This afternoon CNN reported the news, published earlier in The Corner, that Lewis Libby's defense lawyers say they will produce five witnesses who will testify under oath that former ambassador Joseph Wilson told them that his wife, Valerie Plame Wilson, worked for the CIA, a job status that, allegedly, was classified. CNN also reported a response from Joseph Wilson:BLITZER: And John, producer, Stephanie Katube (sp), just got a statement from Ambassador Joe Wilson. Let me read it to you and to our viewers. "The last I heard," Wilson says, "this is case is about allegations Mr. Libby lied, perjured himself before the FBI, special prosecutor and grand jury and obstructed justice. None of those charges of which he's been indicted has anything to do with me."
Wilson goes on to say, "Furthermore, the government in the person of the special prosecutor in his court filings has made it clear it believes several White House officials were engaged in a campaign to, quote, `discredit, punish and seek revenge' on me. It would appear that campaign is ongoing."
What seems notable about Wilson's statement, if CNN read it in full, is that it does not address the issue of whether or not he told people that his wife worked for the CIA.
More discussion on this can be found here.
Victor Davis Hanson lists the amazing accomplishments of the Bush Foreign Policy in neutralizing the threats of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria over the last 4 1/2 years since September 11:
The Taliban is gone. In its place is the unthinkable—a parliamentary democracy that welcomes an open economy and foreign investment. Afghanistan is plagued still by drug-lords and resurgent terrorists, but after a successful war that removed the Taliban, the country hardly resembles the nightmare that existed before September 11.
Iran is closer to the bomb than ever, but there is at least worldwide scrutiny of its machinations, in a manner lacking in the past. Tehran is in a death struggle with the new Iraqi government, trying to undermine the democracy by transplanting its radical Shiite ganglia before a constitutional, diverse Iraqi culture energizes its own restive population that supposedly tires of the theocracy.
The thousands who died yearly under Saddam’s killing apparatus in Iraq have been followed by thousands killed in sectarian strife. Yet Saddam and his Baathist nightmare are gone from Iraq, offering hope where there was none. After three elections, a democratic government has emerged. Despite a terrible cost in American lives and wealth, so far elections have not been derailed, open civil war has not followed from the daily terror, and Americans are looking to reduce, not enlarge, their presence.
Libya is perhaps the strangest development of all. The United States is slowly exploring reestablishing diplomatic relations. Moammar Khadafy is giving up his WMD arsenal. And the country is suddenly open to cell phones, the Internet, satellite television, and is no longer a global financial conduit for international terrorism.
Pakistan is still run by a military dictator. But as a result of American bullying and financial enticement, it is slowly weeding out al Qaeda sympathizers from its government, which on rare occasions attacks terrorists residing in its borderlands. Indeed, al Qaeda seems to hate the present Pakistani government as much as it does the United States.
Saudi Arabia has gained enormous leverage as oil skyrocketed from $30 to over $70 a barrel. Yet under American pressure it has cracked down on al Qaeda terrorists and has cleaned up (somewhat) its overseas financial offices—perhaps evidenced by a wave of reactive terrorist attacks against the Riyadh government. American efforts to urge liberalization have met a tepid response—given Saudi reliance on the oil card, and its sophistic argument that for the present an autocratic monarchy is the only alternative to a terrorist-supporting theocracy.
Syria is out of Lebanon by popular pressure. It still supports terrorists against Israel—and now Iraq too—but judging from its rhetoric it must be feeling squeezed by a democratic Turkey, Iraq, and Israel on its borders, and a new tough stance from the United States.
So where does all this leave us? In every case, I think, far messier—but far better—than before September 11.
The final story I want to highlight comes from the Media Research Center, which discusses how the media by hyping the gasoline situation have basically ignored the incredible economy over which the Bush Administration has presided since the devastation of 9/11:
During the Clinton years, network journalists argued (correctly) that strong economic growth, a rising stock market, low unemployment and low inflation were the benchmark indicators of a good economy. Today, economic growth is a phenomenal 4.8 percent, the stock market has been climbing for three straight years, and inflation and unemployment are both low.
But instead of trumpeting the amazing “Bush economy,” TV news has downplayed this recent good news while hyping the bad news of rising fuel costs. Indeed, a new Media Research Center study suggests the broadcast networks are not just noting the discontent about prices but actively stoking public outrage.
What is the moral of these three articles?
Hanson notes what the real problem with the news he lays out is:
"What is lacking has been a consistently spirited defense, both unapologetic and humble at the same time, of our efforts since September 11."But he is wrong. There has been a spirited and unapologetic defense in all these areas. I have heard them. I have heard them conducted by Bush and Cheney and other members of the Administration at talks all around the country and only occasionally covered and reported on the 24 hour news stations. I have witness a spirited and unapologetic defense in blogs--particularly the military blogs-- on a daily basis. I have even written some of those defenses myself.
But it doesn't seem to be making a big difference in making people aware of the truth. The truth is indeed out there, but unless a person is a news junkie like myself, who spends hours pouring over blogs; searching the back pages of the MSM newspapers; and listening to the 24 hour news programs for far too long every day--you will not find it.
The Bush Administration has been completely unable to penetrate the wall of silence that MSM has erected to cut off, downplay and minimize any news that doesn't conform to fundamental leftist dogma.
In the first article, the fact that Joe Wilson is a liar and has been lying since he first came to public prominence after his ridiculous trip to Niger in a valiant attempt to discredit Bush has now been obscured by a snark hunt for the person who supposedly "outed" his CIA wife, who sent him on that mission; and whose desire for media attention (note how she stays demurely out of the public eye by going to highly publicized parties and is currently negotiating her own book deal) is only exceeded by his own.
Meanwhile, the entire "Bush lied to take us to war" and the "16-words in the SOTU" dogma is repeated regularly in the news stories. Which, no matter how often it is thoroughly and completely debunked and shown to be a distortion, still somehow seems to be resurrected in its original leftist version by the MSM on an almost daily basis as they report on the Libby case, which as Wilson so disingenuously notes , has nothing to do with him and is about lying under oath--except, of course, that Wilson himself resurrects the same meme in the next sentence.
The second article by VDH demonstrates the absolutely incredible and unbelievable transformation that is going on in the Middle East today. A transformation that would have been considered wishful thinking and idle fantasy, as well as completely impossible prior to 9/11. The remarkable achievements of our military in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to this day to go unreported and discounted. Military history has been made, but the MSM only reports that history through the lens of the Cindy Sheehans and the antiwar movement--who are even more determined than the MSM to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory for the sake of their dogma.
The third article brings us even closer to the forces at work obscuring and distorting the truth. The MRC notes that, "MRC analysts reviewed ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows from April 12 through May 2. During those 21 days, the networks collectively aired 183 stories about rising oil and gas prices — 125 full reports or interview segments, plus another 58 brief anchor-read items."
And yet, the incredible accomplishments of the Bush economy continue to get no respect from either the MSM or the left. As Betsy comments:
Sure, the gas prices are an important story, but not to the exclusion of all other economic news. Add to that the miserable job that the media has done in explaining why gas prices have gone up and you have a textbook example of how media bias is done.
Indeed, unless you look at business pubications and track business data or blogs, the typical American believes that the economy is doing badly, even as indicators of consumer behavior (i.e. consumer confidence) continue to rise. And don't expect to learn anything about supply and demand from the MSM--they failed Economics 101 and went staight to Socialist Theory 101.
Three stories that are seemingly unconnected, but are representative of the kind of news that is hidden securely behind a solid wall of MSM silence, bias and distortion; and carefully guarded by leftist dogma to make sure that nothing gets through.
If only we had such efficiency and single-mindedness in our border control and enforcement! The problem is, of course, that it would be nice if truth could be given a place at the front of the entry line.
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