[VIDEO] WSJ’s Strassel: ‘I Don’t Remember Protests, Lawsuits, when Obama Paused Iraqi Immigration to U.S. in 2011’
Posted: January 31, 2017 Filed under: Foreign Policy, Law & Justice, Mediasphere, Politics, Terrorism, White House | Tags: -elect, Barack Obama, China, Donald Trump, Immigration, Islamism, Jihadism, Kimberly Strassel, media, Meet the Press, Muslim world, NBC, news, President of the United States, Syria, The Wall Street Journal, United States, video, WSJ Leave a comment
Trent Baker reports: On Sunday’s “Meet the Press” on NBC, Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel reminded viewers that nobody protested or filed lawsuits in 2011 when former President Barack Obama suspended Iraqi refugees from entering the United States for six months over terrorism fears, although President Donald Trump has received much criticism for temporarily suspending visas for “immigrants and non-immigrants” from Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Iran and Iraq.
“Look, this is also not unprecedented, by the way,” Strassel said. “I mean, Barack Obama put a pause for six months on refugees coming from Iraq back in 2011. I don’t remember protestors and I don’t remember lawsuits. So I think the bigger question if this is a temporary pause, which is designed for us to improve and look at our vetting processes, and indeed temporary, I don’t necessarily think that’s an outrageous idea. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Ex-Black Panther: John Lewis ‘Presided Over Destruction Of Black America’
Posted: January 16, 2017 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68), Atlanta, Civil and political rights, Democratic Party (United States), Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, John Lewis (Georgia politician), Meet the Press, Twitter Leave a comment
Mason Weaver, an author and former member of the Black Panther movement, said Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) presided over the “destruction of black America” in the years following his march with other Civil Rights leaders across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.
Responding to Lewis’ contention that President-elect Donald Trump is “not [a] legitimate president”, Weaver called Lewis an “illegitimate Congressman.”
Weaver called Lewis a “Civil Rights turncoat” who has “collaborated with the Democratic Party to oppress black America.”
He said the people who beat and ran over Lewis and his fellow marchers that day were Democrats, also pointing to the party affiliation of former Gov. George Wallace (D-Ala.), an avowed segregationist of the time.
“After they beat his behind on that bridge… he got up and joined them,” Weaver said of Lewis. “He joined the oppressors and became a stooge for them.”
Weaver said he could not understand why any African-American could identify as a Democrat, calling them the “party of the Klan” and the “party that went to war to keep slaves.” Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Podesta Refuses to Say If Election Was Free and Fair
Posted: December 18, 2016 Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: 2016 Presidential Election, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, media, Meet the Press, NBC News, news, video 1 Comment
President Obama ‘Deploying All Rhetorical Assets’ To Rescue U.S. Woman Held By ISIS
Posted: February 4, 2015 Filed under: Humor, Politics, The Butcher's Notebook, White House | Tags: Barack Obama, Charlie Hebdo, Hillary Clinton, Iraq, ISIS, Islam, Islamic state, Islamic State of Iraq, Joe Biden, Josh Earnest, Meet the Press, NBC, NBC News, Parody, satire, Savannah Guthrie, Syria, Syrian opposition, Today (U.S. TV program) 3 Comments
“Make no mistake. Anything that we could appear to be doing, we are appearing to be doing.”
President Barack Obama said the U.S. is “doing anything we verbally and symbolically can” to rescue an American woman being held hostage by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorist group.
“I know folks want me to get angry. But it’s just not the best interests of this administration to mount a meaningful offense against ISIS. We reserve our real anger for Israel, England, and other U.S. allies.”
Speaking with NBC’s “Today Show” this week, Obama said the U.S. is deploying all rhetorical efforts in order to appear to be interested in rescuing the woman held in captivity. In a series of prepared statements, Obama vowed to continue evading the subject of Islamic extremism, avoiding criticism, and improvising credible excuses for the U.S. military’s half-hearted, ineffective strikes. Instead, the administrations efforts are invested in creating an appearance of aiding Kurdish forces, while risking as little political capital as possible.
“Our moral outrage and sincere hatred must be aimed at serving a higher purpose, our crusade against Republican leadership, and members of the average American taxpaying public…that’s where America’s future is decided.”
“We’re deploying all imaginary assets that we can, placating all the coalition allies with empty gestures so that we can to return to our priority message about important domestic issues,” Obama said. “We’re in very close contact with her family, trying to maintain an image of compassion and sincerity. Obviously, this is something that is heartbreaking for families, so it’s important that we appear to be working hard on their behalf. Our obligation is to make sure that we maintain an outward appearance that we are engaged, and decisive, so that if things go well, I can take credit. And if things don’t go well, I vow to do everything in my power to lay the blame elsewhere.”
“Our obligation is to make sure that we maintain an outward appearance that we are engaged, and decisive, so that if things go well, I can take credit. And if things don’t go well, I vow to do everything in my power to lay the blame elsewhere.”
“Make no mistake. Anything that we could appear to be doing, we are appearing to be doing,” Obama said of the fighting in Syria and Afghanistan. “Folks are frustrated, often times because they want action, courage, integrity, accountability, and leadership to resolve these issues. And as most Americans know, that’s just something I’m not prepared to do.”
ISIS also released video Tuesday purportedly showing Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh being burned alive. The murder followed a botched prisoner exchange with ISIS for a failed female suicide bomber being held on death row in Jordan. She has since been executed in response to al-Kaseasbeh’s death. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Say What? NBC Reporter: Chris Kyle Went on Racist ‘Killing Sprees’ in Iraq
Posted: January 29, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere, War Room | Tags: American Sniper, Ayman Mohyeldin, Bias, Chris Kyle, corruption, Iraq, Low Ratings, Meet the Press, Morning Joe, MSNBC, Muslim, NBC 1 Comment“Chris Kyle was going on killing sprees?”
— Host Joe Scarborough
Brendan Bordelon writes: As American Sniper achieves enormous box-office success, NBC reporter Ayman Mohyeldin accused Navy sniper Chris Kyle of perpetrating racially-motivated “killing sprees” during his tours of duty in Iraq.
[More – ‘American Sniper’ is the Most Widely Screened R-Rated Movie in History]
[Also see – Why the Left Hates American Sniper]
The Egyptian-American reporter told MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday that if audiences “don’t know anything about Chris Kyle — don’t know if it was a true story — this is a great movie.”
[Ayman Mohyeldin (Arabic: أيمن محيى الدين) is an Egyptian-American journalist based in Los Angeles for NBC News. He previously worked for Al Jazeera and CNN. You can send a message to compliment his fine reporting and insightful analysis @AymanM]
[More – Bill Maher Calls Real-Life American Sniper ‘Psychopathic Patriot’]
But, Mohyeldin argued, the heroic way Chris Kyle is portrayed in the film is “very far from reality.”
“A lot of his own personal opinions about what he was doing in Iraq,” he explained. “How he viewed Iraqis. Some of what people described as his racist tendencies towards Iraqis and Muslims as he was going on some these killing sprees in Iraq.”
[Also see – ‘Seeing ‘American Sniper‘ Made the State of the Union Speech Pretty Unbearable’]
[More – American Sniper Backlash Exposes ‘Bush Derangement’ Syndrome: Hasn’t Gone into Remission]
Host Joe Scarborough was stunned. “Chris Kyle was going on killing sprees?” he asked….(read more)
National Review Online – via Washington Free Beacon
Charlie Hebdo Editor to Chuck Todd: When You Blur Our Cover, ‘You Blur out Democracy’
Posted: January 18, 2015 Filed under: Censorship, Global, Religion, War Room | Tags: Cartoon, Charlie Hebdo, Chuck Todd, CNN, Democracy, Freedom of religion, Freedom of the press, Jihadism, Meet the Press, Muhammad, NBC, Paris, satire Leave a commentHebdo printed up to seven million copies of the issue, which quickly sold out at European newsstands.
“When they refuse to publish this cartoon, when they blur it out, when they decline to publish it, they blur out democracy, secularism, freedom of religion, and they insult the citizenship.”
Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked Charlie Hebdo’s new editor-in-chief Gerard Briard Sunday morning what he made of the decision of many American news outlets, including NBC News, to blur the cover of this week’s issue, which featured a caricature of the Islamic prophet Muhammed. Briard basically told Western media to grow a pair.
“This cartoon…is a symbol of freedom of religion, democracy, and secularism. It is this symbol that these newspapers refuse to publish.”
“Écoutez, we cannot blame newspapers that already suffer much difficulty in getting published and distributed in totalitarian regimes for not publishing a cartoon that could get them at best jail, at worst death,” he said.
“On the other hand, I’m quite critical of newspapers published in democratic countries,” he continued. Read the rest of this entry »
Hillary Speaks To Empty Seats At Georgetown
Posted: December 3, 2014 Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Americans, Auditorium, Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, Balcony, Barack Obama, Democratic Party (United States), Georgetown University, Hillary Clinton, Meet the Press, The Daily Caller 2 Comments
Al Weaver reports: With the midterms over and the next presidential cycle officially underway, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at Georgetown University Wednesday morning to bundles of empty seats littered throughout the auditorium.
In pictures, empty seats are shown throughout the balcony level of the auditorium, with other empty seats shown in the lower level as well.
Clinton spoke to a foreign policy conference centered on “Security” and “Inclusive Leadership,” according to the university. The conference was held at the university’s famed Gaston Hall, which includes the 750-seat auditorium Clinton spoke at Wednesday….(read more)
[VIDEO] Nostra Culpa: Obama Blames Immigration Delay on Public’s Failure to Understand ‘The Facts’
Posted: September 7, 2014 Filed under: Politics, White House | Tags: Americans, Andrew Johnson, Barack Obama, Chuck Todd, Congress, Democratic Sens, Democrats, House, Meet the Press, Obama, Todd, United States, White House Leave a comment
I have a theory that a journalist could begin an article, or headline, with “Obama Blames…” and write a new story every week, and never run out of body copy. Andrew Johnson’s headline identifies Obama’s primary target of blame: American citizens. We just don’t get it. So he must act alone, because we’ve failed him. But it goes further than that. Consider this: Every time Obama says the word “Congress”, or “Republicans in Congress”, replace that word with “The American voters”. Members of Congress didn’t get there by accident, they didn’t ascend to power in a bloody coup, or arrive in a spaceship, they got elected.
If Congress is blocking the president’s agenda, pursuing an opposing agenda, ignoring his mocking insults and wounded complaining, or being uncooperative and combative, that’s because they were elected to do exactly that. They represent the people. Elections have consequences.
Don’t like it? Then make your case, Mr. President, and help Democrats win back the House. You tried that, and it failed? That’s the way it crumbles, cookie-wise. When Obama blames Congress? He’s not talking about his political opponents, he’s talking about you.
From The Corner, Andrew Johnson
New Meet the Press host Chuck Todd pushed back against President Obama’s claims that his decision to delay taking executive action on granting legal status to people in the country illegally wasn’t motivated by the upcoming midterms elections. “It looks like politics, it looks like election-year politics,” Todd interjected at one point.
“But if the public’s not behind you, you’re not taking it? That sounds a little bit — that the public wouldn’t support what you did?”
One of the reasons the president claims he delayed action was to make sure all the “t’s are crossed and the i’s are dotted,” but also pointed to the recent surge of unaccompanied children on the border complicated the matter. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] NBC’s Farewell to David Gregory Was Less than Dazzling
Posted: August 17, 2014 Filed under: Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: American Broadcasting Company, CBS, Chuck Todd, David Gregory, Face the Nation, media, Meet the Press, NBC, Tim Russert, video Leave a commentFrom The Corner, Patrick Brennan:
…Gregory is going to be replaced with Chuck Todd, NBC’s political director, who, it’s hoped, will be able to boost the program’s popularity. Meet the Press had been a far and away leader in the Sunday-show ratings for years, but its ratings declined steadily under Gregory, eventually falling behind those of CBS’s Face the Nation and ABC’s This Week…(read more)
[VIDEO] Glenn Greenwald on Meet The Press: Traitor Label ‘Badge of Honor’
Posted: May 18, 2014 Filed under: Censorship, Global, Law & Justice, Mediasphere | Tags: Daniel Ellsberg, David Gregory, Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Greenwald, HuffPost Live, Meet the Press, National Security Agency, NSA, Pentagon Papers 1 Comment“One of the most encouraging aspects of the story has been that there has been a complete breakdown in the traditional, standard divisions between left and right or conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat…”
Glenn Greenwald appeared on Meet the Press, things ended poorly for David Gregory. On Sunday morning, Greenwald appeared on the show for the first time since the contretemps, though NBC put two layers between Greenwald and Gregory, having justice correspondent Pete Williams conduct the interview and fielding the questions from social media.
“…There has been this extremely inspiring bipartisan coalition that has emerged that has demanded that there be constraints imposed on the NSA.”
Greenwald told HuffPost Live he was disappointed Gregory wouldn’t be conducting the interview, as he was curious how the host’s approach may have changed since last summer. Alas.
[Glenn Greenwald‘s book: No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State
The most pointed question asked how Greenweld reconciled his comparison of NSA leaker Edward Snowden to Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, given that Ellsberg stayed to face trial while Snowden fled the U.S. and eventually defected to Russia. He quoted Ellsberg’s op-ed arguing that the justice system had become considerably harsher toward whistleblowers. “If Edward Snowden were to go on trial, he would be rendered incommunicado, he would not be released on bail, he couldn’t argue his case to the public,” Greenwald said. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Tony Blair: The West Must Liberate Itself From Believing It Caused Radical Islam
Posted: April 27, 2014 Filed under: Diplomacy, Mediasphere, Politics, War Room | Tags: Afghanistan, Blair, CNN, David Gregory, Islam, Islamic fundamentalism, Meet the Press, Middle East, Tim Russert, Tony Blair 1 CommentI watched this segment live this morning, and my main reaction was despair, the intellectual deficiency of the host, David Gregory, makes him a poor match for Tony Blair. As an interviewer, Gregory is a like a rusty cannonball tied around the ankle of an already weak and suffering CNN. Legendary “Meet The Press“ Host Tim Russert is sincerely missed.
[Also see TONY BLAIR, NBC’S DAVID GREGORY SPAR OVER ISLAMIC EXTREMISM]
“The problem around this is Islamic ideology,” Blair said, and that “you can never give up on these things, do not give up on the Middle East.”
For NRO, Josh Encinias writes:
Earlier this week, former Prime Minister Tony Blair said the roots of terrorist actions happening in the Middle East and beyond is “a radicalized and politicized view of Islam, an ideology that distorts and warps Islam’s true message,” and he elaborated on Meet the Press Sunday morning.
“We have to liberate ourselves from this thinking that somehow it’s our actions that have caused radical Islam.”
Blair said the problems in Middle Eastern countries have a common theme: “a disruptive effect of an ideology, based on a extreme and perverted view of the proper faith of Islam.” He said this radical ideology is still being exported from the Middle East and it’s spreading across the world.
“The problem around this is Islamic ideology…you can never give up on these things, do not give up on the Middle East.”
[VIDEO] Lowry: Equality Under the Law Fights Racism in America
Posted: April 27, 2014 Filed under: Law & Justice, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Basketball, Dick Gregory, Meet the Press, NBA, NRO, race, Rich Lowry, Supreme Court 1 Comment[VIDEO] Gibbs: Even Though White House Won’t Admit It, Senate ‘Definitely in Danger ‘
Posted: March 16, 2014 Filed under: Politics, U.S. News, White House | Tags: Andrew Johnson, Barack Obama, Democratic, Meet the Press, Obama, Robert Gibbs, Senate, White House Press Secretary 2 Comments
Kaffee: Grave Danger?
Col. Jessep: Is there another kind?
Andrew Johnson reports: One of President Obama’s top former advisers warned Democrats that if they can’t keep the Senate in November, that will effectively be the end of the Obama presidency. “If you lose the Senate, turn out the lights because the party is over,” former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on Meet the Press.
Kaffee: I said, ”Grave danger?” You said, ”Is there any other kind?”
Col. Jessep: I recall what I said.
Kaffee: I can have it read back to you.
Col. Jessep: I know what I said! I don’t have to have it read back to me.
Gibbs encouraged the president to be more involved in rallying and exciting Democratic voters in the coming months, because otherwise the Senate is “definitely, absolutely” in danger of falling in to Republican control…Read the rest…
Quote of the Day: California Governor Jerry Brown Talks About Potheads
Posted: March 4, 2014 Filed under: Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: California, Cannabis, Colorado, Jerry Brown, Los Angeles, Meet the Press, NBC 2 Comments
“…how many people can get stoned and still have a great state or a great nation? The world’s pretty dangerous, very competitive. I think we need to stay alert, if not 24 hours a day, more than some of the potheads might be able to put together.”
[VIDEO] McCain Laughs at Rice’s Blatantly Dishonest Explanation for Benghazi
Posted: February 23, 2014 Filed under: Politics, War Room | Tags: Barack Obama, Benghazi, Face the Nation, John McCain, Meet the Press, Susan Rice, United States, YouTube 3 Comments“For Susan Rice to say such a thing, I think it’s a little embarrassing to tell you the truth..”
[See also Susan Rice: No Regrets about Post-Benghazi Appearances]
‘The Essence of Science is Doubt, to Follow Truth Wherever it Leads…’
Posted: February 16, 2014 Filed under: Global, Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: Bill Nye, Blackburn, Marsha Blackburn, Meet the Press, Mike Pompeo, National Review, Tennessee, United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce 2 CommentsOr..Not So Much. Anti-Science Bill Nye: ‘Big Oil’ To Blame For Climate Change Doubt
From this morning’s National Review Online:
Meet the Press hosted a discussion about climate change between Bill Nye of “Bill Nye the Science Guy” fame and representative Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican. During their conversation, Nye argued that Big Oil is responsible for doubt in climate change.
“This is unscientific, it is not logical,” he said. “It is a way, apparently, that the fossil fuel industry has dealt with our politics. And this is not good.”
[See also Climate Scientists Slam Obama Science Czar’s Incoherent Ramblings on Global Warming]
Representative Marsha Blackburn responded by arguing that warming is “very slight,” but that even if Nye’s arguments were all correct, that wouldn’t mean progressive policy proposals would fix the identified problems.
“Even director McCarthy from the EPA in answering questions from Congressman Pompeo before our committee said reaching all of the 26 U.S. goals is not going to have an impact globally,” Blackburn said. “And David, what we have to look at is the fact that you don’t make good laws, sustainable laws, when you’re making them on hypotheses or theories or unproven sciences.”
‘I Think A Lot Of The Privacy People Don’t Understand That We Still Occupy The Role Of The Great Satan’
Posted: January 19, 2014 Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics, War Room | Tags: Dianne Feinstein, Edward Snowden, Great Satan, Iran, Meet the Press, National Security Agency, Privacy, Satan, Terrorism 3 Comments
From NRO’s The Corner, Betsy Woodruff writes: Dianne Feinstein decried NSA critics on Meet the Press this morning, saying the government is much less intrusive than corporations and that privacy advocates don’t understand the extent of the threat that terrorism poses to the United States.
Read the rest of this entry »
House Intelligence Chairman: Russian Spies Helped Edward Snowden Hack NSA
Posted: January 19, 2014 Filed under: Politics, U.S. News, War Room | Tags: Edward Snowden, Meet the Press, Mike Rogers, National Security Agency, NBC, Sunday, United States, United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 2 Comments
NSA leaker Edward Snowden looks down during a press conference at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on July 12. (AP Photo/Human Rights Watch, Tanya Lokshina)
Joel Gehrke reports: National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden had outside help, perhaps from Russian spies, according to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
“This was a thief, who we believe had some help, who stole information the vast majority had nothing to do with privacy.” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who heads up the intel panel, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that will air Sunday. “Our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines have been incredibly harmed by the data that he has taken with him and we believe now is in the hands of nation-states.” NBC released an excerpt of the interview late Saturday.
NYT Pet David Brooks: ‘If there’s a GOP Civil War, the Establishment will Lose’
Posted: October 21, 2013 Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: Barack Obama, Brooks, David Gregory, Mediaite, Meet the Press, NBC, New York Times, Republican, Twitter 4 Comments
“I admire sharply creased pants, and good cologne on a man…I’m sorry, where were we, what was the question?”
Noah Rothman reports: New York Times columnist David Brooks said that the Republican Party is showing signs that it could be fractured by a “civil war” in the near future. The problem, he said, is that establishment and moderate GOP forces do not have the grassroots institutional network that the tea party has. If there were a civil war, Brooks added, the moderate Republicans would lose it. Read the rest of this entry »
‘There Weren’t Enough Good Guys with Guns’
Posted: September 22, 2013 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Self Defense, U.S. News | Tags: David Gregory, LaPierre, Meet the Press, National Rifle Association, Northern Virginia, NRA, Vice president, Wayne LaPierre 1 CommentNRA executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre told Meet the Press this morning that the Navy Yard shooting this week was so deadly because of lack of security at the installation. Asked by David Gregory whether he thought, as the NRA has claimed in the past, that simply more security was needed at the site of the mass shooting, LaPierre said the answer was obvious: “The whole country, David, knows the problem was there weren’t enough good guys with guns. When the good guys got there, it stopped.”
“How can anybody look at what happened this week and say there was enough security there?” LaPierre said. “I mean, there was one guy, [from] a private-security firm . . . there were six guys guarding the gates. The Capital Hill SWAT team was told to stand down.”
Greenwald on Snowden: We Have Withheld The Majority Of Things That He Gave Us
Posted: June 23, 2013 Filed under: Breaking News, War Room | Tags: David Gregory, Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Meet the Press, National Security Agency, NBC, NSA, United States Leave a commentToday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Guardian Columnist Glenn Greenwald defended Edward Snowden’s leaks, saying that he could have released information to adversarial governments or entirely onto the Internet, praising his source’s judiciousness in leaking documents on the NSA’s domestic spying program. Watch below:
pundit from another planet 