Howard Kurtz is a pro-Bush lackey

[WI_DEM]

I've been watching this so-called "journalist" on one cable news show after another the past two days (including Imus right now) he seems to be getting his jollies kicking CBS and Dan Rather over the National Guard story which they say has been discredited. What they should be looking into is who set Rather and CBS up? (I smell a Rove plot).

[0007]

1. Screw Howard Kurtz and CNN - don't know which is creepier?

This Rove plot is repulsive!

[meegbear]

2. No Rove plot ...

he's been like that for years.

From 2001
KURTZ: Well, joining us now, Joshua Marshall, Washington Editor of The American Prospect and a write for Slate.com, and Chris Caldwell, senior writer for The Weekly Standard.

Josh Marshall, you don't know the extent of damage or vandalism by departing Clinton White House aides, and neither do I. So, in writing in Slate Magazine that the press wildly overplayed this story, it kind of sounds like you're acting as a knee-jerk Clinton defender.

Without knowing the facts, Howard assumes he's guilty. And this:

Like every other political reporter in the country, Kurtz has been paying close attention to the California recall race, with plenty of attention on Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign.

In fact, in his daily "Media Notes" column, Kurtz mentioned Schwarzenegger five times in five columns last week. Kurtz's work commented on the Schwarzenegger campaign's response to the groping allegations, the alleged praise for Hitler, the endorsements from California newspapers, etc.

All the while, Kurtz was offering analysis on the quality of the Schwarzenegger message. What Kurtz failed to mention is that his wife, Sheri Annis, has been Schwarzenegger's press secretary.

Nuff sed.

[GOPFighter]

3. Kurtz's job is to write commentary on how news is being reported

I've read him for years. I haven't detect any overt bias in his writing. His point, I believe, is that CBS blew this story - badly. It may have been a Rove plot, but Kurtz is being paid to report on how a story is being reported, not do investigative journalism (actually it sounds like a fun job).

It is a shame CBS blew this story. It turned the story from "Did Bush serve his full term?" to "Look how CBS rushed to embarrass the President proving the networks have a liberal agenda!"

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Is he talking about Armstrong at all?

If not, he's talking about Rather to try to influence the topic of the day. I hope, I hope we find out Kurtz took Bush money.

[Justitia]

5. his wife was a paid staffer of the Bush-Cheney campaign

previous post also mentioned she worked for Schwarzenegger.

So, I gather Kurtz is technically a paid shill for the GOP, just like Armstrong Williams.