This diary is pure speculation. In summary it is nothing more than a gussied-up hunch, easily dismissible as the ravings of someone who watches too much Hardball.
And good lord, I watch too much Hardball. It started around 2003, when the presidential campaign was gearing up and I finally got cable after a long drought without it. Hardball was the only politics show around that didn't make me want to puke, and for a long while I was simply fascinated by Chris Matthews' blustery delivery and general bat-shittery.
Follow me across the jump to delve deep into the mysteries of Hardball and the many faces of recently controversial reporter David Shuster...
There wasn't much to recommend the show as anything more than political porn in those days, but I soon learned to look out for the field reports of Hardball's political correspondent, David Shuster. This was a sad time for America, and an even sadder time for cable TV news. Pro-war, pro-Bush bullshit oozed from the walls and lapel pins of just about every talking head in Washington, but I soon noticed that Shuster's reports were far more substantive and investigative than those of his peers on Hardball or on any other shows, for that matter. So he caught my attention.
Since then, I have TiVo'ed every episode of Hardball every single weekday. I still watch the program daily, and when I should happen to fall behind I sometimes watch several episodes at a time. I know, I know, but I am subject to obsessions and destructive behavior, so you can see how I might be interested.
But the thing is I'm not all that interested in Hardball. I keep up with it, but I often just "put it on" when I'm writing, when I'm cleaning up the kitchen, basically when I'm doing something else. As a result I've become accustomed to listening to Hardball rather than actually watching the show like a hawk, which means I've become very familiar with the voices of the show's recurring coterie of favored correspondents and guests. That's given me an acute (perhaps terrifying) familiarity with the cadence and delivery of David Shuster, which led to something really incredible happening last night.
I figure I'm not alone here on Daily Kos when it comes to my Hardball obsession. I'm relatively certain that a few of you have probably joking said aloud "I'm David Shuster for HARDball, in Washington," or at least know exactly what it sounds like when he says that on the show.
Have a listen to this video from Robert Greenwald's excellent documentary "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War Against Journalism." Jump to minute marker 7:09.
Sound familiar?
David Shuster worked at Fox News from 1996 to 2002. Robert Greenwald's documentary was released in 2004. Shuster's resume and tenure at Fox match exactly the background you'd expect from Anonymous #2, who absolutely savages Fox's corrupt operation in more than a half-dozen short clips spaced throughout the movie.
I watched Outfoxed again last night for the first time in four years because my girlfriend hadn't seen it and we've watched everything else a hundred times. With the controversy surrounding Shuster's "pimp" comment regarding Chelsea Clinton I had Shuster on the brain, so when I started hearing the clips I immediately thought of him. Only later did I remember that yes, he used to work at Fox, and yes, I'd heard somewhere (perhaps on Hardball itself) that Shuster held some bad blood for his corrupt former employers. It all started falling into place, and each time Anonymous #2 came on the screen I felt more and more sure of my analysis.
Look, I could be barking up the wrong tree here. Maybe my ears are playing tricks on me, and maybe I should just keep my observation to myself. Lord knows David Shuster has suffered enough in the last few days for his dumb comment, and even writing a diary about the guy is like picking a fresh scab for a lot of people (including David himself). And I know people disguise their voices to remain anonymous, so trying to "figure it out" is kind of a dick move, as I would have said when I was 14.
But, MAN Anonymous #2 sounds a lot like David Shuster. Have a listen to this clip at minute marker 3:54. I think this is the most obvious clip. Pay particular attention to how Anonymous #2's voice cracks a little on the word "people". That is just classic Shuster. The cadence of the voice as well as the inflection patterns of the words just seals the deal for me. Check it out for yourself:
So what's the point of all of this?
Basically to say that David Shuster is one of the good guys. This week he's been castigated (and perhaps rightfully so) for a frat-boy style careless comment. He's been suspended for that, but I for one sure hope he doesn't get fired. His reports remain the best and most substantive thing about Hardball, and he's one of the better political reporters on TV.
I wasn't going to post this diary, my very first, because after all a coincidence is a coincidence, and I suspected that the only people who might care would be the other poor Hardball junkies here on Daily Kos (I know you are out there).
But this morning my alarm clock woke me up to Air America's Thomas Hartmann program, and a caller was talking about how upset she was about Shuster's hurtful comment. She went on to say that she was prepared to forgive and forget, but that she heard Shuster used to work at FOX! At that point she decided to call for blood, and demanded that MSNBC fire David Shuster, who was clearly a Republican stooge.
I don't think David Shuster is a Republican stooge. And I don't think David Shuster is proud of his time at Fox News.
I do think David Shuster is Anonymous #2.