Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

GWB wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera? - the latest info as charged from an illegal leak (hey, it's the UK - big deal) is that he was all set to bomb their headquarters.

This seems outrageous, but we know that the US military has dropped bombs on Al-Jazeera broadcast points that they had specifically been told about so they WOULDN'T be bombed - and they were hit with SMART BOMBS - which means they were specifically targeted.

Guess that whole freedom of information and the press only applies if you're a Republican, huh? Don't like what you say and they'll blow you away....

I can't wait for the 2006 midterms....I'm amazed the Republicans have any feet left to shoot themselves in.

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"Did Bush advocate bombing Al-Jazeera?
We're all familiar with the ways in which the Bush administration has tried to manipulate the press back home, but here's something we hadn't heard before. As the Associated Press is reporting, British authorities have charged a civil servant with violating Britain's Official Secrets Act by leaking a transcript of a conversation between George W. Bush and Tony Blair. The subject of the conversation: Bush's desire to bomb the offices of Al-Jazeera in Qatar.

The AP report relies on a story from London's Daily Mirror. The Daily Mirror, in turn, quotes one unidentified government source as saying that Bush was joking when he talked about bombing the television network during an April 2004 meeting with Blair at the White House. But the paper also quotes another unidentified official who says that "Bush was deadly serious" about bombing Al-Jazeera, "as was Blair" in trying to dissuade him.

What does the White House say about the charge? "We are not going to dignify something so outlandish with a response," a White House official tells the BBC. Which is like a denial, only different.

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

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I'm amazed the Republicans have any feet left to shoot themselves in.

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That's not the area I've noticed them shooting. It's usually higher.

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Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

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and they were hit with SMART BOMBS - which means they were specifically targeted.

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This is an incredibly ignorant statement.

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What does the White House say about the charge? "We are not going to dignify something so outlandish with a response," a White House official tells the BBC.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is a perfect response.

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

Well, whiskey, as much as I dislike many aspects/actions/policies of the Bush admin, the fact is that we are at war - and propaganda plays a role.

Given Al Jazeera's role as an anti-American propaganda organ, it is certainly a legitimate military target. However, anything so clumsy as bombing their headquarters in Qatar would certainly negate whatever benefit accrued from eliminating them.

Most likely this report is propaganda from terrorists or other anti-American elements; propaganda which Al Jizz is only too happy to disseminate.

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

Even though I disagree with Bush a great, great deal of the time (and his cronies, and the moral majority) I don't really have a problem with this.

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

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Even though I disagree with Bush a great, great deal of the time (and his cronies, and the moral majority) I don't really have a problem with this.

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So being impartial, Fox news is a legitimate target for Iraqi insurgents?

Warning over Jazeera bombing report
 

This is just Fascistinating on so many levels!

Have a nice spin....

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

>> I don't really have a problem with this.<<

Me either. Al Jizz is a mouthpiece for Evil.

Blasting these terrorists out of existence is certainly tempting. The problem is how to do it without creating more of a PR problem than the US already has.

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

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So being impartial, Fox news is a legitimate target for Iraqi insurgents?

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Is there such a thing as a "legitimate" terrorist target? I dunno.

Re: Freedom of the Press..., unless you disagree with the Prez.
 

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Well, whiskey, as much as I dislike many aspects/actions/policies of the Bush admin, the fact is that we are at war - and propaganda plays a role.

Given Al Jazeera's role as an anti-American propaganda organ, it is certainly a legitimate military target. However, anything so clumsy as bombing their headquarters in Qatar would certainly negate whatever benefit accrued from eliminating them.

Most likely this report is propaganda from terrorists or other anti-American elements; propaganda which Al Jizz is only too happy to disseminate.

[/ QUOTE ]

As an independent news source, Al Jazeera is certainly NOT a legitimate military target, anymore than Fox News would be (it would rightly be considered terrorism if any American media outlet was bombed).