Is there a public figure on this planet than can get Ann Coulter's undies in more of a twist than Bill Clinton? Sometimes it seems like all the man as to do is sneeze and that blonde nutcase (who
recently suggested we go kill all muslim leaders so that they can open christmas presents) will accuse him of being unpatriotic.
Recently, Clinton was interviewed by the BBC on tsunami aid. According to Media Matters, Coulter, Hannity, Novak, and the usual talking memo points instantly jumped on him for attacking Bush - with one slight problem of accuracy...
From Media Matters for America:
In a December 29 column titled "Clinton Talks Tsunami; Bush Administration Provides Aid: Guess Who is Criticized?" conservative columnist and radio talk show host Steve Yuhas attacked the media and Clinton as "the man that Europe loved and that America impeached." Also December 29, the right-wing website NewsMax.com reported that Clinton "st[ole] the media limelight" from Bush. On December 30, the conservative magazine The American Spectator labeled Clinton a "Bush humiliator" and quoted an anonymous former Clinton staffer as saying the interview was "classic Clinton." On the January 3 Rush Limbaugh Show, nationally syndicated radio host Limbaugh accused Clinton of "try[ing] to undermine Bush." That evening on Hannity & Colmes, Coulter accused Clinton of "complain[ing] that Bush was too slow to respond" to the disaster.
The problem? Clinton never mentioned Bush. Not by name. Not by insinuation. Media Matters post the entire section:
JIM NAUGHTIE (presenter): I spoke last night, on this subject [the tsunami] and on broader questions, to Bill Clinton, the former American president. Our guest editor [musician and activist] Bono wanted to hear from him about aid and economic reform as part of the poverty theme that he wanted to highlight on today's program. You'll be able to hear more of the interview at half past 8. But of course when we did speak, we had to talk about the tsunami and its aftermath as well. And here was Bill Clinton's reaction to the disaster:
CLINTON: Unbelievable. I saw the map today on how it worked. It was like one of these horror movies that we've been seeing. You know, it's also a great opportunity. I remember after the Turkish disaster [1999 earthquake], I actually went into the refugee camps in Turkey and sat in the tents and talked to the people. And as awful as it was, and it was really awful for those particularly who'd lost their loved ones, there was a sense of shared humanity and possibility. Not only because the United States and Europe and others had tried to help them in the aftermath, but because the Turks and the Greeks had helped each other. And so there was this sense that somehow, this horrible natural disaster had reminded us all that we have more in common than we do dividing us. And then, what happens is, the emotional pull of the cause weakens as time passes.
So, I think on this Asia issue, there will be an enormous outpouring. People will give money. They will send food and clothes, and they'll do whatever they're supposed to do. And then life will begin to creep back to normal. I think it's really important that somebody take the lead in this. The E.U., the Japanese, the United States. And analyze what the real damages are, country by country, and what their capacities are to deal with them and then allocate responsibilities. I think one of the problems is when everyone takes responsibility it's almost like no one's responsibility. And one of the things I was thinking about, looking at that map today and seeing the damage going all the way to Somalia from the tsunami, and trying to imagine what it was like with that ocean going 500 miles an hour, is that maybe what we should do is to try to get specific countries or groups of countries to take responsibility for particular countries that were hurt. And I think if you did that you'd have a better chance of seeing the responsibilities fulfilled over a period of time, even when the emotional tug waned.
Ah, conservative punditry. Who needs news analysis? Who needs thoughtful discussion? They're too busy just making stuff up.