Once again, the media is showing just how little they care about facts when compared to their dedication to be the unjudgmental mouthpiece of this administration.
The New York Times, of course, leads the charge:
A 2004 dispute over the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance program that led top Justice Department officials to threaten resignation involved computer searches through massive electronic databases, according to current and former officials briefed on the program.
Which officials? Do they have names, or are these the same anonymous sources that led the NYT to cheerlead the war in Iraq with nary a critical eye to be found?
The N.S.A.’s data mining has previously been reported. But the disclosure that concerns about it figured in the March 2004 debate helps to clarify the clash this week between Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and senators who accused him of misleading Congress and called for a perjury investigation.
Does it, now?
Glenn Greenwald obliterates this argument quite well, but we should all be worried that the media is once again seeking some sort of "conventional wisdom" to let them off the hook from all that pesky "reporting" they should be doing.
The media is so desperate for "breaking news" and to be at the forefront of anything even remotely resembling an interesting news story that they allow themselves to be manipulated by this administration.
Actually, "allow" implies that they may have offered a bit of resistance when in fact they're willing participants.
I swear, the media is like a bunch of puppets, all of whom only have one string attached to the top of their head. Sure, if the puppetmaster tries hard enough the puppets will jiggle around, flail their arms and maybe look like they're screaming, giving the appearance of function, but the fact remains that we've got nothing but a bunch of useless wooden dolls that are all jumping, yelling and flailing their arms.
Nothing even resembling "use" can be attributed to the media--especially the NYT--at this point.
Not only are they simply repeating government propaganda (which other news outlets then repeat, creating "facts"), but they're not even examining the propaganda critically. Read the Greenwald article and his links, this new lie about Gonzo doesn't even do what they CLAIM it does! They're treating this crap like it vindicates him, gets him off the hook, when it does no such thing.
If you want some action, feel free to write the NYT and the WaPo (which no doubt, as I've typed this, has slurped up this story and is regurgitating it on its pages) and whatever other media outlets you care to include. This new lie is designed to "clear" Alberto Gonzales, and we need to confront it head on.
Anything less is criminal.