Return to CatholicExchange's Media & Culture Channel Saturday for THE UGLY.
(This feature courtesy of the Media Research Center.)
THE BAD
Arguing For Mild Response
“We don't want this to change America too much. There's been a lot of talk today about how we're going to live in a different country. Maybe we should resist some of that. We don't want to become the Middle East. We don't want to get into an unending cycle of violence. Yes, we must retaliate, but if we go on too much of a war footing, then we'll get into a cycle that folks in the Middle East have been living with for many, many years and would truly change the nature of what it is to be an American.”
— Newsweek's Jonathan Alter to Brian Williams during MSNBC's live
coverage just before 2:00 am EDT, September 12.
Fewer Defenses Now Needed
“There's been a lot of talk recently, Secretary Cohen, about missile defense and spending billions of dollars to put some sort of missile defense system into place. And this morning, we're reminded, once again, that what it really takes is just perhaps an airline ticket to wreak havoc on this nation. Does it make talk of a missile defense seem a bit unnecessary?”
— NBC's Matt Lauer questioning former Defense Secretary William Cohen on the September 12 Today.
“Hypersensitive” White House
Bryant Gumbel: “Bill, still no hard evidence that, in fact, the White House or Air Force One were targeted. Are you somewhat surprised by the hypersensitivity of this White House?”
Bill Plante: “I'm not surprised by their hypersensitivity. They don't want to look like the President was running and that's why they seem to be going out of their way to try to establish that there was a reason that he didn't come back. We do know, I can confirm independently, that the Secret Service was very concerned about the White House complex being a possible target. We have that from other people, but they seem to be very sensitive indeed
to the notion that he was running when he should have come right back or when he said he was coming right back.”
Gumbel: “But again, no hard evidence that we've seen yet.”
— Exchange on CBS's The Early Show, September 13.
Flunking the Fugitive President
“George W. Bush could not find the beat. He jarringly referred to the terrorists as 'folks' in his first public comments, during which he looked more apprehensive than resolute. He allowed himself to be hauled about the country like a fugitive to bunkers at air bases in Louisiana and Nebraska….The capital of the free world was a ghost town in a desperate hour. Bush said the attack was a 'test' for the country. It was also one for him. He flunked.”
— Washington Post columnist Mary McGrory, September 13.
Liberal Definition of “Realism”
“Assembling that broad coalition…has to be our top diplomatic priority now. If that means heeding their arguments for postponing deployment of a theoretically workable missile defense system against a theoretical 'rogue nation' missile threat, then that is what realism requires of Bush…. And if the price for [a] short-term budget deal is suspension of the long-term tax cut Bush pushed through when the economy and the world situation looked far different — a tax cut that threatens the future viability of Social Security — that too would be a victory for realism.”
— Washington Post reporter and columnist David Broder in his September 13 column.
Don't Frighten the “Allies”
“This was a very firm message to the international community, and it's not necessarily the message those abroad wanted to hear. Moderate Arab nations, even NATO allies, were not looking for a lot of bellicose language about war. They weren't looking for ultimatums, but that's what they got, and that's what they've been hearing in private. In fact, the only thing that I think some of the nations abroad, especially the moderate Arab nations, were looking to hear was the fact that this is not a war against Islam, it's not a war against Arabs. They got that part of the message, but for the most part, this is not going to be reassuring to the international community, which was looking for something probably a little bit softer.”
— ABC's Claire Shipman following President Bush's address to Congress on September 20.
