Couric takes up the banner against public debate - on Media Matters

[JohnWxy]

This is the kind of stuff that deserves an email to NBC telling them if they must have Couric making political statements it should NOT go on without somebody else providing a counter argument. Don't you think? Have some people in mind to recommend. (I think Eric Alterman is extremely good!)



Couric pitted constitutional scholars versus "Americans" who "don't want another September 11"

Summary: NBC Today host Katie Couric, in an interview with Tim Russert, characterized the debate about the Bush administration's domestic spying as a controversy between "legal analysts and constitutional scholars" on the one hand and "Americans" who "don't want another September 11" on the other.
On the December 19 broadcast of NBC's Today, host Katie Couric asked NBC News Washington bureau chief Tim Russert whether the debate over the Bush administration's secret use of domestic surveillance without a warrant amounted to "legal analysts and constitutional scholars versus Americans, who say civil liberties are important, but we don't want another September 11." Russert responded, "Exactly right."

Couric's assertion, with which Russert agreed, is problematic for numerous reasons. First, Couric's question suggested that the very act of questioning President Bush's legal authority to undertake domestic surveillance is inconsistent with wanting to prevent "another September 11." Second, Couric's statement suggested that the view of "constitutional scholars" that Bush should obey the law is at odds with the views of most Americans. Third, the statement suggested that Americans support the Bush administration's apparent position that it has unlimited authority to do whatever it deems necessary -- regardless of the law -- to prevent another terrorist attack. Finally, the statement sets up exactly the false debate that the administration is advocating in its defense of its practice of engaging in domestic surveillance. For example, Vice President Dick Cheney defended the practice as necessary to protect national security. He said, "It's the kind of capability -- if we'd had before 9-11 -- might have led us to be able to prevent 9-11." And Bush himself, in a December 17 radio address, argued that the secret eavesdropping program was necessary to "detect and prevent possible terrorist attacks in the United States."

From the December 19 broadcast of NBC's Today:

COURIC: At the same time, Tim, you know, considering the Constitution, the rule of law, is this going to be a case of a debate by legal analysts and constitutional scholars versus Americans, who say civil liberties are important, but we don't want another September 11?

RUSSERT: Exactly right. The court of public opinion and what's going on in Congress.

—J.K.

[azmouse]

1. She must be looking to get a show on Faux news.

[gratuitous]

4. Didn't Novak already land that job?

Couric must be positively green with envy.

[Warren Stupidity]

31. yes but bob looks like shit

- and I mean for bob, bob looks like shit. He doesn't look healthy at all. So Kute Katie can whore-up and get that job when novakula keels over dead.

[papau]

2. I felt sad today to see Couric whore herself out to the GOP - I liked her

Tim has been a GOP whore for years and I expected no better from him.

:-(

[JohnWxy]

11. She's a jerk. Always has been. And she does a lot of damage.

Russert likes to pretend he's really doing something. HE's a fake. I could use stronger language but I'll save that to tell him to his face.

Really people, ya gotta write some emails and register your disgust. It CAN make a difference!

[Upfront]

19. Sorry but yow were stupid.

[Maat]

3. Shame, shame on you Katie!

To be urinating on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights like that!

You are earning a lot of negative kharma by being a shameless shill for the Booooshies.

[LSparkle]

5. For every weak-kneed Katie C., there's a NYC-er who isn't afraid

I heard a caller on Randi/Mike yesterday who lives in NYC and isn't afraid of "another September 11" -- she takes trains (when they're running -- ha!) and just refuses to be cowed by all the fear-mongering pushed by Bushco. Russert is wrong -- the public isn't necessarily pulling the covers over their heads and BEGGING Dear Leader to keep them safe; they're going about their business, doing what they can to keep THEMSELVES SAFE (remember Katrina) and are insulted by the "Big Brother" attitude of this administration as it tries to strip them of their civil liberties.

[JohnWxy]

15. This is good - put it in an email to NBC. Tell them

you'd like to know on what basis Russert makes these statements. Did he go out an conduct a scientific poll, oR is he just bullshitting (again)?

OF course the main fallacy they are perpetuating here is that Bush/Cheney need to conduct unlawful (without getting warrants) spying in order to protect the country. That's Bullshit! He didn't even get warrants for the spying they did. The FISA provides a secret court which has historically been very easy and quick to provide warrants. Spying without even going by the provisions in FISA. Unacceptable and UNNECESSARY!

IF Bush / Cheney are so concerned about terrorist attacks why aren't we inspecting more shipping containers coming into the countrythan, what, .01 of 1%? Why haven't they established minimal security mesures around chemical plants (most of which are fairly close to population centers)?

[kenny blankenship]

6. Who should i side with???

A bunch of shyster lawyers and pinheaded academics -=or=- AMERICANS?
oooo it's so hard to decide, Katie PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANT!
On the one hand we have "legal analysts" and "scholars" (from God knows where), and on the other hand opposed to them and their indecipherable gobbledegook, we have AMERICA::
Mom,
Apple pie,
Baseball,
Tanks in the Streets, and mask wearing soldiers on patrol.

I guess AMERICA wins again?
Did I pick right, Katie? Did I???

[pbca]

7. Start your own media

my site "publicbroadcasting.ca" is a combination of a debate/watchdog on media, technology and journalism and a promoter of media that is made without the aid of MSM (especially blogs and podcasts)

[Warren Stupidity]

8. It is so sad.

Kute Katie hits 50 and now she finds herself having to whore out to the fascist punditocracy in order to keep the big bucks rolling in. She knows her morning slot is going to get taken away from her just like she took Jane Pauley's job. A newer fresher perkier blabber mouth is just around the corner waiting to dig her nails into Kute Katie. So sad. So instead of just mouthing inanities like she has done for the last 15 years on the mind-numbingly dumb Today Show, she is busy establishing her media-whore credentials so that she will be acceptable to The Corporation and can get on the punditocracy gravy train.

Every last one of them are war criminals.

[C_U_L8R]

9. I'd put the safety of my family

in the hands of the constitutional scholars
over these joe-six-pack freeper-'morans'
who seem happy as a pig-in-shit to
sell out our country and constitution
at the first "boo" of the terror boogieman.

BOO

Talk about chickenshit and unpatriotic...
these freeps are the worst sort.... hypocrites.

[Ian David]

10. Why can't we just let Catie lip-synch while someone smart talks? n/t

[emald]

12. I guess that she doesn't look at polls n/t

[Loonman]

13. Kouric the Kommunist

Comrade!

[IndyOp]

14. My email to the Today show:

I am disturbed by Ms. Couric's characterization of the debate about the Bush administration's domestic spying as a controversy between "legal analysts and constitutional scholars" on the one hand and "Americans" who "don't want another September 11" on the other. This statement is an insult to Americans. Ms. Couric must think Americans are the most simple-minded people on earth.

I am an American citizen. I am not a constitutional scholar or legal analyst, and I am outraged that the President of the United States has broken the law.

I am outraged that Ms. Couric (and Mr. Russert who quickly agreed with her statements) are now leading the people toward excusing the President's law-breaking behavior. If you are going to allow Ms. Couric, who holds a Bachelors Degree in American Studies, to comment on issues of such import, without offering any evidence that her assertion is true, kindly invite someone with an opposing viewpoint to comment as well. Jonathon Alter, David Corn, Mark Crispin Miller -- all would be excellent counter weights to the same old, same old.

I am sick of the incestuousness of NBC and MSNBC and CNN and ABC and CBS and FOX. The same 'political analysts' move from one show to the next, the talking heads on one show serve as 'guests' and 'analysts' on their friend's shows. The quality of political analysis is abysmal. In this echo chamber GOP talking points are made reality.

You have abdicated your responsibility to the American public.

IndyOp

[azmouse]

17. Excellent!

:applause:

[Warren Stupidity]

18. Nice letter.

I'm cogitating an LTE on this subject myself and your work will help a lot.

I would change the last sentence in the first paragraph to indicate that it is Couric who must think that Americans are the most simple-minded people on earth. It might be that we are in fact the dumbest, stupidest people ever to rule the world, but your readers will be upset at being told that.

[IndyOp]

20. Thanks - I should've posted here first for comments

and then sent the letter to "Today." I edited my post above, just in case, someone cuts and pastes a few sentences from it...

:kick:

[JohnWxy]

23. EXCELLENT!

This is an excellent statement.

Of course, your email does not have to be great literature to have an effect. If you can post a comment on DU you can write an email to NBC, ABC etc. You can have an impact. (OF course, getting the benefit of emails like IndyOps can be very helpful. Thanks.)

Media Matters is a good site for watching how the 'players' on tv 'sell' arguments through distortion and implication. It can be very helpful in writing emails commenting on just this sort of thing.

[WCGreen]

25. She should report on entertainment, cooking.....

trends in fashion and keep her fucking mouth shut when it comes to the important stuff....

[TheGunslinger]

32. Hear! Hear!

[mitchum]

16. All of her recent plastic surgery has caused extensive brain damage

[Supersedeas]

24. Her corporate lipstick is seeping into her unconscious

[Spinzonner]

21. Katie should restrict having her head up her ass

to medical purposes, not political ones

[newswolf56]

22. This is not to be made light of. It is further proof -- horrific proof --

of the extent not only to which the United States has descended into genuine fascism, but also of the extent to which the Bush Administration is serving the corporate interest by plunging the U.S. ever deeper into fascist tyranny; former prom-queen Couric is merely another of the plutocracy's cheerleaders. Meanwhile even schoolboys who are curious about Communism now feel the jackboot of the new Sicherheitsdeinst, the Homeland Security Service:

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/12-05/12-17-05/a09lo650.htm

[Warren Stupidity]

26. Wow. Just F'ing Wow.

So much for the lie that the library provisions of the Enabling Acts have never been used. Obviously they are being used.

[frylock]

27. NAVY SEALS ROCK!!!!!

just thought I'd throw that out there.

[onecent]

28. I stopped watching Katie and Matt after they drilled Michael Moore. n/t

[Doctor_J]

29. I wish the headlines were a little more to-the-point

A more accurate one would be "Couric hops in bed with White House"

[Uncle Joe]

30. Amazing, she considers one side

legal analysts and constitutional scholars and the other side Americans. Katie have you no shame, or common sense or does G.E. totally own your soul?

[high density]

33. Umm please keep this loon on NBC and off of CBS News

Thank you.