Last week we noted that Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, had lashed out against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after Rumsfeld gave a speech criticizing those who believe terrorists can be appeased. Even though the secretary's speech made no reference to either the Democratic Party or any contemporary politician, Reid accused Rumsfeld of "lashing out" at "political enemies" and playing "partisan games." When Rumsfeld said "appeasement," Reid seems to have concluded: Hey, he's talking about us!
Yesterday President Bush delivered a speech in which he discussed al Qaeda's strategy against the U.S. (ellipses in original):
Along with this campaign of terror, the enemy has a propaganda strategy. Osama bin Laden laid out this strategy in a letter to the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, that coalition forces uncovered in Afghanistan in 2002. In it, bin Laden says that al Qaeda intends to "[launch]," in his words, "a media campaign . . . to create a wedge between the American people and their government." This media campaign, bin Laden says, will send the American people a number of messages, including "that their government [will] bring them more losses, in finances and casualties." And he goes on to say that "they are being sacrificed . . . to serve . . . the big investors, especially the Jews." Bin Laden says that by delivering these messages, al Qaeda "aims at creating pressure from the American people on the American government to stop their campaign against Afghanistan."
Like Reid last week, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann seems to think the president was talking about him:
Make no mistake here--the intent of that is to get us to confuse the psychotic scheming of an international terrorist, with that familiar bogeyman of the right, the "media."
The President and the Vice President and others have often attacked freedom of speech, and freedom of dissent, and freedom of the press.
Now, Mr. Bush has signaled that his unparalleled and unprincipled attack on reporting has a new and venomous side angle:
The attempt to link, by the simple expediency of one word--"media"--the honest, patriotic, and indeed vital questions and questioning from American reporters, with the evil of Al-Qaeda propaganda.
That linkage is more than just indefensible. It is un-American.
Maybe if the Democrats take Congress if November, they can reconstitute the House Un-American Activities Committee and hold hearings on President Bush's misuse of the word "media." Though if you look at the speech closely, you'll note that this wasn't the president's word; it was part of a quote from Osama bin Laden.
Anyway, we are part of the media, and we'd like to say we have no problem with President Bush's speech. As for Olbermann, hey, if the shoe fits . . .
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