The revelations coming from a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week were startling. On May 15, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified about the Bush administration's extraordinary efforts in March 2004 to gain legal approval for the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program by visiting Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room as he recovered from gall bladder surgery. The story is surprising, at the very least—but has so far attracted little media curiosity. The incident was first reported in January 2006 by the New York Times (1/1/06) and Newsweek (1/9/06), to little notice. Comey's testimony fleshed out the details—that [...]
May
11
2007
Joyce Battle on Iraq media plan, Caryl Rivers on 'Selling Anxiety'
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: we often hear that the Iraq War relied on overly optimistic predictions from the Bush White House and its allies about how everyday Iraqis would react to a military invasion. A new report sheds light on one aspect of that pre-war planning—the Pentagon's plans for Iraq's media. What does the report add to what we know about U.S. propaganda efforts in Iraq? We'll speak with Joyce Battle of the National Security Archive. Also on the show: women—are you trying to be Superwoman? failing to be Superwoman? tired of being Superwoman? Any tension women might [...]
May
01
2007
Asleep at the Wheel
Press ignores congressional OK for martial law
By Robert Kubey
On October 17, 2006, when George W. Bush signed the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2007—a $538 billion military spending bill—he enacted into law a section called “Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies.” In the view of many, this Act substantially changed fundamental laws of the United States, giving Bush—and all future U.S. presidents—new and sweeping powers to use the U.S. military anywhere in the United States, virtually as he sees fit—for disaster relief, crowd control, suppression of public disorder, or any “other condition” that might arise. News coverage of these significant changes in [...]
Mar
30
2007
Erik Leaver on Iraq bills, Mike Farrell on 'Just Call Me Mike'
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: what are advocates of peace to make of the war spending bill that's just made its way through the Senate? Press accounts call it a "withdrawal bill" and a "forceful rebuke" to Bush's war policy. Is that how it looks close up? We'll hear from Erik Leaver, of the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy In Focus on that story. Also on CounterSpin: actor Mike Farrell has devoted himself to serious fights for social justice, working against the death penalty, Reagan-era foreign policy in Central America, and the war in Iraq. His celebrity [...]
Mar
30
2007
CNN's Impeachment 'Reality Check' Needs Fact Check
On March 26, CNN's Situation Room program presented a "reality check" of discussions of impeaching George W. Bush. Reporter Carol Costello concluded, "To sum it up, the only way President Bush can be impeached is if he violates the law." But that summary is misleading. The CNN report took up the issue primarily in response to Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel's recent comments about impeachment. Anchor Wolf Blitzer introduced the idea this way: "They used to be just whispers, quiet conversations about impeaching the president, but now as we just saw, they're getting a little bit louder." As an example, CNN [...]
Mar
09
2007
Robert Parry on Libby verdict, Paul Porter on Payola settlements
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: former White House aide Scooter Libby was found guilty of 4 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Valerie Plame leak investigation. The case might be over, but the chatter about what it means for reporters, the White House and the debate over the Iraq War will continue. Veteran reporter Bob Parry of Consortium News will join us to talk about the verdict, and the limits of what trials like this reveal to the public. Also this week: settlements over the latest payola scandals will force four large radio companies to pay [...]
Feb
02
2007
Won't Get Fooled Again?
NYT, networks offer scant skepticism on Iran claims
The most important lesson about the Iraq War for reporters was perhaps the simplest one: Don't assume the White House is telling the truth. It's a lesson that many reporters seem to be forgetting now that U.S. officials are escalating their claims about Iran's role in Iraq. On January 29, CBS Evening News aired a report about Iran's alleged support for Shiite militias in Iraq. Anchor Katie Couric introduced the segment by saying "the U.S. military says it has proof positive" to that effect, and Pentagon correspondent David Martin did little to undercut the official line by saying the U.S. [...]
Dec
01
2006
Gary Younge on Iraq politics, Ali Abunimah on 'One Country'
Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: As reports from Iraq become increasingly dire, U.S. policy makers and their media enablers are looking everywhere but at themselves for someone to blame. A Nation columnist and New York correspondent for London's Guardian newspaper writes about the finger pointing in his latest Guardian column, "They Lied Their Way Into Iraq. Now They are Trying to Lie Their Way Out." Gary Younge will join us to talk about Iraq and the political endgame. Also on CounterSpin today, politicians and pundits tend to agree that solving the Israel-Palestine conflict would go a long way towards [...]
