When Tim Russert mocked Bill Clinton -- in song

[proud2BlibKansan]

After a week of traveling, I finally finished "The Clinton Tapes," Taylor Branch's book of interviews with Bill Clinton. So better late than never, I hope, I'm going to wrap up my experiment with the blog-review. Tell me if it worked in comments, below.

I had a nagging question about whether I should write about the book again, though, and it wasn't laziness; it's that most everything I found remarkable in the second half of the book closely matched my first two blog posts. But that's a story in itself. "The Clinton Tapes" makes clear that from start to finish, President Clinton was besieged by a vicious just-say-no GOP abetted by the perversely, inexplicably, cruelly anti-Clinton leaders of the so-called liberal media -- from the New York Times' lame crusades against Whitewater and Chinese donors and Wen Ho Lee, to the integrity-free "opinion" journalism by Maureen Dowd and, sadly, Frank Rich, to a whole host of other liberal media characters who couldn't shake their feeling that Clinton was a fraud, a poseur, a hillbilly, a cynic. Their trashy eight-year oeuvre will likely go down in history as the most spectacularly malevolent and misguided White House coverage ever -- and politically costly, since it also encompassed Vice President Al Gore and probably made George W. Bush president in 2000.

But I did find a nugget from the second half of the book that perfectly captures the whole poisonous, deluded, clubby Beltway mentality of the mainstream media circa 2000. It stars the late Tim Russert.

Branch recounts being the lone Clinton defender on one of the last "Meet the Press" shows of Clinton's term, when all the other guests were still obsessed with the president's sex life. It was bad enough on camera, but during commercial breaks Russert and his friends gossiped about alleged new Clinton girlfriends and sang the 2000 one-hit wonder "Who let the dogs out?" tapping their pencil along to the woof-woof chorus. (I don't believe in hell, but I think Russert spent some time in a way station in Purgatory being grilled on his poor political judgment during the Clinton-Gore years, before being welcomed to heaven by a God more forgiving than the Beltway mediocrities who sat in judgment on Clinton.)

more . . . http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/10/23/bill_clinton/?source=newsletter

[bullimiami]

1. i didnt like how russert would softball those he was intimidated by (ie cheney)

and come on extra strong with others (ie clinton admin)

[Autumn]

2. The late Time Russert,

I still enjoy saying that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Loved this part:

I don't believe in hell, but I think Russert spent some time in a way station in Purgatory being grilled on his poor political judgment during the Clinton-Gore years, before being welcomed to heaven by a God more forgiving than the Beltway mediocrities who sat in judgment on Clinton.

[peacetalksforall]

4. He was a fraud.

[goclark]

6. Where is that photo of Tim flashing his GW campaign button

from under his lapel?
I think it was at one of those Washington Dinners for Journalist.

That did it for me ~

Even if it was photo shopped, and I don't think so, he was way to sneaky for me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Wow. I never saw that

[goclark]

13. Timmy and the button is here...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Time%20for%20change/31

> Russert’s role in the 2000 election

Confirmation of Russert’s political leanings (not that any is needed) come from an incident related by Al Gore to Anthony Lappe, which took place shortly before the 2000 election at the Al Smith dinner, attended by Gore and Bush. Here is Lappe’s description from his book:

At one point in the evening, Gore explains, Russert approached the candidates. As Gore was closest to him, Russert respectfully shook his hand and then moved on to Bush. Thinking that Gore had turned away, Russert shook Bush’s hand and, mischievously, turned over his jacket lapel to reveal a Bush campaign pin hidden under the fold. <

That will forever stick in my mind when they talk about the "fair and balanced" Tim. :mad:

[TankLV]

26. Timmy boy was and had been a REPUKE hack at BEST...

I almost PUKED at all the praise that wannabe received at his TIMELY death...it was mind boggling...

To even think of considering him a "journalist" - let alone one worthy of such praise - was fucking insane...

[goclark]

28. He was King of the Media

I have a good friend that insisted on watching Tim Russet because " He always let's you know the truth."

I tried to tell her that he was a pack of Lies but she wouldn't listen.

[asjr]

5. And the garbage spewed was 24/7 his entire

8 years in office. And when Hillary was running for president Frank Rich was giving her lashes from a cat o nine tails every week. I simply have lost any respect for all journalists. They don't give us "news"-- they give us their opinions.

[Captain Hilts]

21. Rich, Herbert and MoDo all ran roughshod over her and on the way gave us GWB. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

7. Looks like the period of mandatory mourning is over

and there's no big movement afoot to canonize Timmeh. His place in the pantheon of punditry is rightfully no higher than any other Polly-Parrot corporate media stooge.

[JVS]

9. I'm glad that piece of shit is dead.

[Lex]

10. It was too funny to watch the people here singing Russert's professional praises when he died.

I was all :wtf:

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Me too Lex

I even took a brief break for a few days.

[goclark]

16. He was the Holy One to them ~ so that must mean

they knew what he stood for and they did too.

[peacetalksforall]

11. He was a Jack Welsh puppy. But even puppies have their independence.

[peekaloo]

14. Potato Head would regularly fellate the Big Dick Cheney

and politely ask for another.

[Beacool]

15. The media was vicious to the Clintons.

Some continue to this day, such as the permanently embittered Maureen Dowd. She can't seem to craft a column that does not include some snide remark about either Clinton. The media did as much to try to bring down Bill's presidency, and both Clintons personally, as the right wing.

Observe the treatment Hillary received from the MSM during the primaries. She was eviscerated not over political issues, but on a personal level. The sexism that was rampant was also picked up by the left. A quick scan of posts on this board, KOS and Huff can attest to the fact.

Now that Bill is dedicated to humanitarian causes and Hillary has been "put in her place" (meaning she's not president), I see that some of their critics have mellowed out.

My response to all of them is: GO FUCK YOURSELVES!!!!

Thank you for your post, even though it reminds me how much I despise the media.

x(

[TicketyBoo]

17. Russert

was 10 times, nay 100 times, better than David Gregory.

I really liked Tim Russert, and I miss him A LOT.

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Yes he was better than David Gregory

But he was still a shill for the GOP.

At one point in the evening, Gore explains, Russert approached the candidates. As Gore was closest to him, Russert respectfully shook his hand and then moved on to Bush. Thinking that Gore had turned away, Russert shook Bush’s hand and, mischievously, turned over his jacket lapel to reveal a Bush campaign pin hidden under the fold.
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Time%20for%20change/31

[TankLV]

27. which doesn't really say MUCH, does it?!!!

Gregory is SOOO fucking bad, that timmy boy is only slightly bad...

I am sooo fucking glad timmy is GONE!!!

[Gold Metal Flake]

18. Memories...

Some fun DU links on the bloated corporate whore Timmy:


Remember the Sunday Tim Russert held up the photo of Bin Laden's Mountain Fortress?


People tried to get Russert to stop repeating the "Saddam threw out the weapons inspectors." lie


Tim Russert was the Chief Executive of the News Division of NBC/GE, not a journalist


Memories of Tim Russert: The night he opened my eyes.


I saved the best for last:

"Why a requiem for a pet canary?" Harper's Lewis Lapham on the canonization of St Timmy

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. Tim Russert, RIP - please

By Tom Crawford on June 13, 2009

My gosh, has it already been a year since Tim Russert, NBC commentator and Meet the Press host, died suddenly of a heart attack? Tim, we hardly missed ye.

I remember that after Russert's untimely death at the age of 58, NBC (and indeed the entire TV news establishment) spent three or four days discussing his life and impact on politics in a gusher of praise that hadn't been matched since at least the death of Ronald Reagan. To hear the talk among the chattering heads, you would have thought that Jesus had been crucified and taken to the tomb.

My view of Russert was a little more nuanced. To me, he always came across as a leering, pumpkin-headed sycophant who sucked up shamelessly to whichever party was in power so he could retain his precious "access" to Washington bigwigs. Whatever journalistic and political smarts he had were always secondary to his desire to lick the boots of the powers that be. As for his appreciation of journalistic ethics, I'll note that Russert commented for months on the Valerie Plame scandal without ever disclosing to his viewers that he was a key witness who had been questioned as part of that investigation.

In short, Russert exemplified everything rotten and corrupt about the current media establishment that's trying desperately to hang on to its influence inside the Beltway.

I certainly don't wish for the premature death of anyone and I'm sorry that Russert's wife and son lost someone who was very important to them. But I'm also glad I was spared the ordeal of having to watch his smirking visage during last fall's presidential campaign.

http://www.blogfordemocracy.org/poli/2009/06/tim-russert-rip---please.html

[aikoaiko]

19. Russert teased about Clinton's sexual infidelity off camera -- the horror, the horror.

Russert may not have been the greatest journalist, but having a sense of humor is not a defect.

I voted for Bill both times, and I'd vote for him again if he ran. But the intern affair was laughable in its stupidity.

People are really brave with their opinions about Russert now that he is dead.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. I disliked him intensely before he died

He lost me when Clinton was in office and I knew I was right to reject him when he cheerleaded for Bush in the run up to the war on Iraq.

[Captain Hilts]

20. Gingrich's "failed presidency" languge about Clinton from '93 stuck unfairly with the press. nt

[laststeamtrain]

24. Russert was a pig. He was also overweight. n/t.