OLD GREY LADY BRINGS OUT THE LONG KNIVES
Looks like the New York Times has made a deliberate editorial decision to bring down powerful House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. But like a cowardly assassin who plunges the knife in from behind, they’ve apparently been fishing around for a prominent Republican to do their dirty work for them:
Conservative columnist Robert Novak reports that the Times got in touch with former House speaker Bob Livingston who was forced to resign during the Clinton impeachment imbroglio because of his own extramarital shenanigans, and asked him to write a piece that would have essentially cut Delay’s feet from under him and urged his resignation. Livingston would have none of it:
Livingston in effect declined by responding that if he wrote anything for the Times, it would be pro-DeLay. But this remarkable case of that august newspaper fishing for an op-ed piece makes it appear part of a calculated campaign to bring down the single most powerful Republican in Congress. The Democratic establishment and left-wing activists have targeted DeLay as the way to end a decade of Republican control of the House.
Ironically, this campaign’s intensity may protect DeLay from Republicans who in their secret hearts would like to see the sometimes-overbearing Texan fall. No GOP politician wants to be the handmaiden of DeLay’s Democratic detractors. Last Wednesday’s closed-door caucus of House Republicans gave DeLay a standing ovation. Contrary to claims on leftist Web sites, no Republican member has called for the majority leader’s resignation.
Would somebody tell me how the Times can look its readers in the eye and say with a straight face that they even pretend to be impartial? With all the lefty whining about Fox News and its bias toward Republicans, why is it that this type of activity is seen as “crusading journalism” rather than the shallow, crass partisan politics it really is.
Kudos to Livingston for turning them down. And for shame on the Times for violating journalistic ethics by turning the op-ed page of its newspaper over to the notion of advancing the agenda of a bunch of partisan radicals.
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“Looks like the New York Times has made a deliberate editorial decision to bring down powerful House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. But like a cowardly assassin who plunges the knife in from behind, they’ve apparently been fishing around for a prominent Republican to do their dirty work for them…”
*going after DeLay is about as easy as it gets, don’t really believe there us any bias there, just a story that needs to be repotorted, and now that the American public has the opportunity to see what Republican ethics and practices are all about through the illegal and unethical behaviour, actions of its leader I welcome any all all media coverage to get the ground swell of public opinion against DeLay going. If you actually believe that DeLay has done nothing wrong I understand, for when has a right-wing zealot or wanna-be ever thought for themselves, spoke for themselves or believed in anything was not not told to them first to be true.~
Comment by btezra — 4/11/2005 @ 12:07 pm
Funny you never mentioned anything about the point of the post…that the NYT is a hypocritical rag of a paper more interested in serving the interests of its ideological brethren than living up to its masthead “All the News that’s Fit to Print.”
As to Mr. DeLay’s alleged wrongdoing, are you kidding me? As soon as the democrats reform themselves regarding junkets, payola, and admit to being the inventors of gerrymandering (I’m shocked…just shocked that a political party would seek to gain advantage when redistricting comes around!)…then I’ll say goodbye to Mr. DeLay.
Until then, run along and go bother some other moonbat. I’m tired of responding to your nonsense.
Comment by superhawk — 4/11/2005 @ 12:16 pm
They have a problem with FOCUS, Superhawk. Great job, btw.
Comment by Cao — 4/16/2005 @ 6:14 am