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For those who missed it, my recent "Political Roundup 2008" article listed eight matters that the news media won't pursue. Now for a different angle, let's review the list.
1. 9/11 was an inside job. That's a black mark against "the deep state," and I don't blame John McCain or Barack Obama in particular, although they should speak out against it and join the calls for a new investigation.
2. 2000 was a stolen election. That's a black mark against the Republicans and against the Supreme Court. Again, it's not the fault of John McCain or Barack Obama, although they should speak out against it, and ensure that America counts the votes before declaring a winner.
3. 2004 was a stolen election. That's a black mark against the Republicans and against some compromised, conflicted vendors of IT (Information Technology) for election related purposes. It's not a mark againt McCain or Obama, but they should speak out against it, and ensure that American elections have both a paper trail and a data trail to match.
4. Trade deficits are a bad thing, and they are enlarged by "the globalization of free trade," which means tariff breaks for communists, dictators, tyrants, and thugs. I hold it as a black mark against McCain, because he voted for the China PNTR trade deal, and he continues to endorse every free trade deal that comes down the pike.
5. International law was broken for the Iraq war. It's a black mark against the Bush administration, which was supported by John McCain, for whom this is a black mark. However, I also hold it against Obama because he should have been calling for the impeachment of Bush / Cheney. In the alternative, Obama appears to be sanguine about abuses by the Bush adminstration.
6. The US Constitution was violated. Here, I am referring to the fourth amendment, which would protect Americans against unreasonable search / seizure / invasion of privacy. It is a black mark against the Bush administration, that they instituted warrantless wiretapping against Americans domestically. But, McCain and Obama both voted for the FISA bill, which granted immunity to the telecom companies that participated. Hence, this evil was helped along by McCain and Obama, and I count it against them.
7. The Wall Street bailout was a fool's errand and giveaway to the guilty. It violated principles of free enterprise by handing out corporate welfare, at the expense of the taxpayer -- who got mugged. Because both McCain and Obama voted for the bailout (and the taxpayer got mugged), they became two muggers.
8. Ralph Nader has been a candidate for U.S. President in 2008. That is not a black mark, except perhaps against the corporate "news" media which has refused to cover alternative candidates even handedly.
Alright, so these are eight matters that the news media won't pursue. But, let's review the list with an eye on Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather.
1. The precedent was set by Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. They were in the anchor seats when 9/11 happened. They could have raised an eyebrow of suspicion; instead, they dutifully passed along black propaganda from the government.
2. The precedent was set by Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. They were in the anchor seats when the 2000 election happened.
3. The precedent was set by Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. They were in the anchor seats when the 2004 election happened.
4. The precedent was set by Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather, that free trade is not questioned. "Globalization is inevitable," they each told the audience, while not telling audiences that this means tariff breaks for communists, dictators, tyrants, and thugs.
5. The precedent was set by Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. Obama is not the only one to appear sanguine about abuses by the Bush administration; indeed, Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather HELPED the Bush administration to sell the Iraq war in 2002-2003.
6. The warrantless wiretapping came to prominence only AFTER the departure of Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. The matter came to prominence in December 2005, but reports place the start of the program variously, in 2000 and 2002, when Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather were still in their anchor seats.
7. The 2008 Bailout of Wall Street had nothing to do with Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather, who departed the scene in 2005.
8. To ignore Ralph Nader, the precedent was set by Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather. During the 2000 election, normal size crowds were as follows: Bush and Gore, 1,000 - 2,000. Ralph Nader, 10,000. The greater excitement was with Ralph Nader. Jennings, Brokaw, and Rather never told you that.
So, my narrative as above entails this:
Ralph Nader - zero black marks
Barack Obama - four black marks
John McCain - five black marks
Peter Jennings - seven black marks
Tom Brokaw - seven black marks
Dan Rather - seven black marks
It suggests that in America, the only profession lower than politician is anchorman.
