(crossposted at
TheOctillion.Com)...
Regarding the absurd
lawsuit against Representative Jack Murtha (a highly decorated and devout marine supporter his entire life, who bent over backward not to identify anybody and who was also speaking to the deplorable situation
our troops have been placed in), what makes this an interesting story is that, as Glenn Greenwald
repeatedly pointed out to the lawyer bringing the suit is that many republicans made the same comments Murtha did.
In response, the lawyer, Mark Zaid, stated that he was "unaware" of this and would be happy to add them to the suit if examples were given. So, unlike most other talk show guests on the democratic side of things, who tend to let false assertions or promises fall by the way side after the show, Greenwald followed up and did exactly that.
Zaid's response to this sticky situation?
What choice did he have. But Lawyers tend to be nothing if not clever. Zaid said he would add GOP rep and staunch Bush supporter John Kline unless he "apologized." Which also means he had to extend the same offer to Murtha. Thus, in effect, part of the goal, attacking Murtha, may be accomplished.
Kline can apologize, as his opponents can not use that against him because his statements that he would now be apologizing for, support his opponents. Opponents who by and large tend to think that strategically, going into Iraq was a bad choice, that it has been managed extremely poorly, has placed our soldiers in untenable situations, and if anything, diverted our focus and worsened the overall war on terror. Murtha apologizing for the same thing however would not only undermine a basic principle of democracy -- being able to hold and share divergent opinions about the consequences of our choices as a country (and which in Murtha's case was accurate as well) -- but make Murtha vulnerable to his political opponents, who are on Kline's side.
How will this new development be covered? As noted by Greenwald:
Fox News trumpeted the Murtha lawsuit on numerous programs all day on Thursday (Congressman Murtha accused of smearing the Marines!). One wonders
(rhetorically) whether they will report on this new development -- that a pro-war, pro-Bush Congressman who is also a former Marine is accused of the same thing. One additionally wonders whether the right-wing pundits who viciously attacked Murtha over the lawsuit [numerous links in the original will do the same to Kline. One wonders, too, if Hinderaker will mention the threatened lawsuit (you can ask him [at "powerlinefeedback@gmail.com"). They can read the accusatory statements made by Kline here.
Perhaps other media sources could report on the way Fox "presents" news as a story in itself. Particulary, now that it has smeared Murtha all over the place, the story regarding how much coverage Fox gives to, and how it handles, the fact that republican Congressman and staunch Bush supporter John Kline (as well as other republicans) said the same things as Murtha, if not more harshly.
This is without a doubt a relevant, if not important story, given how the media shapes perception, and how Fox either implicitly, or overtly (or both), actively seeks to do so in accordance with its own agenda despite the fact that it continually presents itself as a "fair and balanced" news station. But that is very unlikely. The media can't even get its own stories that may have partisan implications straight.