ANOTHER rightwing blog story goes down in flames

[KelleyKramer]

The wingnut blogs hate the 'MSM' because of a liberal bias.. their mission is to be a 'watchdog' and make sure the 'MSM' does 'accurate' reporting and ensure that they get their 'facts' straight.

Well, well... lets talk about another word... Credibility!!!

Haha ...

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jan/05/the_wingnut_lonely_kerry_story_is_bogus_according_to_witnesses

New Proof That The Wingnut "Lonely Kerry" Story Is Bogus

For days and days now, a photo of Senator John Kerry has been making the rounds in the conservative blogosphere




This photo has been triumphantly pointed to by conservative bloggers who claim that it shows that Kerry was "snubbed" by the troops during a recent visit to Iraq. This story was promoted by Powerline Blog's John Hinderaker and Scott Johnson, Michelle Malkin, Instapundit, Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs, and many others. To the wingers this photo demonstrated, in the words of Malkin, that "lonely John Kerry" had been "spurned by the troops in Iraq."

The wingers spent many, many hours on this photo, trying to prove its authenticity. I'm not going to dispute that it's authentic. Rather, I'm here to report that I've now contacted at least two people who say they were at the table with Kerry. And it's clear that the winger characterization of the photo is entirely bogus.

Specifically, it turns out that Kerry was at that table to conduct an off-the-record breakfast discussion with two reporters, so there would have been no reason whatsover for troops to be sitting with them. In fact, Kerry and the reporters even sought out empty seats, I'm told.

More on the link, here--
http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jan/05/the_wingnut_lonely_kerry_story_is_bogus_according_to_witnesses

[Taxloss]

1. But will this debunking ever reach all those who got the email?

No. And that's why smears like this work. It's knackering replying-to-all with Snopes links weeks after the mailing, and ineffective. The whole buiness is demoralising.

[Jade Fox]

6. Yes, that's the problem exactly......n/t

[KelleyKramer]

9. Reply to all is your friend

I love getting those things, and when sending a reply to all I always start it with .. "Please keep me on your list, I love debunking all the rightwing lies.. its like shooting fish in a barrel"

[Warpy]

2. How stupid can those people be?

He's obviously conversing with someone.

It's just like that cherrypicked "Dean scream" tape. Choose your camera angle carefully and crop the photo creatively enough, and anyone can be alone in a crowd.

[China_cat]

4. And even ABC pointed out about the 'Dean scream'

that his mike was a directional one that was picking up only his voice and the 'scream' would have sounded much different if the background could have been heard, too.

[MH1]

8. What killed me about that (and probably alot of DUers)...

I was watching that live and just thought he was being enthusiastic, I didn't see it in any way negative. The way it was played later made it seem totally different than it did that night.

I was never a huge Dean fan - I was rooting for Kerry by that time, too - and that really pissed me off, so I can understand how it must have upset his real fans. (To be clear, I always thought he was a decent guy and still do, I am just trying to differentiate myself from the most ardent supporters).

[ldf]

11. and just how long did it take abc to do that?

it was long after all the damage was done, which THEY participated in.

abc news = ABCess TV, a pocket of festering pus, masquerading as a news organization.

we need to take back OUR airwaves. and ANYONE who, in any way, participated in subverting the will of the voters should be tried, convicted and imprisoned for treason.

no exceptions.

[China_cat]

14. No, they first corrected it the very next day.

Including a sound file taken from another mike on the floor showing what it actually sounded like in the room. Diane Sawyer did a full piece on it on GMA...probably the last decent piece of reporting that came out of that show.

[Jade Fox]

7. There is someone sitting directly across from Kerry....

in the photo. Yes, the camera angle distorts it, but if you look at all carefully, it's obvious.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. They rely on their audience not to question what they tell them

That lack of desire to explore the truth is what keeps bush from falling below 30%. They are simply too lazy to question and seek answers on their own.

[XOKCowboy]

3. Glenn Greenwald has it here in a hilarious article

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2007/01/credibility-of-right-wing-blogosphere.html#links

Jeez they get every thing wrong but always pass it off as having good intentions for their speculation.

They operate in a credibility-free zone where there are never any consequences for their mistakes because the partisans who read them will always dismiss every one of these unfair smears on the media as well-intentioned (one of the bloggers on Malkin's Hot Air site emphasized last night in defending himself how "well founded and well intended our suspicions were"). That led Malkin herself to add: "Just to clarify, I’m not apologizing for anything."

[Ezlivin]

5. The empty tables are the result of calling on all Bush supporters to attend

It's an inconvenient truth that even the soldiers have turned sour on Bush.

[stanwyck]

12. What I love about this

is how low the right has fallen. Look, folks, this pathetic, little email is all they've got now. And that tired old retread of a Sandy Berger story. The right is reeling right now. They're falling down. They can't discuss any issue that is meaningful. Health insurance. The minimum wage. Iraq. The deficit. Immigration. They've got nowhere to go but to wallow in silly little fake stories.
Sit back and enjoy. Watch them come up with increasingly inane and vapid issues which don't even resonate with the Kool-Aid crowd.

[KelleyKramer]

15. And their AP vendetta fell to pieces this week too

You got that right about 'sit back and enjoy'

Their big vendetta against the Associated Press being biased by reporting on Iraq with a source that doesnt exist...

Well, turns out he is real ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3058068

Yup, they are falling to pieces.

[HuffleClaw]

13. had the pic been of BUSH

the spin would have been 'the troops were respectfully giving their commander in chief some quiet time'. had kerry been WITH troops, the spin would have been 'kerry INTRUDES...'

doesn't matter, they'll spin things as they like.