When not even the most conservative news sources can be counted on to put in a good word for the right's last and only hope, what is a guy like Matt Drudge to do?
He scrounges the most disreputable wire service on the planet.
UPI, once half of the once venerable binome AP/UPI, acquired in 2000 by Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church and currently down from 6,000 employees to 5 DC staffers and a couple dozen stringers to cover the rest of the world, is apparently the only place Matt Drudge could find to justify his view that the tragicomic Gibson-Palin interview went swimmingly for the Republicans.
Let's examine together Martin Sieff's story on the Palin interview, wherein he casts Charles Gibson as some sort of vampire bat, hell-bent on draining Palin of her soul, while Palin herself "made no gaffes".
Writes Sieff:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- There were no surprises, no knockout zingers, but also no bloopers Thursday night in Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's first TV interview since becoming the Republican vice presidential nominee.
Apparently, complete ignorance of the Bush Doctrine, the defining transformation of American foreign policy of our time, is neither a surprise nor a blooper.
Palin's assessment of foreign policy was competent and not embarrassing.
Yeah, if you use the yardstick of Reagan having thought that they speak Latin in Latin America, I suppose her assessment could be construed as competent.
And it wasn't at all embarrassing when she trumpeted her foreign policy experience by saying out loud, in all seriousness, "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska". From an actual Alaskan island, in Alaska!
Some more gems:
Palin also expressed her support for Georgia and Ukraine joining the U.S.-led NATO alliance. That statement was predictable and consistent with the current policy of the Bush administration.
Expressed her support for NATO inclusion? I believe she said that WAR WITH RUSSIA MAY BE NECESSARY. Secondly, is there supposed to be something inherently praiseworthy about predictability and/or consistency with the apocalyptic policies of the Bush administration?
Gibson [...] was clearly attempting to put her on point by presenting her as having extreme religious views. [...] Even now, Obama has yet to receive any comparable grilling on his 20-year attendance in the congregation of the notoriously racist Rev. Jeremiah Wright.(emphasis mine)
In the immortal words of Borat, 'Whaaaaat??'
The focus on Palin's faith and family, as well as the controversy over Obama's "lipstick on a pig" comment earlier this week, confirmed the swift demise of civility in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Folks, we really need to accept the fact that it was Obama who started the smear-fest.
Indeed, the Obama campaign is now saying it is ready to take the gloves off against McCain.
Wait, didn't you just say... never mind.
All in all, this is a very good sign. When Drudge can't find anyone but this UPI lackey to support his take on something (see jthomascronin's rec'd diary citing the harsh criticism coming from ALL the major rightwing sources), it must mean the rest of the media is doing its job - this time, anyway.
Today's New York Times certainly is - and readers are responding to it: the top 5 most read stories are devastating deconstructions of the McPalin camp's lies, unpreparedness and the danger these two clowns pose to the world's future.
Frank Rich's freshly minted column, not yet on the list but sure to top it by day's end, is the best of all, as usual.