If you think that this report is “excellent” and that it exposes a “continuous stream of lies”, you either haven’t seen it or you are stone deaf. The accusations are no more serious than exaggerating the percentage of US oil produced in Alaska, and debating whether Palin stepped over the Kuwaiti border into Iraq. And the report concludes by saying that both sides are fighting dirty.

And if you think that “the American media is broadly afraid of annoying right-whingers” you have clearly neither been to America nor ever seen any American media. Almost all the print media is pro-Democrat (WSJ, NY Times, Boston Globe, etc., etc.) and the only television channel that can be described as “right wing” is Fox.

Stick to subjects you know something about. Maybe “Eastenders”.

About bloody time.

Nice attempt at spinning that Chas.

and debating whether Palin stepped over the Kuwaiti border into Iraq.

That’s not really a debate – its an outright lie exaggerated to give the impression she is world-travelled.

“… and I can see Russian from my house!” – brilliant line.

And the report concludes by saying that both sides are fighting dirty.

They’re only saying that to sound balanced. Its obvious the Republicans are pushing out a huge stream of lies, compared to one exaggeration cited by Obama.

And if you think that “the American media is broadly afraid of annoying right-whingers”

Been there loads of times, and seen it happen. And if you think the NYT is liberal, then you’re more deluded than I thought.

“Although, I still think the American media is broadly afraid of annoying right-whingers.”

Like, for example, when MSNBC removed Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from their positions as news anchors after complaints from, among others, the Whitehouse.

Or when the same channel cancelled Phil Donohue for ideological reasons.

There’s another good example of Tucker Bounds taking one for the team that the report doesn’t mention…

BROWN (MSNBC): OK. So does she — you — what I’m saying is that you set a different standard by arguing how important it was with John McCain. No one’s arguing with you he has much more experience than Barack Obama, so I’m trying to get someone from the campaign to explain to me what foreign policy experience or qualifications she has that would allow her to be ready to be commander in chief if something should happen to Sen. McCain.

BOUNDS: Well, Campbell, let me be clear. I don’t think there should be problem explaining her experience. She has executive state level experience. She’s been in public office reforming Washington. She’s been in executive office longer and in a more effective sense than Barack Obama’s been in the United States Senate. She’s been the commander of the National Guard of the Alaska National Guard that’s been deployed overseas. That’s foreign policy experience.

BROWN: If I can interrupt for one second because I’ve heard you guys say this a lot. Can you tell me one decision that she made as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard, just one?

BOUNDS: Yeah. She’s made — any decision she has made as the commander of the National Guard that’s deployed overseas is more of a decision Barack Obama’s been making as he’s been running for the president for the last two years.

BROWN: So tell me. Tell me. Give me an example of one of those decisions. I’m curious, just one decision she made in her capacity as commander in chief of the National Guard.

BOUNDS: Campbell, certainly you don’t mean to belittle, every experience, every judgment she makes as commander –

BROWN: I’m belittling nothing. I want to know one judgment or one decision. I want to know what one decision was. I’m not belittling anything, I am curious.

BOUNDS: As she makes a decision how to equip or how to command the national guard in Alaska, that is more –

BROWN: But Tucker, those are the Pentagon’s decision, that’s Gen. Petraeus, that’s the White House.

BOUNDS: Pardon me?

BROWN: No governor makes decisions how to equip or deploy the National Guard. When they go to Iraq, those are decisions made by the Pentagon.

BOUNDS: Campbell, on factual basis, they certainly do. In Alaska, if I have an emergency in your state, the National Guard is under the command of the governor. That is more of a command role than Barack Obama has ever had. I would argue John McCain and Gov. Palin between the two of them have far more command experience in military than either of the candidates on the Democratic side.

The only state of emergency declared anywhere in Alaska in the last two years was some serious local flooding in Seward but I can find no evidence that the Alaska National Guard were involved in any way and it took place a month before Palin was even elected, let alone took office.

when MSNBC removed Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from their positions as news anchors after complaints from, among others, the Whitehouse.

Those two deserved to be removed – you cant anchor a political show and be completely partisan.. If you are a commentator its okay but not when you are the bloody anchor.

Also, it was internal NBC senior reporters and commentators such as Brokaw, Mitchell all complained to NBC News President about Matthews and Olbermann..and those two idiots were literally fighting with each other. So, while I agree with Sunny’s point in terms of Broadcasting —

I kind of agree with Chas as well to some extent. But its only the major broadsheets such as NY TIMES, Chicago Tribune, LA TIMES – all thsese are very very much on the Dems side. Washington Post has commentators of both sides and I think they are probably the most fair print publication.

Fox has lost all its perspective and the only decent journo they have is Chris Wallace. And Sunny, I find CNN to be quite fair almost on all counts. And I dont think they are very worried about right wing whinging — on most shows.

The staggeringly partisan Chris Matthews, who has said:

“I like [George Bush]. Everybody sort of likes the president, except for the real whack-jobs, maybe on the left . . . We’re proud of our president. Americans love having a guy as president, a guy who has a little swagger, who’s physical, who’s not a complicated guy like Clinton or even like Dukakis or Mondale, all those guys, McGovern. They want a guy who’s president. Women like a guy who’s president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. . . . Why don’t the damn Democrats give the president his day? He won today. He did well today. . . . Thank you very much. James Jeffrey, assistant to Condoleezza Rice. We’re huge fans [of Rice] — bring her back with you next time.”

That was hilarious — the Brown interview with Bounds. But I think Campbell Brown is a CNN reporter if I am not mistaken.

And what I liked was CNN standing by their reporter on that — you could not do that with a reporter such as Matthews who said Clinton was pimping her daughter out. No self respecting journalist would want to work with Matthews. Those kind of journos give the right wing the fodder to attack the dems as elitist with no understanding of American heartland culture.

Those two deserved to be removed – you cant anchor a political show and be completely partisan.. If you are a commentator its okay but not when you are the bloody anchor.

Fox News does it all the time. Why can’t MSNBC?

The problem is more that the left in America is afraid of being partisan to their own interests and want ‘balance’. Though, this applies more to the broadcast and print media. Thankfully, online is where they’re not afraid of their own values.

You’re forgetting the issues that really matter. She’s pretty and you feel feel like you can have a beer with her, maybe invite her family round for a bbq? Stroke the dog. Go fishing. Make some good old fashioned apple pie. Ah. Small town values. etc.

Devolute has nailed it, it’s something that was made of Kerry in 2004 that he didn’t pass the bbq test where as George Bush did.

It’s a strong emotive tactic to use but it works with huge swathes of people…

There is a battle between MSNBC and NBC.

NBC is owned by GE, and it’s CEO Jeff Zucker does as he’s told. Remember that GE are a huge contractor for the US military, so they have their priorities. Of course the White House shouldn’t have such weight on the media, but I’m sure you can see why they’d have leverage…

Olbermann and Matthews ruffle feathers but they also bring in the ratings. Without Olbermann, MSNBC wouldn’t get a fraction of the ad revenues – hence the fight. The only reason we’re talking about MSNBC is that Olbermann rocks – even putting Bill O’Reilly under pressure in the ratings. Also, MSNBC does very well in the key demographics advertisers love. Fox attracts older views (but in much greater numbers).

Also, the “Liberal Media” tag is such a crock.

Agreed, MSNBC are liberal – they’re going after a market (they are copying Fox).

The rest of the MSM are not. They got in to bed with Bush in 2000 and were happy to bang the drum for war.

The simple fact is that the Bush administration has been so colossally incompetent, deceitful, and corrupt, that few real journalists could ignore it.

Time and again the Republicans have eroded the political discourse with weak appeals to patriotism. Time and again they’ve fractured America by fighting their culture war. And Time and again the GOP has been mired in scandal.

The Republican Party is a quilt of hypocrisy. They call for free markets but they practise the very worst kind of crony-capitalism. They demand patriotism but refuse to pay for their wars – or look after the troops. They lionise small-government yet have created a hulking state and have rode roughshod over the constitution. They champion merit but have abused their office by stuffing government departments and agencies with partisan hacks.

It’s time for Republicans to shut up for a bit.

Finally, McCain says he’s going to clean up Washington…

So why is his campaign team full of – and led by – K-Street lobbyists?

Brilliant! I love the fact the guy from the McCain campaign they bring on to explain the lying then starts telling lies of his own.