Why do they hate America?
CNN news alert: Preznit Poopypants and the GOP are sharply criticizing a newspaper's disclosure of a secret anti-terrorism program that taps into an international database of confidential financial records...
And by 'paper' the Boy King and his patriotic, frothing minions mean the libral commie terrist-loving NY Times.
wHoreward KURTZ: Joining me now in Washington boudoir, David Frum, a former Bush speech writer who writes for "National Review" online. And here in New York, Frank Rich, columnist for "The New York Times."
Frank Rich, as you know, a lot of people out there wondering why the "Times" keeps publishing these stories about secret government programs. And just an hour ago Peter King, Republican congressman from New York, had this to say on "FOX News Sunday".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER KING (R-Rabidasshole): No one elected "The New York Times" to do anything. And "The New York Times" is putting its own arrogant elitist left-wing agenda before the interests of the American people. And I'm calling on the attorney general to begin a criminal investigation and prosecution of "The New York Times".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK RICH: Well, why doesn't he also aim it at "The Wall Street Journal" and the "Los Angeles Times", which also published this story and try to shut down the entire press? Two points. First of all, we're talking about three newspapers, not one newspaper. One of those newspapers, "The Wall Street Journal", has a very conservative editorial page that supports...
FRUM: So what?
RICH: So why didn't the president -- why didn't the president ask them to shut it down?
FRUM: I worked with that editorial page. We couldn't have lunch with people on the news side.
RICH: We know from Howie's report that the White House did not ask them to step down from the story the way they asked the other two papers. They thought it was fine if it's in the "Wall Street Journal".
FRUM: I think it's pretty clear you guys got it first. And the other papers would have deferred to your leadership. I mean, the "Times" does...
RICH: You really think that our competitors would have deferred to what we did?
FRUM: I think what you have here is you have government officials, both active and retired Democrats, going to papers saying, "This is a huge secret. Please do not publish this in the national interest." Then there's a kind of moral dilemma.
But the grammar of the story, as I see it reported, suggests that information came to the "Times" first. If they had gone to the other two papers and said, we went to the "Times" and they agreed that this would be putting the nation's safety and security at risk, that would have been...
RICH: As far as I know that -- as far as I know, everything you just said is fictional. I've seen nowhere that the "Times" necessarily had it first. I got the feeling that news organizations were going neck and neck. What's your source for that? What's your source for it?
FRUM: I got -- I got -- that's not what I said. I said when I read the grammar in the story...
RICH: What do you mean, read the grammar? Is it code, holding it up to the light with lemon juice? Time to go to journalism school, guys.
Frank Rich, as you know, a lot of people out there wondering why the "Times" keeps publishing these stories about secret government programs. And just an hour ago Peter King, Republican congressman from New York, had this to say on "FOX News Sunday".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PETER KING (R-Rabidasshole): No one elected "The New York Times" to do anything. And "The New York Times" is putting its own arrogant elitist left-wing agenda before the interests of the American people. And I'm calling on the attorney general to begin a criminal investigation and prosecution of "The New York Times".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK RICH: Well, why doesn't he also aim it at "The Wall Street Journal" and the "Los Angeles Times", which also published this story and try to shut down the entire press? Two points. First of all, we're talking about three newspapers, not one newspaper. One of those newspapers, "The Wall Street Journal", has a very conservative editorial page that supports...
FRUM: So what?
RICH: So why didn't the president -- why didn't the president ask them to shut it down?
FRUM: I worked with that editorial page. We couldn't have lunch with people on the news side.
RICH: We know from Howie's report that the White House did not ask them to step down from the story the way they asked the other two papers. They thought it was fine if it's in the "Wall Street Journal".
FRUM: I think it's pretty clear you guys got it first. And the other papers would have deferred to your leadership. I mean, the "Times" does...
RICH: You really think that our competitors would have deferred to what we did?
FRUM: I think what you have here is you have government officials, both active and retired Democrats, going to papers saying, "This is a huge secret. Please do not publish this in the national interest." Then there's a kind of moral dilemma.
But the grammar of the story, as I see it reported, suggests that information came to the "Times" first. If they had gone to the other two papers and said, we went to the "Times" and they agreed that this would be putting the nation's safety and security at risk, that would have been...
RICH: As far as I know that -- as far as I know, everything you just said is fictional. I've seen nowhere that the "Times" necessarily had it first. I got the feeling that news organizations were going neck and neck. What's your source for that? What's your source for it?
FRUM: I got -- I got -- that's not what I said. I said when I read the grammar in the story...
RICH: What do you mean, read the grammar? Is it code, holding it up to the light with lemon juice? Time to go to journalism school, guys.
Heh!
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