TIM RUSSERT WOULD BLAME DEMOCRATS FOR DEATH OF IMMIGRATION BILL

Tim Russert was on Brian Williams NBC News tonight pontificating on how the voters are going to punish the Democrats for failing to come through on the immigration bill that died today in the Senate. Timmy was his usual bloviating self. According to Fr. Tim, the Congress has done nothing, absolutely nothing. Another example, he says, there is a looming Social Security crisis and Congress has done nothing.

This is a lot of bull, the same type of baloney that we have been accustomed to receive from Russert. He would like nothing better than to blame the Democrats. We all know who killed the immigration bill in the Senate. It is the Republicans who fear dark skin and foreign languages. I also blame Bush for allowing harsh proposals to become part of the immigration bill, like the increased criminal penalties for overstaying a visa, or mandatory jail for failing to return to one's home country, or for entering the country without documents.

And as to the looming crisis in Social Security, if there is any crisis, again the blame falls on Bush and the Republicans for spending billions on this unjust and immoral war and occupation in Iraq. I have a solution that would put Social Security on a firm footing for the next 500 years. END THE STUPID WAR IN IRAQ.

Tim Russert is up to his old tricks. Try to appear non-partisan by blaming the Democrats as well as the Republicans who are the real malefactors. Sorry, Timmy, we're on to you. This time, we recognize your Russert baloney for what it really is.

Press and Media Tarnished in Libby Matter

Members of the media connected with the Libby story should be ashamed of themselves. The Libby trial showed us the soft underbelly of journalism, specifically how journalists cozy up to people in power, write favorable stories about them, allow those in power unchallenged publication, claim "privilege" even when they observe or are a party to a crime being committed by their sources. Tim Russert surely is diminished. The Vice President recognized him as an outlet who would blithely repeat the administration's blather du jour. And how about the journalistic ethics and demeanor of Russert when he sat as supreme arbiter on MTP without disclosing that he was going to be the main witness on the prosecution side even when discussing the Libby matter with his guests?

Bob Woodward also is tarnished. Recall that Woodward was the one who claimed that the whole Libby matter was of small consequence, a tempest in a teapot. Sure it was, Bob. You could get away diminishing the case only because that was at a time that no one knew you personally were involved in receiving information from Richard Armitage.

Matt Cooper. Oh, this is a beaut! Cooper takes notes while lying on his bed. Then the notes are so disorganized, no one can make heads or tails. Is this how other journalists take notes?

Then Judy Miller. She went to jail for over 80 days to protect Scooter Libby! Whose side is she on anyway? Where was her loyalty? To people like Scooter Libby and her friend John Bolton, or to her readers when she was at the NYT?

Dan Froomkin blogs today in the WaPo that with the Scooter conviction Messrs Bush and Cheney should come clean with the American public on what they knew and what they did. I agree with Froomkin, only I add journalists should fess up and adopt a standard of ethics for dealing with people in power.