NBC News again omitted preconditions for White House interviews today

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200703260003

On the March 26 edition of NBC's Today, NBC News correspondent John Yang reported that President Bush and congressional Democrats are "still at odds over whether top Bush aides like {White House senior adviser} Karl Rove will testify under oath" regarding the controversial firing of eight U.S. attorneys. But Yang omitted the numerous other preconditions stipulated by the Bush administration for allowing Rove, former White House counsel Harriet Miers, and other current and former staff to be interviewed by congressional committees investigating the firings. Further, in characterizing the conflict over the White House demands as a fight between "the president and the Democrats on the Hill," Yang ignored the prominent Republican senators who have expressed concern with the preconditions, including Sen. Charles Grassley (IA), who made a point of noting his "aye" vote to authorize the Senate Judiciary Committee to issue subpoenas of White House staff.

Yang described the dispute over the interviews as pertaining to whether White House officials "will testify under oath," but he omitted the additional demands laid out by White House counsel Fred Fielding in his March 20 letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees:

that interviews be conducted behind closed doors;

that they not be televised or transcribed;

that there be no "subsequent testimony";

that no subpoenas be issued following the interviews;

and that committee members ask no questions concerning internal White House communications.

Further, the dispute is not simply between "the president and Democrats on the Hill." Indeed, at least three Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have objected to or criticized the White House's preconditions. As Media Matters for America noted, on March 22, after the Senate Judiciary Committee approved authorizing subpoenas for Rove, Miers, and White House deputy counsel William Kelley, Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) noted: "{T}he Senator from Iowa, Senator Grassley, says he wants the record to show he voted 'aye.' " In a subsequent press release, Grassley explained his vote: "I wanted to express my support for getting the facts out on the table."

[Sapere aude]

1. Listening to Tweety last night a couple of his guests made it sound like this was

only about Dems trying to get even with the WH and that they just wanted to paint Rove as the evil genius pulling the strings.

[wtmusic]

2. "Why do Democrats have to be so shrill?"

3...2...1...

[Gabi Hayes]

3. I saw that, and EVERY single guest: Norah OD, Richard Stengel, Gloria Borger,

the little twerp from the NYT, and tweety, agreed that this was just a political power play, designed to get Rove, basically, and the PEOPLE don't care a bit about this, that it's unimportant.

they didn't discuss ANY of the issues involved, couching the discussion purely in terms of pug vs. dem political conflict.

this was by far the single WORST episode of that horrible show I've ever seen, and that's saying something

[Old and In the Way]

4. All of the chits are getting called in. It's becoming quite obvious that none of the

Washington talking heads are interested in getting to the heart of the matter. They've been coopted, blackmailed, or threatened in such ways as to make it clear that they are partisan in protecting the crime party.

[wtmusic]

5. Hieronymous Bosch figurines?

Too cool...if I put them in my Hummel cabinet, will they get along?

[annabanana]

6. The Hummels will be eaten. . . . . .n/t