As quick as we are (and rightfully so) to hop all over those in the MSM, especially those on the Neocon Broadcasting Company, I think that we should show some love to the good folks at ABC News for their surprisingly solid coverage of last night's bullshit-fest known as the State of the Union.
And even more surprising is the fact that this was coming not only from Charles Gibson (who has been superb lately in telling it like it is) and Elizabeth Vargas, but also Diane Sawyer and conservatives like George Will and Fareed Zakaria.
Show them some love by sending them an email thanking them for their excellent coverage.
More below:
It was actually refreshing to not have to hear any of the fawning over a tired, boring and out of touch speech by a lying thieving smirking jackass. Some of the better quotes that I heard throughout, but mainly after the Democratic response are below:
Elizabeth Vargas on Bush's approval ratings
(fueled by) "an inept response to Hurricane Katrina, and the indictment of a high ranking White House official and, of course, growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq." (Bush's 42 percent approval level) "is the worst for a President entering his sixth year in office since Watergate hammered Richard Nixon."
Charles Gibson on Bush trying to be a "uniter"
"A lot of Democrats feel this has not been a uniting President. They have gone down that road before trying to work with the President, and of course the old expression is, ah, `Fool me once, ah, shame on you. Fool me more than once, fool me twice or ten times, shame on me.'"
Dr. Tim Johnson, a "single-payer" advocate discussing health care
Bush "was just...tinkering with the system that is basically broken. I wish the President, or for that matter any politician, would be courageous enough to step up to the plate and say we've got a real problem with our system or non-system in this country. After all, we spend about twice as much per person on health care in this country as any other industrialized country. Yet we have 45 million insured [meant "uninsured"], and we rank 37th in life expectancies, 41st in infant mortality. We've got a mess on our hands. And all of the politicians, Bush, talk about is a little bit of tinkering here on the edges. We need to say we've got a fundamental problem. We have to change the system."
Vargas and Gibson discussing the speech afterwards
Vargas: "He reached out many, many times to the Democrats, and reached out with an olive branch on many occasions, repeatedly expressing that he wants everybody's advice, he wants to work with them, he says, to get these things achieved. The question, of course, being whether or not Democrats will be able to embrace and accept the olive branch. Charlie, it was remarkable how many times he did, in fact, reach out."
Gibson: "Yes, he did. And you wonder if he had done this four years ago, five years ago, if indeed there might have been greater comity in the city of Washington, greater cooperation in the city than there has been so far through the Bush presidency."
Fareed Zakaria discussing the foreign policy part of the speech
'in many ways - the foreign policy section - the kind of greatest hits of George Bush. He simply reiterated the soaring rhetoric and the idealism with which he speaks about freedom,democracy and such'.
"And when it came to the three difficult parts, if you will, that he has to deal with - Iraq, the elections in Gaza and Iran, all you got really was a reiteration of the glories of freedom and the fact that freedom is on the march in all these places and the problems will in effect take care of themselves."
"While most Americans support the President's goals - like his rhetoric and idealism - there is a sense that the rhetoric is operating at 35,000 feet. That is doesn't seem to mesh with the rather muddy reality that it taking place in Iraq, in Gaza or with regard to Iranian nuclear weapons".
Terry Moran, who I only caught a brief comment from, also wasn't too impressed. I think his basic view was that much of the speech could have been cut and pasted from prior year State of the Union addresses and there wasn't much new at all.
Hell, even George Will (who I rarely agree with) wasn't talking too kindly about Bush's proposals to deal with health care. While I can't find a quote, he did indicate that most Americans can't afford the additional health savings accounts that Bush proposed, and certainly Democrats don't see that as reaching out to fix the health care problems.
So how bout it? A major network does pretty right by us. Let's let them know we appreciate the refreshing factual coverage. Let's let them know how much different they are from the gasbags over at NBC and Faux News.