NBC’s David Gregory: The Angry Left Is Not ‘Very Serious And Tough’ On Iraq

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/22/david-gregory-left-iraq/

NBC’s David Gregory: The Angry Left Is Not ‘Very Serious And Tough’ On Iraq

On the Chris Matthews Show this morning, NBC White House correspondent David Gregory said that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) will need to have “her ‘Sister Souljah’ moment” and distance herself from the “hatred over Iraq” on “the left.”

“The left” needs to “think about how they’re going to engage the war on terror in a very serious and tough way,” said Gregory. Watch it at link~

Gregory is echoing the conventional, but deeply flawed, thinking that it is only the “angry left” who want to change course and redeploy from Iraq. In fact, 68 percent of Americans support withdrawal from Iraq within a year.

Gregory suggests that progressives have not been thinking seriously about how to transition responsibly out of Iraq. In fact, the Center for American Progress introduced such a plan in 2005, and has recently adapted the plan to respond to the deteriorating situation in Iraq.

Once again, Gregory is demonstrating his fundamental misunderstanding of the current political dynamics in America by describing left-leaning positions as out of touch when they are actually held by the majority of mainstream Americans.

Transcript:
DAVID GREGORY: Hillary Clinton, her Sister Souljah moment is going to be telling the left to move beyond their hatred over Iraq, for Bush, and think about how they’re going to engage the war on terror in a very serious and tough way.

[EFerrari]

1. Nice try, David. How long since you read the polls? n/t

[robinlynne]

63. He's too busy dancing with karl rove.

[More Than A Feeling]

2. This has been another edition of "David Gregory, beltway gasbag."

No doubt he thinks its been too long since he last won the "wanker of the day" award, so he's trying to make up for lost time.

What a tool.

[rodeodance]

3. In the first sentence he uses Iraq--in the next he uses war on Terror--I expected

more from him======but then again he likes being being invited to DC parties!

[Nite Owl]

4. At this point when the right

and that oh so precious middle have been wrong on everything they should be begging the 'angry left' for advise that they can make theirs. Time to listen up not ignor to get us out of the mess they have created.

[stevedeshazer]

5. These media people really DO live in a bubble

Unbelievable.

David, it's not the "Angry Left", it's the MAJORITY. :grr:

[devilgrrl]

47. I think they're more out-of-touch than the politicians!

It's not the "angry left" it's the "we know you're full of shit and have already turned off our TVs."

[tularetom]

6. I see Gregory got called in for a little chat with NBC brass

A while back he was showing signs of independence from the talking points, but he has made a drastic course correction and is now well back within the fold. I wonder who he had the come to jesus meeting with?

[rodeodance]

14. yes, something happened ------I used to respect him for his hard questions-

but when he says this stuff----he shows his strips

[AspenRose]

16. On one hand I don't totally blame him....

....his kids have probably been threatened.....

[LibDemAlways]

73. I'm wondering if his "come to Jesus" moment came complete

with compromising photos he wouldn't want to share with his wife.

He used to be semi-decent. Something happened that turned him into a worthless toady.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. She already had her "SisterSoujah" moment when she voted for the war.

And, then described the "failing insurgency".

[leftchick]

10. and blaming the victims....

"Iraqis need to Stand Up"!! :puke:

[leftchick]

8. 70 % of Americans are the "Looney left"!!!

yeah right. :rofl:

[bunny planet]

9. anybody notice how Keith Olbermann no longer has David Gregory on his shows

for interviews. He now only has Richard Wolfe and David Schuster. I think he's a bit disgusted with David and some of the most recent things he's said, or maybe its just the dancing with MC Rove that clinched it for him. David Gregory needs to buy a clue, its not just the far left that's angry about Iraq, its getting close to 80% of the country, left, middle, and right.

[Karenina]

44. Career choice: Tweety in training.

:puke:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

11. Oh David, save the next dance for me please.

[judaspriestess]

22. that is a most offensive photo

they look like robots

[HCE SuiGeneris]

23. they are rapping...

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Jim Sagle]

25. Gettin' Down wid da Pig Man....

[CGowen]

71. Hitler salute with wrong hand vs. El Diablo handsign n/t

[dkofos]

12. WTF stretch. It's not just a lefty thing anymore.

You need to get out more.

[gulliver]

13. David's an ego-maniac. He picks on the angry left, because...

... next to the well-informed, intellectual left, he looks like a monkey. Too bad. David Gregory has guts and brains, but he is kind of ignorant and careerist. He quite rightly sees that he can't afford to get bogged down in facts and complexity when the market is for pap. His news form is to news what pop music is to music.

[KoKo]

15. "Dancing with MC Rove" will do that to ya! n/t

[SpiralHawk]

17. Gregory is just spouting the hate-wing republicon propaganda points

Projecting hate onto others. We did not hate so much as to start a war crusade against a nation this did not attack us, or to torture innocent people.

Gregory and other right-wing shills show no integrity, no honor.

[Marr]

33. Yes, the Rush Limbaughs and Dick Cheney's of the world are just fine.

Selling wars, stealing money, hyping all sorts of irrational fear and hatred to achieve their goals. That's all just fine.

But if their actions actually make you angry, then you're a "hater". Apparently the only rational, acceptable positions are right-wing extremist, or docile sheep.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. I wonder how much the Sociopaths paid for Gregory's soul? nt

[Hamlette]

19. I heard him and I don't think that's what he said or what he meant

He said "the hatred over Iraq" on the left. Then he went on to say: and talk about what we do about terrorism in a serious way.

What it sounded like to me was: the left is pissed about Iraq, so pissed that they are not talking about what is a real terrorist threat out there.

He's right. We are SO pissed off at Bush and Iraq that we can't see past it. While I am NOT advocating we let go of our anger we do need to walk and chew gum at the same time. We need to get the message out there that we have a better plan, not just for national defense but on domestic issues.

It's tough to do since the media is so focused on what we do/say about Iraq. We need people out there who can talk the whole picture and when they try to box us in, fight back. If you saw the shows this morning, contrast Fiengold who was brilliant with Reid who was not. I like Harry but he wasn't great this am (it didn't help that he was followed by Snowe, a reasonable sounding republican). Russ didn't let them get away with painting him as having the minority position.

Where the hell is Dean? I remember Terry McAuliff on TV all the time and he seemed an idiot. Dean is much smarter. I'd like to see him more.

[napi21]

21. I agree with you & David that the winning Dem is going to have to present

a foreign policy plan that, to the American people, sounds like it will work!

The part I believe David and ALL OF THE MEDIA is missing is that the left IS pissed off a Shrub, but it's NOT ONLY Iraq! It's a list of things that is sooo long it's impossible to even put a total list together anymore! It's very difficult to put the anger aside when there are so many different anger topics! I know I can't seem to have a conversation with friends that SOMETHING that Shrub or one of his minions doesn't enter and change the most innocent conversation to anger.

[Peregrine Took]

29. Why do WE have to devise a "responsible" plan to end Iraq? THEY got us into

it!

[Hamlette]

69. He didn't say WE had to get us out or Iraq. Don't mix Iraq with terrorism.

2 separate things. And I think that's what he was saying. Talk about getting out of Iraq but still doing something about terrorism.

[WinkyDink]

60. What one "does" about terrorism is what WAS done forever: Hunt down the criminals.

As in:
Munich Olympics Black September;
Baader-Meinhof;
Carlos the Jackal;
Pan Am 103 Libyans;
Timothy McVeigh (Hey! We didn't bomb OURSELVES!).

This was NEVER a "War on Terror"; it is a "War OF Terror", inflicted by Bushco on innocent Iraqis, brave American soldiers, and naive American civilians.

For territory and oil.

[Hamlette]

70. I agree

and we should show how Bush's got it alone approach hurts us in our effort to hunt them down.

It's such a mess now we must loudly repudiate Bush and hope other countries forgive us.

[Garbo 2004]

72. Perhaps it should be pointed out that the Bush Administration doesn't talk or act about terrorism

in a serious way. When they do talk about "terra" it's to justify the continued occupation of Iraq with silly slogans like "fight them over there." And to justify the overriding of law and the Constitution. And using "terra alerts" and bogus "plots" to rule the populace by fear. Odd how after the 2004 election the terra alerts stopped for a long time. They had served their purpose.

Now with the 2008 campaign ramping up, we have the head of Homeland Security informing us of the state of his "gut." Gastric rumblings replace actual intel, although these guys have so politicized what they claim is "intel" that only the most credulous would blindly believe their claims. They have cried wolf too many times, playing politics with our security concerns.

This Administration has already shown that they are willing to blow secret operations against terrorism and potential threats for political purposes. Remember when the Brits had to act prematurely because the US was going to reveal the capture of a fellow in Pakistan and the information he had? The Brits were working the info obtained and the leads it gave them; the US just wanted to go public and use the PR for political purposes.

And then of course there's the revelation of Valerie Wilson's CIA employment. That's been so politicized from the get go that many people who only rely on corporate media don't realize the potential consequences to our national security. We don't know the actual impact on operations and assets. Before her assignment to the Iraq joint task force (looking for evidence of Iraq's alleged WMD programs that didn't exist) she worked on nuke counterproliferation. While the Administration was chanting about "mushroom clouds" and "dirty bombs" they outed a covert CIA agent whose work had been in nuclear counterproliferation, work intended to keep us safe from the potential threats that the Bush administration adopted as mere marketing slogans.

For this Administration, political purposes trump national security. These are the same folks who came into office and sneered at the "Clintonistas' obsession" with Bin Laden and the threat of terrorism. After a history of attacks on the US (WTC 93) and US assets overseas, Bush's response to a CIA briefer on the August 6, 2001 PDB was "ok, you've covered your ass now" and went back to "clearing brush" on his ranch.

The Clinton Administration took terrorism seriously as a potential threat. But they didn't use it as a free pass to an imperial presidency, above the law and not subject to oversight and accountability.

The majority of people are against staying in Iraq and the continued bleeding off of resources in human lives and money. Iraq had nothing to do with the alleged "war on terror," another marketing slogan. Our continued involvement in Iraq is not making us safer. On objective reality based grounds, the claims of the Bush administration ("we're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here") should be held up to the scorn and ridicule it deserves, as the feeble and dangerously deceptive attempt it is to prop up catastrophic policies that in fact do not serve and are indeed contrary to our security interests.

What is needed (and it's hard for many politicians to do, especially when they're in campaign mode) is to quit adopting the language, memes and scarifying of the Bush Administration and tell the damn truth. The Bush Administration hasn't been serious about terrorism from the beginning. And the real serious approach is not using terrorism, national security issues for political purposes (people are sick of that). A better international approach & cooperation with other nations since terrorism knows no borders and getting serious about the real threats out there and those who bankroll those ops. And from the beginning, the Bush Administration knew it wasn't Iraq.

And most seriously, which few politicians are willing to do, is to put the threat of terrorism in its proper perspective after the years of the Bush Administration making it the great boogeyman in order to usurp power, justify its actions and to hold itself above accountability. They should stop accepting and using the "war on terror" meme as if it's something that can be "won," where victory will one day can be declared and there will be no more potential threats.

There is serious work to be done, but first is to not deal in and further the propaganda bullshit and fearmongering of the last 6 years, to point out the extreme politicization and crippling of our genuine intel gathering and analysis which was done to serve a policy agenda, to restore effective oversight and to deal with the reality as it is in a serious fashion. Not to buy into and further the kind of inflated rhetoric used to prop up and continue failed and catastrophically wrongheaded policies which do not make us safer.

[benld74]

20. NA if the idiotic right would get their head out of their arses they could see better

[SoCalDem]

24. Candidates who "tell" the voters what to do and what to think,

often end up as EX-candidates..aka - losers.

ALL we expect from any candidate is for them to lay out THEIR philosophies about issues, and then WE will decide if we like them:)

[Wetzelbill]

26. fuck that guy

Engage the war on terror in a serious way? Besides the misconception that it's only some rabid Left-Wing faction that thinks that way, these guys in the media have some gall in deciding who is serious and who is not. The mere fact that any of these guys thought Bush, a lifelong failure, was in some way a credible candidate is ridiculous. The other fact that these guys never challenged or recognized the invasion Iraq as the pure idiocy that is was is even more ridiculous. When Gregory wants to point out the virtues of being serious and tough about the war on terror, then maybe he should look at the latest NIE and Bush's miserable record on the war on terror. Al-Qaeda stronger than ever is not being tough on terror. Supporting the biggest mistake in American foreign policy history is not being serious in the war on terror. And conflating Iraq and the war on terror, a rhetorical war at that, is intellectually dishonest to begin with. If that is the starting point of his argument, well then he started off flawed in the first place.

But this is classic Beltway stuff. David Gregory is alright for the most part, but these guys believe the world revolves around their every move. Nobody out in the real world really gives a shit. Only people extremely interested in politics reads columns by the beltway crowd or watches Hardball every night etc. David Gregory doesn't speak for most of America, but he thinks he can, even though his world is very small. And so goes down the line with the Howard Finemans, Joe Kleins, David Broders, Dan Balzs et al of the world.

[OHdem10]

27. Gregory has joined the gaggle as they make the same

mistake they made in getting us into this war. m They were
the cheerleaders with poms-poms who blasted anyone who
questioned going to war with Iraq. Remember their breathless
"Are you contadicting this popular President."

They have once again got their "tummy rub" from the WHite House
and are doing their bidding. Frame every story or piece on TV
with a negative view of Democrats. Use the GOP talking points
verbatim. "Risky precipitous withdrawal". Not one has ever
acknowledged the fact that Deocratic Plan is an orderly withdrawal
with some troops remaining in the Area to continue AlQeda fight.

They only have guests experts who want to stay in Iraq for
10 years.

They never point out the fact that starting with Gen. Abizaid
General Casey and now General Petreus have all said unequivially
that it requires 10 years to quell an Insurgency.

At least C-Span provided several panel disceussions over the
past month. The panel had Experts from Recognized Think Tanks
who have developed plans for getting out of Iraq. MSM and Cable
news < one has to assume, have joined the GOP in the desire
to send our Blood and Treasure into a Meatgrinder month after
month.

A Professor Hafez, gave an outstanding presentation helping us
understand the Iraqi Mindset (Culture, etc His most important
piece of advice. American Leaders should have and open Debate
on -- Do we stay 10 years and complete the job or Do we
Cut our Losses? His own feeling is Ameicans will want to
cut their losses.

Do We stay 10 years or Do we Cut Our Losses???



do we Stay 10 years or Do we cut our Losses?????

Gregory apparently is with 10 year crowd. Start calling the
Media out on this???

Start making GOP Senators decide. Do we stay 10 years or
Do we cut our losses????

[bbgrunt]

28. He lost me when he danced with Rove

[Swamp Rat]

30. DAVID GREGORY: It's only rape, torture, mass murder. Get over it.

If Gregory is so tough, how come he isn't riding around in Humvees with troops doing SERIOUS reporting?

[The Cleaner]

31. Yeah but Gregory still sticks it to Bush during press conferences.

:shrug:

i still respect the man but I did begin to have reservations about him when I first began to see him on the Today morning infotainment show (he sometimes fills in for Matt Lauer).

[Marr]

32. His coverage has really taken a turn for worse lately. It's suddenly

very inside-the-Beltway and out-of-touch with reality. For awhile there he was posing some pretty good questions, by US corporate journalism standards. Now he's really indistinguishable from any other Beltway salesman.

[Coexist]

34. "progressives have not been thinking seriously about how to transition responsibly out of Iraq"

Was that supposed to be a joke? Does he not pay attention to ANYTHING we say?

[kurth]

35. Gregory was named Best White House Correspondent by the conservative Media Research Center

'Nuf said.

[NYCGirl]

54. Of course, that was only for Bush's first 100 days in office...

http://www.mediaresearch.org/projects/bush100/welcome.asp

Your statement sounds a little strange to me, so a Google search yielded this.

[malaise]

36. And he is?

:shrug:

[Warren Stupidity]

37. Oh conflating our war of aggression and occupation of Iraq

with the fight against international terrorist gangs such as al qaeda is such bullshit. Everyone who mouths this lie from a position of access and power, such as Gregory, is a war criminal. Every one of them. Too bad we have nobody on our side who can simply cut this tool off and say 'Gregpory why are you deliberately confusing the mess in Iraq with terrorist thugs like Osama bin Laden?'

[walldude]

38. Same David Gregory who defended Ann Coulter to Hillary Clinton?

That is all....

[The Count]

39. And did he performed another rap with KKKarl after that? That anyone takes this clown

seriously after that moment of shame baffles me...Who cares what they say? They say what their masters tell them to.
Just in case you guys forgot, here it is, the "journalist"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdvHwtRdg_I

[deminks]

40. "Dances with Roves" is reading KKKarl memos and passing them off as punditry.

or worse, as news. Give it up, Dave. It is not worth anything anymore. No one believes you. You've lost it.

[smoogatz]

41. It's not a matter of misunderstanding.

He's a rightwing propagandist, pure nad simple. If you want evidence of not being serious about fighting al Qaida, look no further than the Bush administration. It's obvious to the American people, and it's obvious to Gregory. But it's not what he gets paid to say.

[AntiFascist]

42. The mainstream propaganda is so twisted...

The left wing is much more educated about issues, it's the right-wing that needs to look past its hatred of Muslims and understand that many in the Arab world don't appreciate us stealing their oil. When the Iraqi government is telling us we can "leave at any time" and the majority of Iraqis don't want Americans there, then these should be clear signs that IT'S TIME TO LEAVE!

I just hope Gregory is not setting up Hillary for her response to the next domestic terrorist event. How many "Pearl Harbors" do they need to have before they realize that the public is smarter than they think?

[alcibiades_mystery]

43. Many people on DU say the same exact thing

We shouldn't pretend that this propaganda campaign is ineffective...it is very effective, even here.

[WillyT]

45. I Swear These Idiots Need To Take Several Road Trips A Year !!!

Just to keep their press credentials.

They are so in love with the sounds of their own voices within the beltway echo chamber, that they really have no idea what is happening outside of those 68.3 square miles.



:wtf:

[flyarm]

46. once again gregory has his head up bushes colonoscopy and the neo con ass!

enough of people liking this rove dancing asshole!!

shut him down..and shut them all down..fuck him..and what does he say about the 14% approval rating of this congress??

so 14 % like that they have not stopped the damn war and haven't impeached/?

well how about the rest of us gregory..what are we??

no gregory you are wrong and if you could get your head out of rove and bushes ass for a few minutes you would know that!!

impeach..that is what the american people want..we want accountability..befroe we have no constitution or bill of rights left and we have total tyranny!

fuck you david gregory..fuck you all to hell!

get the fuck off my airways you prick!

fly

[Miss Chybil]

48. Who's Sister Souljah and why does she have a moment? nt

[WinkyDink]

61. Google, with "Bill Clinton".

[LaurenG]

49. Ooo he's just a mouthpiece for the insane neocon right

:eyes:

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

50. Clinton should distance herself from 2/3 of the country?

[noise]

51. Propagandist

Another cheerleader for dictatorship.

Why can't the right prevent terror attacks without trashing the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions? Gregory won't answer that question because he is a MSM propagandist.

How did this start? With the POTUS ignoring the August 6 PDB, vacationing while they system was blinking red and then sitting in Booker Elementary without a clue.

Not only would the left do a MUCH BETTER job of combating terrorism but the left would do it within the confines of the US Constitution and the Geneva Conventions.

The right apparently feels no shame in giving Bush the crutch of police state powers. That isn't "tough" on terror. It's pathetic and anti-American.

[Supersedeas]

52. dancing with the Devil again Gregory??

[stray cat]

53. War on terror not war in Iraq. Gregory is right the two are not the same

I am pro-increasing security at home, I think inspecting shipments and good police work and communication is essential to try to minimize acts against civilians by anyone. I think a good public health surveilance and quick disaster relief and response is important not only for hurricanes but potential terrorist acts. I think individuals do sometimes kill civilians in massive numbers and that some people are looking for ways to do it.

Any candidate who doesn't believe terrorism can occur in the U.S. and is not willing to take the possibility seriously will never get my vote.

That said - Bush's war on terror is propaganda and the war in Iraq is a fiasco.

[Kingofalldems]

55. You mean he's not rapping with Karl Rove this weekend?

He lost all credibility with that little stunt.

[TankLV]

56. You start a war, by CHOICE, based on LIES - it's WRONG. PERIOD.

STOP and GET OUT - NOW - is the only solution.

NOTHING good can or will come of something initiated under FALSE PRETENSES.

WHEN WILL YOU FUCKING WAR CRIMINALS AND SUPPORTS GET THAT?!?!?!

This it will "get bad" - IT'S BAD NOW, YOU FUCKING REPUKE WHORE!

[mod mom]

57. Gregory..paid by his corporate masters to spread propaganda. Bush has caused

a proliferation of terrorism and following his lead puts our nation more at risk.

[WinkyDink]

58. That's a favorite theme of the Right: That anyone opposing Bush---whether over Iraq, health-care, or

any other issue---is just a "hater".

We have "hatred over Iraq".
We "hate Bush".

This "hate" talk, IMO, began when someone decided "Soccer Moms" were the voters to persuade, and they were all about "let's all get along".

Well, they can all go to Hell, and I'm going to stay ANGRY over having a PSYCHOPATHIC MURDERER as my President.

[quiet.american]

59. Whatever, David -- you have sold your soul and it didn't even take much.

The price was simply a dance with Karl Rove at a grand poobah press dinner and an invitation to the WH dinner hosted by the war criminal Bush. You make me :puke:.

[formercia]

62. New show

David Gregory Agent Provocateur.

[alarimer]

64. "The angry left" is angry about Iraq because we were RIGHT

and nobody would listen to us before this fiasco began.

[Disturbed]

66. Scenerio: Rove called Gregory's boss to complain about

Gregory's insolence. Gregory's boss gave him a choice of being more w friendly or be stationed in Iraq for a year. Of course Gregory chose what was best for himself.

[alarimer]

74. I guess so

I used to think he was one of the good ones.

[Cass]

65. What the hell is he on?

If he is this clueless about public support (or lack thereof) for this war then what the hell is he doing commentating on this??

[SoonerPride]

67. Iraq is not the war on terror. It is not even a war, it is an OCCUPATION

You fucktard.

I loathe the MSM.

[JerseygirlCT]

68. These guys really need those characters

They've got the script already written, and it just doesn't work without "the angry left". So I'm not expecting reality to intrude itself anytime soon.

The show must go on, after all.

[live love laugh]

75. How is it that 75% of the public is anti-Bush and 95% of the press is pro-Bush?

Who ARE these people? CIA plants? They continue to carry Bush's water despite all the evidence surrounding them that he and his gang are criminals.

They are as traitorous as Bush.