Dana Milbank, Apologist for White House Lies

[Eric J in MN]

Dana Milbank


Dana Milbank is a man who works for the Washington Post as both a reporter and a columnist.

He appeared on MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" yesterday.

From Media Matters for America, about the White House press conference yesterday after Bush's scripted conversation with the troops in Iraq:

Discussing the event on the October 13 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Washington Post reporter Dana Milbank commented on White House press secretary Scott McClellan's handling of questions about the event:

MILBANK: Scott McClellan, who is a good and decent guy, has to get up there and say, This is not a rehearsed event, even when they've actually released the footage showing that it is a rehearsed event. So when he has to say up is down, and he has to go taking on challenging the motives of the press corps, he's obviously got a problem. I don't know how he could handle this any better, unfortunately.

Milbank calls McClellan a "good and decent guy" -- then, in the very same sentence, says that McClellan lied to Milbank's colleagues and the American people. Then he goes on to indicate that McClellan handled it as well as he could have.


When did reporters start taking the position that lying to the American people constitutes handling things as well as possible?

Wouldn't telling the truth be a better way to "handle this"? Why is Milbank defending McClellan's "challenging the motives of the press corps" -- Milbank's colleagues -- when he knows McClellan was lying?

[Straight Shooter]

1. The wind isn't blowing hard enough for Milbank to discern its direction.

As for Scotty-Mouth being "good and decent," Milbank considers himself to be good and decent. I suppose it's where you set the bar that matters.

[zann725]

3. Yet Milbank gave an obvious laughing smirk at the "2%" Black approval

of Shrub. Milbank's all-out chuckle and smirk as he speculated on "Countdown" that the "+ or - 3% margin of error" COULD mean that Shrub might have a minus 1 approval rating. And 'those negative approval ratings WERE somthing to worry about.'

I saw in Milbank's body language, AND language regarding that poll...a real obvious, 'not afraid anymore' to show how he truly felt at last.

[CatWoman]

10. The White House went after Milbank with a vengeance

back when Ari was press secretary.

[Straight Shooter]

14. Interesting. I suppose they finally tamed the little masochist, then.

I did see his condescending interview on Countdown. From what little I observe of him on Internet video clips and reading his articles, it seems to me that Milbank is a windsock journalist.

[CatWoman]

17. !

http://www.prospect.org/print/V13/5/confessore-n.html

[Catrina]

5. Excellent assessment of Dana Millbank

These pseudo journalists ignored all the evidence of the lies told by this administration, and they were serious lies, for years now. I remember Millbank making fun of Rep. Conyers' hearings on the DSM.

Why anyone asks him for his opinion on anything is beyond me. He is definitely working for the WH.

He tried to dismiss the Jeff Gannon story (when we finally know who told him about the memo, that story too will prove to have been important, imo), make fun of the lies revealed in the DSM and ridicule one of the few decent politicians we have in this country today.

Since he rarely actually 'reports' on anything, as far as I can tell, but mostly gives his opinion, we have a pretty clear picture of his own moral compass.

1) Phony journalists are no problem
2) Lies are fine, even if they are about war
3) An honest politician, shut out by a criminal administration, is someone to ridicule, while crooks in the WH are not.

There's more, but Dana is a joke, like all the rest of the WH propagandists, except for the fact that they got so many people killed.

[susu369]

6. Catrina, you have given an excellent assessment

of Dana. I agree with you totally.

[KoKo]

7. His slamming and ridiculing Conyers was too much for me.

I never trusted a word he wrote after that. And, he was on Matthews show last night participating in Chris's "We all lie in Washington and it's nothing to go after Wilson because it's hard ball." (I'm paraphrasing what he said last night but it was all about how things run in DC and we should expect politics to be down and dirty and people's reputations to be ruined because it's part of the game.)

IOW's to Matthews it's no big deal that a CIA Agent was outed because in his mind he thinks she was "fair game" if her husband tried to defy a President. :eyes:

Milbank strikes me as the same. He thinks it's all crooked so who cares how low it can go.

[stumblnrose]

13. I know where to set the bar for Scottie

1600 block of 17th NW.Not that there's anything wrong with that but the hypocrisy of these anti-gay gays.

[bluedawg12]

2. It's a rhetorical device- before you slam someone

you start off with a positive to show you are balanced and then you attack.

I think Milbank is more on our side than not from what I have seen.

[Eric J in MN]

9. Is saying a person had no choice but to lie

really a slam

[bluedawg12]

16. I read it as sarcastic and RealPolitik you know

paraphrasing:

McBalloon-head is a good and decent man (sarcasm) with a compromising job, he works for a corrupt admin. who has been caught in many lies and he is caught lying in their defense- poor fatheadScotty, he is in a tough posiiton what could he do- he has a pact with the devil.

Dana has been in the front lines in the WH press conference shouting qustions at lyingfathead- his statement here in print is subtle- he is a journalist and can't come out and say scottyisaRW ho' like we can.

My concern is that if Dana is in our corner- and we miss read his subtle attacks and attack it was- then we may alienate ourselves from a useful ally--if we count that is. LOL

I mean, this was pretty strong comming from a journalist who sits in the WH press meetings front row.

"So when he has to say up is down, and he has to go taking on challenging the motives of the press corps, he's obviously got a problem"

[carolinalady]

4. "The truth shall set you free." From employment that is.

I think that was Dana's way of saying that McClellan has no choice in what he says. He is the BFEE mouthpiece. Personally I think he or anyone that would agree to spout * partyline is slimy. I would not be surprised if he is not actively seeking alternative employment at this time. It seems like he is tired of being humiliated.
:rofl:

[Eric J in MN]

8. Yes, that is a reasonable interpretation.

While Scott McLellan could have said, "Yes, it was scripted" it may have been his last day as White House spokesman.

[ChiciB1]

11. Milbank Did ONE Good Interview Of Late!

ONE... basically he ain't the guy who will "hurt" the WH!

I've seen him too many times to think his spots are going to change!

Where's David Gregory lately????

Of course, we do still have Olbermann! Loved how he kept saying "his producers" were making him cover certain subjects last night!!!

[grasswire]

12. Dana Milbank, Skull & Bones

Bonesmen pledge loyalty to the secret society that is a loyalty above all others.

It's pretty clear.

[McCamy Taylor]

15. Dana Milibank has been a reliable WH tool in the past, ENRON

lie which he told back in winter 2002 was that no on in the administration ever lobbied for the House bill that would have given an immediate retroactive tax rebate of taxes never paid by Enron to Enron. This bill was introduced in the wake of 9-11, was rushed through the GOP House. I have link at Salon in the Enron thread in Politics which show an administration official (i forget which one now) giving a speech in October in which he specifically mentions this bill and supports it. Actually, I have a quote from the link. The link has mysteriously disappeared (ha!). Democratic Senate killed the bill. Days later Enron went bankrupt, possibly because it didnt get that cash infusion.

Anyway, the press was breathing down the WH's neck about Enron, the Senate was still in Democrats hands and holding Enron hearings and Dana Milibank, bless his soul, writes an article in which he states that the Administration NEVER EVER lobbied for that House Bill that would have given money to Enron.


He has done other shit, too, but the Enron one was an out and out lie, proving that he is either so sloppy that he writes what the WH tells him to write without checking it or so subservient he writes what the WH tells him to write without checking it.

Now that the WH has gone down the toilet and is heading out to sea, Milibank is enjoying his freedom and is getting back at them.

I wish that Countdown would stop putting him in soft focus. It makes him look like an aging movie star.

I dont know why he like Scottie Dont so much. Maybe they like to cruise malls together.