko, America Laster, Tax and Spend DemonRat moonbats

Wow. Seems Leo can be right now and again...

[Sue]

Hey Leo,

Just to clarify...how many times have you seen one of your posts deleted at Tom's site? megaphone to peddle their wares
unchallenged. Now ask yourself why when any of us visit a lefty site, our posts are gone before we are? Get over yourself. The only megaphone to peddle wares unchallenged I've seen lately belong to Scary Larry, Truthout, Firdoglake, KOS, and the like.

[JM Hanes]

"Actually, it’s the media—not the prosecutor’s office—that he’s angry at, and especially the bloggers."

Wow, sounds like TalkLeft really, really pissed him off! :)

[Jane]

Well the woman did call him at home at 10:00 on a Sat night. That would piss me off too.

[Semanticleo]

Sue;

All the aforementioned support Net Neutrality.

Do you?

[MayBee]

Can you imagine being an attorney, knowing your client could get 20 years if convicted of a crime, and watching Leopold, Johnson, and Wilson frolic about on the blogs.

You've got to seriously wish the kids would stop playing around.

[noah]

I'll repeat what I said yesterday: I think Fitz finally was embarassed into letting Rove go BECAUSE of the unhinged speculation in the MSM/moonbatsville. Cleo just doesn't get it.

Compared to your average moonbat/dem politician, Karl Rove is a saint.

They hate him because he helped put Bush in power.

[maryrose]

Ot:
Another slap on the wrist for a dem:
Kennedy has to pay $350 in a fine, 1 year probation random drug testing and a rehab stint which he already completed. The fine is chump change. Meanwhile Libby...

[Jim E.]

I'm unclear on the import of the excerpted Wash Times story. Are people now suggesting that Rove never had anything to worry about? That no eyebrows should have been raised over 5 GJ appearances? Heck, Tom Maguire himself (as he admits) could have been listed alongside Herbert, VandeHei (who was sourcing Luskin, for Pete's sake), and the others in expecting a Rove indictment.

[topsecretk9]

You've got to seriously wish the kids would stop playing around.

Well in a strange way Wilson, Larry and Leopold put Fitzy in the same position Wilson put the WH in, in July of '03.

[Sue]

Leo,

What does that have to do with deleting posts and banning posters? You seek to change the subject, because you know I'm right. The only megaphone to peddle wares unchallenged.

[ARC: Brian]

Top --

Well in a strange way Wilson, Larry and Leopold put Fitzy in the same position Wilson put the WH in, in July of '03.

Thats a great point. What irony.

[Specter]

Tic,

Try it for yourself. Go to one of the main lefty sites - Try KOS or Truthout - and pretend to be a vocal and insistent conservative - like you are here, but the other way. See how long it takes before you are banned. Empirical evidence.

[Sue]

Shoot Specter, Leo would rather pretend the VRW is keeping his side down, or as he put it, the only megaphone to peddle wares nchallenged. Otherwise, he would have to admit that the left is not the party where dissent is welcome. In fact, wander off the path just a degree and they boot you. Ask Joe Lieberman.

[sad]

A part of me wonders if speculation on this blog is The "sourcing" for JL. Or maybe scary and ray and mr. hairdo used this blog as conformation before they fed it to jl. Obviously, this is some whacky wondering but Hey!! not as weird as other parts of the blogoshpere.

[Semanticleo]

I take it the answer is NO.

[Sue]

My answer is what I said, Leo. You know which side of the blogosphere discourages an opposing POV. Which, BTW, was the discussion you and I were having, not whether they support net neutrality.

[topsecretk9]

---Try it for yourself. Go to one of the main lefty sites - Try KOS or Truthout - and pretend to be a vocal and insistent conservative ---

Gee no kidding. The funniest part is these lefties sites pee'd their pants at WAPO for censoring their profanity laced screeds but were deleting comments on their own site they very day!

[Semanticleo]

Like I thought, No.

[Gary Maxwell]

Leo as Sue pointed out you blantantly changed the subject, to something esoteric that was not under discussion here by anyone let alone Sue. Then you demand a yes or no answer and when you dont get one you provide one that you like. Nice work, Goebbels would have been proud of such artistic flair and deftness under pressure.

[Sue]

Leo,

Okay. No. I'm generally not in favor of government regulations. That would generally make me a conservative or libertarian. You pick. I really don't care which you decide. You know I'm right about who shuts down opposing views.

[Sue]

Besides, I don't get broadband services where I live anyway. ::grin:: You could say I'm hoping they invest in my area since the government decided to stay out of it. What's in it for me, baby!!!!

[Sue]

Gary,

He had to change the subject...quickly...because he knew he was losing the other one.

[TallDave]

But WAS Karl Rove indicted? Under the "many worlds" hypothesis of quantum mechanics, there may be an alternate reality where Karl Rove was in fact indicted.

And that, I am convinced, is where Jason Leopold, Keith Olbermann, DailyKos, and the rest of these people are living. It really is a reality-based community -- just not OUR reality.

[fitz]

Do you have any idea how hard it is to build a case, when every tinfoil hat in the universe feels it neccessary to email, phone, and stalk the prosecution, reminding me of what I need to look into?

I would have kept the case open longer, but somebody had to shut these morons up.

[noah]

If "net neutrality" means someone (anyone) gets to determine when that happy state exists and has the power to modify it then of course nobody with any sense, left or right, would support "it".

[Specter]

Tic,

The Rules of Disinformation

You keep using these:

9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect. 14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime/issue at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.17. Change the subject. [Specter Note: My Rule #1] Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can 'argue' with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.

[rogera]

Seems to me that Leo is confusing bandwidth and carrier issues (net neutrality) with entertaining opposite points of view on blogs--or, of course, he is being disingeneous rather than merely ignorant.

[JM Hanes]

Hey Semanticleo

How many days (weeks, months) has it been since you refused to answer your own question about whether you believe ends justify means?

[Gary Maxwell]

specter

He is just missing a sock puppet er I mean companion to really put the strategy to full effect.

[Gary Maxwell]

Ralph Peters in the NY Post today on the Media's bad month. Might add in all lefties not just their talking head brethren.

Media's Bad Month

[JJ]

Hold on!

The main event/day-of-reckoning for various media outlets is the Libby trial.

That is, if the Libby trial does proceed, Mr. Wells vs the various sources of the Exhibits should be accountability time.

A scolding from Luskin or The Washington Times shouldn't rate a blimp on the radar compared to the severe storm that various sources of news/"truth" are due on PlameGate.

[clarice]

Pretend you are Dan Abrams and have just taken over as manager of MSNBC. What do you do?
Do you stay with the Olbermann/Matthews/Shuster thoroughly discredited team and hang on to the small but dedicated moonbat audience? Or, do you decide to go for broke and clean house in the hope of attracting a larger, rational audience?

[clarice]

More tsouris for Abrams, a nasty email about Rita Cosby from Olbermann comes to light. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/426477p-359629c.html

I predict Shuster and Olbermann might be in trouble, and Matthews will get a warning.

[BurbankErnie]

great question clarice.
I say they stay with their "core" audience.

[Rick Ballard]

Clarice,

I hope MSNBC leaves Tip's flack on the air. He actually helps discredit the balance of their reporting - not that it needs much help.

If health is the objective then cutting off a gangrenous limb is the proper thing to do. In this instance - Go Chris!

[Extraneus]

I liked the part at the end about how he answers to nobody. It's probably true.

[Gary Maxwell]

Dan Abrams is an attorney and a Duke grad. Give it to him that he is much brighter than those who are now reporting to him. Dan is a liberal. He went off the reservation early on the Duke case, but its his alma mater and as a trained attorney he could see the ethics that Nifong was ignoring.

He has a problem. No one watches his pathetic network and its not going to change with Olberman being exhibit one. But he could lose the moonbats while trying to fix the virus.