NBC's Chuck Todd: If Obama or Clinton had made McCain's Al Qaeda-Iran gaffe...

[DeepModem Mom]

Media Matters for America: NBC's Todd on McCain's Al Qaeda-Iran "gaffe": "(H)ad Clinton or Obama done something like this, this would have been played on a loop, over and over"

During the March 19 edition of MSNBC Live, while discussing Sen. John McCain's admittedly false claim during March 18 remarks to reporters in Amman, Jordan, that Iranian operatives are "taking al-Qaeda into Iran, training them and sending them back," anchor Mika Brzezinski stated that McCain "had this little slip of the tongue on the Iraq war." After airing a condensed clip of McCain's misstatement, NBC News political director Chuck Todd asserted: "(T)his was not a one-time slip and so, you know, this just shows you how much bank -- how much of the foreign policy experience stuff he's got in the bank, because had Clinton or Obama done something like this, this would have been played on a loop, over and over, and would have absolutely hurt them politically."

Reporting on McCain's misstatement in a post on The Washington Post's political blog, The Trail, reporters Cameron W. Barr and Michael D. Shear wrote that the "mistake threatened to undermine McCain's argument that his decades of foreign policy experience make him the natural choice to lead a country at war with terrorists." In addition, Jonathan Martin wrote in a March 18 post on his Politico blog that "McCain has made his expertise on foreign policy front and center in his campaign and is thus uniquely vulnerable when he commits such gaffes."

As Media Matters for America has documented, several media outlets have failed to note McCain's "gaffe" in reporting on his remarks and have echoed the McCain campaign's assertion that he simply "misspoke." In fact, as noted by the blog Think Progress, McCain made the same misstatement to nationally syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt during a March 17 interview, saying, "As you know, there are Al Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given training as leaders, and they're moving back into Iraq."...

http://mediamatters.org/items/200803190004?f=h_top

[Drunken Irishman]

1. God I really like Chuck Todd.

[CottonBear]

19. He used to work for CSPAN. He's one of the good guys in the MSM. n/t

[BeyondGeography]

2. Todd is one of the few people with integrity in the MSM

[Political Heretic]

4. That's just because he hasn't said anything you disagree with yet.

The moment he does, then it won't just bit a different of opinion, he'll be a fucking scumbag, traitor, godless republican communist...

(I don't really mean you'll do that, just making a point about how people tend to get around here.)

[ksquire]

3. Chuck's days are obviously numbered... poor guy

he's the only one who's remotely paying attention to the election.

[Supersedeas]

22. the minute you go beyond the superficial Tweety level analysis--cable doesn't wanna hear

[still_one]

5. and the media will continue its double standard throughout the election /nt

[biglefthander]

6. I hope people will see...

...Just how dangerous this guy is. A temper problem, psychologically damaged, confused and past his prime. He could be more dangerous than Bush. At least Bush was predictable.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. You're right, biglefthander, this is worrisome. Welcome to DU!

[bdamomma]

20. welcome to DU biglefthander.

:hi:

McSame is the anointed son of bush, to carry on the bush agenda for those who want more death, destruction, tax cuts for the rich, and world domination.

why even vote for this extension of *? don't people see what's going on??? the anointed son of * and Cheney.

[StevieM]

7. If Hillary had said it they would have ripped her to shreds. Obama, as always, would have gotten

a pass. The rules don't apply to the man from Bethlehem--only Hillary.

Steve

[marmar]

10. Such bullshit.....You ruined a perfectly good Dem unity post.

:eyes:

[StevieM]

11. OK...you're right. That's one on me. I apologize (eom)

[John Q. Citizen]

8. It would be cool if Clinton rehabbed herself by jumping on McCain's lapses of cognition.

She could express surprise and worry over McCain's obvious lack of mental/foreign policy integrity on Iraq and Iran, and offer a re-assessment of his executive abilities vis a vis Obama.

Obama could emphasis the importance of The President getting it right from the start.

I don't expect this to happen, but it would help Hillary in the long run if she did something like this. It would defuse some of the heat.

[JohnnyLib2]

12. Thanks for this OP, DeepModem Mom.

I hadn't picked up on Todd's piece and now will watch for more from him.



:thumbsup:

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

13. I saw this yesterday Morn live. Chuck Todd is brought in much less

nowadays. He tends to douse the flames Joe is frantically trying to start. Here comes Chuck and his big ol bucket of ice cold water, just for Joe.

HA!

[Jennicut]

14. I have been watching Chuck for a while, he is the best

He gives the math about the delegates straight up. He tells it like it is. He does not give Obama a free pass either. He said Obama was facing a big problem over the Wright issue and while he gave a good speech it remains to be seen how much it will help him. That being said, he does not get into these dumb Obama is racist towards white people arguments that Joe S. keeps blabbering about. I think Chuck Todd is very fair and points out all the candidate good points and bad. My husband said the other day that whenever he is on he stops to watch him when flipping through the channels because you know what he has to say is important and interesting.

[DeepModem Mom]

15. I'm with your husband -- I stop to watch him, too. There's something about his persona...

maybe a "cool" contrast to all the "hot" personalities on cable, that draws a viewer in. He's low-key and seems to know his stuff.

[Supersedeas]

16. David Gregory actually said on his show that Reporters are tired on the one-upmanship

and that's why they aren't reporting it.

McCain shows his incompetence and now reporters are tired of reporting...

[quadriga]

17. Misstatements? Is that what they call lies nowadays?

Mcinsane thought he get that by the American people. Thought nobody would notice. For some reason the MSM called him on it. If the press had just let it stand, most Americans simply would not have known the difference.

[Wizard777]

18. The republicans are no longer expected to know what they are talking about.

In fact they have become somewhat of a reverse barometer.

[Supersedeas]

21. the Cable Media is defining the terms of political discourse--McCain pronouncements are off limits