Did Oprah Support The Iraq War? Bill Moyers Insinuates She Did

[wyldwolf]

From "Buying the War"

BILL MOYERS: EVEN OPRAH GOT IN ON THE ACT, FEATURING IN OCTOBER 2002 NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER JUDITH MILLER.

JUDITH MILLER: (OPRAH 10/9/02) The US intelligence community believes that Saddam Hussein has deadly stocks of anthrax, of botulinum toxin, which is one of the most virulent poisons known to man.

BILL MOYERS: LIBERAL HAWK KENNETH POLLAK.

KENNETH POLLAK: And what we know for a fact from a number of defectors who've come out of Iraq over the years is that Saddam Hussein is absolutely determined to acquire nuclear weapons and is building them as fast as he can.

BILL MOYERS: AND THE RIGHT HAND MAN TO AHMED CHALABI.

OPRAH: And so do the Iraqi people want the American people to liberate them?

QUANBAR: Absolutely. In 1991 the Iraqi people were....

WOMAN: I hope it doesn't offend you...

BILL MOYERS: WHEN ONE GUEST DARED TO EXPRESS DOUBT OPRAH WOULD HAVE NONE OF IT

WOMAN: I just don't know what to believe with the media and..

OPRAH: Oh, we're not trying to propaganda-- show you propaganda. ..We're just showing you what is.

WOMAN: I understand that, I understand that.

OPRAH: OK, but Ok. You have a right to your opinion.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html

[jefferson_dem]

1. Don't know. But Hillary did.

And she's an actual candidate this election cycle...last time I looked.

[babylonsister]

61. Yep, but that's of no merit just because she's running.

:eyes: Let's attack Oprah!

[SOS]

65. Hillary's war advisor is quoted in the OP.

KENNETH POLLAK: And what we know for a fact from a number of defectors who've come out of Iraq over the years is that Saddam Hussein is absolutely determined to acquire nuclear weapons and is building them as fast as he can.

"Many of Hillary Clinton's foreign and military policy advisers, such as Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution, supported the war at first, then criticized its conduct, then supported the surge."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/09/AR2007100901733.html

[MonkeyFunk]

2. I'd like to see

a video of the actual encounter so I can judge for myself.

But even if it's exactly as presented, it's hardly what I'd consider cheerleading for the war.

[wyldwolf]

4. oh, sure. Agreeing the Iraqi people wanted to be liberated. And in respects to WMDS...

"We're just showing you what is."

[MonkeyFunk]

6. Huh?

The transcript poses that as a question, not a statement.

As I said, I'd like to see the whole thing.

[allthatjazz]

13. here is the clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqVtRJeXxXM

[MonkeyFunk]

14. that was a clip

from the Moyer's show, showing the heavily-edited Oprah clip.

As for the question to Chalabi's aide, in no way do I see that as Oprah stating that the Iraqis want Americans to liberate them. That's was HIS argument, and she was asking him point-blank if that's what he was saying.

This whole thing is silly.

[zabet]

3. I have seen it.

Oprah gives the liars a
forum and stifles any difference
of opinion from the audience.
Watch it and decide for yourself.

[wyldwolf]

8. exactly. She essentially said, "sit down and shut up."

[LibDemAlways]

11. Me, too. Oprah was drinking the kool aid back then.

I've never heard her called on it, but I suspect if she was, her response would be to the effect that it wasn't her fault she had been given bad information - the standard meme of everyone who didn't bother to do their homework. DUers knew the lead up to the war was bullshit. Oprah has an audience of millions. She claims that part of her mission is to inform. It's not very informative when you don't know what the hell you're talking about.

[ellacott]

19. That would mean that Hillary was drinking the kool aid also

Along with everyone who voted for it.

[LibDemAlways]

52. If DUers could see through the neo"con" game, none of

the politicians who voted for it has a legit excuse for falling for the lies.

[Tellurian]

17. Did Oprah give any Anti-War group equal time to express their opinion?

[NYCGirl]

18. Yes.

Leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Winfrey's show received criticism for allegedly having an anti-war bias. Ben Shapiro of Townhall.com wrote:

“ Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in America. She decides what makes the New York Times best-seller lists. Her touchy-feely style sucks in audiences at the rate of 14 million viewers per day. But Oprah is far more than a cultural force — she's a dangerous political force as well, a woman with unpredictable and mercurial attitudes toward the major issues of the day."<96> ”

In 2006, Winfrey recalled such controversies:
“ I once did a show titled Is War the Only Answer? In the history of my career, I've never received more hate mail-like 'Go back to Africa' hate mail. I was accused of being un-American for even raising the question."<97> ”

However antiwar activist Michael Moore came to Winfrey’s defense, praising her for showing antiwar footage no other media would show<98> and begging her to run for president.<99> A February 2003 series Winfrey did, in which she showed clips from people all over the world asking America not to go to war, was interrupted in several east coast markets by network broadcasts of a press conference in which President George W. Bush, joined by Colin Powell, summarized the case for war.<100> An article in Buzzflash.com argued that the press conference was a deliberate attempt to stop Winfrey’s show from airing. <101>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey

[Tellurian]

20. Yes, she showed footage of the IWR AFTER the fact...not during the time the case was made FOR War..

This is the usual MO for Oprah...The guilt becomes overwhelming and she becomes extreme in the opposing direction.

[NYCGirl]

21. And you think that might have changed Clinton's IWR vote? NT

[wyldwolf]

24. what does Clinton's IWR vote have to do with Oprah?

[NYCGirl]

25. You mentioned the IWR in your post above, so I thought I'd ask. NT

[wyldwolf]

28. I did?

:shrug:

[NYCGirl]

29. Isn't this what you wrote above: "Yes, she showed footage of the IWR AFTER the fact"

[wyldwolf]

30. No

:shrug:

[NYCGirl]

31. Sorry, I thought I was addressing Tellurian. You guys are beginning to sound alike. NT

[wyldwolf]

32. that's your excuse and you're sticking to it!

[zabet]

33. She

Did not allow
differing opinion
to be voiced by
audience member.

[NYCGirl]

34. I guess you missed reading this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3820939&mesg_id=3821127

[zabet]

35. I corrected my post because,

I referred to the clip from
the Moyer's show only and that
is a little bit biased point of
view, if you do not look past that
clip he showed.
I do fault her for giving
the sellers of the war a forum
and stifling dissent in her audience.
That is clear in the clip from
her show that Moyer's used.

[NYCGirl]

5. And he can get that from ONE show? Moyers has a more powerful mind than

I thought he did.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Who gives a shit?

[EV_Ares]

9. Hillary did plus supports war with Iran and that is not an "insinuation". nt.

[blm]

10. She had guests on her show scaring America into believing it was necessary - I doubt

she had the real information or the ACCESS to real information that a few influential Democratic leaders had in 2002 - like the last Democratic occupant of the Oval Office who had access to privileged information that no other Democrat in this country would have had.

And certainly not a talk show host.I don't recall if Oprah supported the invasion itself - but many supported getting weapon inspectors back in. If she supported it even after weapon inspectors were working to prove force was not needed, well, then she may have been paying more casual attention as most Americans were at the time.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[balantz]

16. self delete

[BigDDem]

15. She's a part-time republican......probably did.

[Tellurian]

22. Full-Time...she voted for Bush twice!

[NYCGirl]

27. You got some proof for that or are you just pulling that out of thin air? NT

[NYCGirl]

38. Still waiting for that proof.

[Tellurian]

39. Hmm...still waiting for an answer to post #20

Your 'silly' answering the wrong post was a laudable attempt at a 2nd diversion, but foolish if you think it achieved the desired effect.

[NYCGirl]

40. Here's my answer below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah's_Anti-war_series

Now where's yours?

Fixing the link:

http://tinyurl.com/2695cb

[Tellurian]

43. Oprah was a year TOO late..

She didn't begin the series until 03'..

So, there you go..

Can you prove she didn't vote for Bush? If you can, please link.

[NYCGirl]

45. You said it, you prove it. Otherwise, it's just something you pulled out of your ass.

[Tellurian]

49. If you can't prove otherwise, then it's your opinion pulled out of your ass!

gottcha..and Oprah was recanting her support of the war out of GUILT..

she waited a year..it's right there in WIKI!

[NYCGirl]

50. You first. And, BTW, you can tell the difference between a fact and an opinion,

right? You stated something as a fact. I asked you to prove it. You can't.

[Tellurian]

54. The usual from you, when you get caught with your pants down..

around your ankles.. :hi:

diversion, diversion, diversion...

:boring: :boring: :boring:

[NYCGirl]

56. So where's your proof? You make a claim, you supply the proof. NT

[progressoid]

64. That's the dumbest damn argument I've read in a while.

You post an uncorroborated statement (Oprah voted for Bush) and demand someone else disprove it. :crazy:
If you make a statement, it's up to you to verify it.


Or we could keep going with your methodology...

I say I voted for Kerry in 04, prove to me that I didn't.

I say the tooth fairy is real, prove to me that (s)he isn't.

I say Condi and Laura are Lesbian lovers, prove my statement wrong.

[NobleCynic]

71. This is coming from someone who can't stand Oprah

You can't make a statement like that, provide no evidence, then demand someone prove it untrue. That is intellectual dishonesty of the worst kind.

[Forkboy]

67. Link or slink, as you say.

:rofl:

[tammywammy]

72. Link?

[NYCGirl]

23. Read this:

Leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Winfrey's show received criticism for allegedly having an anti-war bias. Ben Shapiro of Townhall.com wrote:

“ Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in America. She decides what makes the New York Times best-seller lists. Her touchy-feely style sucks in audiences at the rate of 14 million viewers per day. But Oprah is far more than a cultural force — she's a dangerous political force as well, a woman with unpredictable and mercurial attitudes toward the major issues of the day."<96> ”

In 2006, Winfrey recalled such controversies:
“ I once did a show titled Is War the Only Answer? In the history of my career, I've never received more hate mail-like 'Go back to Africa' hate mail. I was accused of being un-American for even raising the question."<97> ”

However antiwar activist Michael Moore came to Winfrey’s defense, praising her for showing antiwar footage no other media would show<98> and begging her to run for president.<99> A February 2003 series Winfrey did, in which she showed clips from people all over the world asking America not to go to war, was interrupted in several east coast markets by network broadcasts of a press conference in which President George W. Bush, joined by Colin Powell, summarized the case for war.<100> An article in Buzzflash.com argued that the press conference was a deliberate attempt to stop Winfrey’s show from airing. <101>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey#Criticisms_and_controversies

[TeamJordan23]

26. I will not be voting for Oprah now. I guess I will switch my vote to anti-war Clinton.

:sarcasm:

[Hippo_Tron]

36. Did I miss something, is Oprah running for President now?

This is about as dumb as the attacks on Obama's Kindergarten essay.

[oasis]

47. Oprah praised Obama for opposing the war from the beginning. That's what you missed.(eom)

[Hippo_Tron]

70. Meaning that he was right about something that she and a lot of others were wrong about

And that we should consider voting for him because of that. Again, Oprah isn't running for President.

[Tactical Progressive]

37. So Oprah has been a Bush supporter all along?

My god, she's almost as big a hypocrite as Obama.

What a perfect match. Two people with no scruples.

[zanne]

41. PLEASE IGNORE WYLDWOLF

It's getting so you know what he's going to say before he says it. Something like watching TV, clicking through the channels, running into a Bush speech and moving on........

[wyldwolf]

48. ha ha ha ha! zanne, you crack me up. Go back to playing with your Barbies

[mtnsnake]

42. This belongs on the Greatest Page

Here goes...

[oasis]

44. Obama supporters should demand Oprah's apology for her part in pushing for war.(eom)

[ellacott]

46. Yeah, right. HRC supporters haven't gotten an apology yet

[oasis]

51. Hillary explained her vote. Oprah was the one heaping praise upon Obama for

opposing the war from the beginning. Oprah conveniently forgot that she had pushed for the war.:eyes:

[ellacott]

55. she didn't apologize, if Oprah should apologize then HRC should also

There is no difference.

[oasis]

57. Oprah acts as if she never pushed for the war. Note the difference.(eom)

[ellacott]

62. When did she do this? n/t

[CyberPieHole]

53. Oprah helped fan the flames of war...

yet, now that the war is unpopular she wants to rewrite history, but it's too late. I wouldn't doubt for one minute that she voted for bush, TWICE! It seems like something she would do.

:kick: and recommend

[ellacott]

58. I don't know how she's rewriting history

It seems that there are many revisionists right here. I think you are so easily influenced by an unsubstantiated comment because that is what you want to believe.

[CyberPieHole]

59. She pandered to the war-loving toadies....

now she acts as if she was against the war all along. You don't find that false? She made her show available to people who wanted to sell the war to the American public. She slapped down a woman for daring to question the veracity of the drums of war. Unsubstantiated? I think you are the one who is prone to "believing" what you want to and rejecting the truth.

[ellacott]

60. When did she say she was against the war all along? n/t

[CyberPieHole]

63. OMG...

I am not sure if you are being deliberately obtuse or simply disingenuous. Watch some of the footage from her campaign for president these past few days. For now, I place you on ignore. I don't need to spin my wheels with you.:hi:

[ellacott]

66. Who's being disingenuous now? Oh, you're ignoring me

I asked you a simple question. You can't answer but you go into this faux outrage and insult me. Why could you simply answer the question? I only watched one of Oprah's appearance this weekend so if she said this I would have no way of knowing,SO I ASKED A QUESTION. I know some people spend all their time watching TV but this is not me. Because I have other other things that occupy my life I am deliberately obtuse or simply disingenuous. That's real rich of you. This is probably why our party is in the shape it's in because of people like you.

Well, since I didn't spend all weekend in front of the TV I went on line and found the speeches I missed and I never heard her say she was aganst the war from the beginning.

Like I said people believe what they want to believe, oh but you are ignoring me.

[Forkboy]

68. I think she did. So did a lot of people, so it's kind of hard to attack her on this.

Hillary supporters and Edwards supporters especially have no leg to stand on with this issue. Of course, I note that doesn't ever stop you, but at least it's funny to watch.

[tom_paine]

69. I didn't know that. I always thought Oprah was a shallow, self-serving weasel.

Now I know.

You were TOO showing propaganda, you lying (W)ITCH!

God damn your shallow soul to hell, Oprah.