Is 'memogate' an embarrassment to the US media? London Times wants to hear

[helderheid]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,564-1649071,00.html

Is 'memogate' an embarrassment to the US media?
A leaked Downing Street memo in The Sunday Times appears to show that Washington and London planned war in Iraq months before they admitted it, yet five weeks after its publication the memo is only now stirring controversy in the US. Is the memo a smoking gun exposing the real agenda to invade Iraq? Is the delayed reaction a consequence of cautious US reporting of Iraq? Read the article here and send us your view using the form below

The White House has done an excellent job of diverting our attention from the facts and reporters who try to get at the truth are labelled as biased. Thus our print media is moving away from the days of Deep Throat and intelligent Americans have to turn off the TV and search for the truth on the internet. Place the blame where it belongs - on our corporate news monopolies. Jane Messerly, Austin, Texas

I have a question regarding the definition of a word that might vary between American English and British English. Specific to the context of the "Downing Street memo", what is the definition of the word "fixed"? There seems to be some growing confusion here in the States and it would be nice to get this issue resolved before higher powers start using the argument of semantics. Sean Foxley

Thank you for reporting the Downing Street memo. Keep it up. I find it strange that Tony Blair shows up here just when the memo is gaining momentum in the media. Once Bush and Blair saw the bloggers were starting to gain attention they knew they had to start covering their tracks. Joanne O’Neill

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LET'S GET BUSY ALL Y'ALL! The London Times wants to hear from us and deserves our thanks!!!

[kittenpants]

1. awesome & nominated! n/t

[babylonsister]

2. Great idea! I'd like the British press to know

we're interested and we are ANGRY!

[helderheid]

3. Thank you both!

Here is what I sent them:

I am so grateful for you at the Times reporting on this story! I am so frustrated with the "media" in my country, which has become a "weapon of mass distraction" and for entertainment purposes only. I fear for my fellow Americans who still believe what is being spoon fed to them by our corporate owned news organizations. I applaud you on your reporting and thank you. You have my utmost respect!

[helderheid]

4. please keep this kicked

we need as many DUers contacting them as possible! Perhaps we need to let Conyers know and have him contact them as well.

[kittenpants]

5. will do--London calling!

[helderheid]

6. THANKS

Please post here what you sent too - I'd love to see everyone's posts to them :)

[lonestarnot]

8. Ewww I hear that song is loud and clearly playing in the distance!

[helderheid]

24. love that song

[lonestarnot]

80. Liking it more daily. n/t

[janx]

7. Of course it's an embarrassment to the US media.

They were cheerleaders for the war. It made them a lot of money.

[helderheid]

9. tell the times!! :)

They want to hear from us!

[slor]

10. Here is what I sent...

"Our media, and their penchant for finding a sleazy story to catapult into national news is an "embarrassment". The Downing Street Minutes qualifies more as an example of their complicity in a international crime."

[helderheid]

12. excellent!

[spanone]

11. I don't think our press has a conscience.

[toymachines]

56. they are only conscious of their stock price

why should a media conglomerate feel guilt? they are only there to make money, not to inform the people. not enough people seem to understand that. i guess thats why we are getting our information "underground".

[helderheid]

58. sure hope you wrote them and said that!

[Jackpine Radical]

13. ...and here's mine.

I fear that the failure of the American media to cover the Downing Street Minutes story is only the latest evidence that we no longer have a free press. I have come to believe that our media are now merely a propaganda service for the international corporations that own both them and the US government.

[helderheid]

14. woot!

[LiberalAndProud]

15. Can't wait to read the comments.

Thought I'd share mine:

I can't imagine that the US press has any cause for embarrassment. Anyone with any sense can easily discern that the Runaway Bride Fiasco and the Michael Jackson Trial have far greater national and international implications than any war-mongering engaged in by our President.
The US media rightly decided not to divert my attention from the earth-shattering issues that truly affect my future and that of my children, my grandchildren, their children and generations beyond.

[helderheid]

17. verrrr good

[Fleshdancer]

16. This is what I wrote:

It took 43 days for the Downing Street Memo story to finally appear on the pages of major newspapers here in America. For 43 days liberals have worked tirelessly to get the mainstream media to open their eyes to this story. The fact that I and many others have had to write letters to the editors demanding they do their job and report on something other than Michael Jackson or Paris Hilton is an outrage. The media in the US shouldn't be embarrassed, they should be ashamed.

[helderheid]

18. :)

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[CrownPrinceBandar]

19. I wrote..........

While I feel the Downing St. memo highlights the abysmal job the mainstream media is doing in this country, I feel that it is just a symptom of dysfunction, not a penultimate example of a media gone awry. Ever since 2000, I feel the media has been enabled and energized to decide who, politically, lives and dies here in the US. Some may criticize the view that the media took down the candidacy of Howard Dean, but the facts remain clear: the media selectively reported the actions of Gov. Dean, and highlighted many of what some see are negative political traits, culminating in the near-total character assassination on the now-DNC chair.

I applaud the British media for pointing up the shortfalls and blind partisanship of their American counterparts. Truth and lack of bias is very important to an effective media. The MSM here has shown no desire to pursue either. And, as a result, truthseekers here in the US have to resort to underground and media from abroad to learn the truth. I, personally thank you.

[helderheid]

21. Thank you - excellent points

The lack of coverage of the DSM is a blip compared to all the other stories left uncovered and all the political careers its killed, not to diminish the importance of the DSM. Our media is a disgrace and its dangerous.

[helderheid]

22. excellent points

The lack of coverage of the DSM is a blip compared to all the other stories left uncovered and all the political careers its killed, not to diminish the importance of the DSM. Our media is a disgrace and its dangerous.

[helderheid]

57. sorry for the dupe

computer hiccup

[Lorien]

20. I tried to sound non-partisan

"The American media itself is an embarrassment. The NYT, Newsweek, NPR, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Time magazine, CNN, MSNBC Fox...all of it. They've appeal to the lowest common denominator by providing celebrity infotainment and offering up the "pervert of the week" while avoiding investigative journalism completely. The White House Press corps are nothing more than President Bush's stenographers. They have failed the American people and have put our democracy at risk. I now look to foreign sources for my news; American "journalism" isn't worth the paper it's printed on."

[helderheid]

23. great - and it should be non-partisan

as the press should be truly free.

[Roy]

31. I am the official DU eloquence THIEF

This shouldn't be just a post this should be an answer.
So I am officially stealing some of your words which describe my thoughts a lot better than I can.

Hope you don't mind.


Roy

[LibDemAlways]

25. My 2 cents

The US no longer has an independent media. Television networks and major newspapers are owned by large corporations. It is in their interest to advance the Republican party agenda, which they do fervently.They want to keep the American people as uninformed as possible. Thus, millions of Americans have turned to foreign sources for news and information. I am one of them.

[helderheid]

26. Yes

My husband is Dutch. The first time I realized our media was peddling shit was when I lived in Holland and got a taste for what real media is like.

[helderheid]

27. London Times WANTS to hear from us!

They deserve our OVERWHELMING thanks - c'mon DUers!

:kick:

[kittenpants]

28. one more kick! n/t

[helderheid]

29. thanks!

I need to check the Times and see if any of our comments are up yet!

[ClayZ]

30. I wrote.....

Listen to the rumble that is about to be a roar!

Saturday afternoon during their annual State Convention at the Park Plaza in downtown Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin adopted the following resolution:

CALLING ON THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO INITIATE IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST PRESIDENT BUSH, VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY AND DEFENSE SECRETARY RUMSFELD FOR HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

WHEREAS, the Downing Street Memo shows that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld began planning and executing the war on Iraq before seeking Congressional and UN approval;

WHEREAS, UN weapons inspectors showed prior to the invasion that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, there is further mounting evidence that the Administration lied or misled about "mushroom clouds," "connections to 9/11," and "war as a last resort" as they sought UN, Congressional, and public approvals;

THEREFORE, RESOLVED, the DPW asks Congress to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.

And, most importantly, they referenced the Downing Street memo (not "minutes", doh!) in the first bullet. So any media coverage would almost have to mention it. This was a smart move.

It is believed that Wisconsin is the first state Democratic Party to have passed a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. They hope that others will do the same.

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/6/12/12737/8920

We think each state should, and will, follow suit!


:kick:

[helderheid]

32. BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was excellent!!!

I must say too, I think this whole Dean debate is intended to distract us from our work - DSM is too important to get caught up in the Dean debate. Letting the Times know that MANY Americans are AWAKE and are GRATEFUL for what they are doing.

Again, BRAVO!!! I wouldn't be surprised if they report on their main news section what Wisconsin Dems are doing.

[Vinca]

33. I'm afraid the U.S. media has gone beyond the point

of knowing what embarrassment might be. This, after all, is the bunch that brought us Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, the Runaway Bride, Michael Jackson, Ben and Jen, Michael Jackson, Jen and Marc, Michael Jackson, Tom and Penelope, Michael Jackson, Tom and Katie, Michael Jackson. Iraq? Where's that?

[helderheid]

34. and where's Osama Bin Forgotton?

[karlrschneider]

35. Done. My comments:

"American media is mostly controlled by a handful of large corporations. It has little interest in exposing truth unless it will generate revenue."

[kittenpants]

36. here's mine too.

Is the US press so cynical that the Downing Street Minutes' proof of fixed intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq is not newsworthy? Or do the media just not care? In either case it is outrageous that more than a month has passed since this story broke in London, yet just a week ago in the US the DSM was labelled nn "Internet conspiracy theory" and insignificant by corporate media outlets.
Thank you for putting these officials' lies into the light. Our media is too busy covering the Michael Jackson trial to be bothered. But there are Americans who still care about truth and we are relying on you! Thanks for giving our generation's "Deep Throat" a voice.

[helderheid]

40. Perfect! Love the reference to Deep Throat!

Thanks!

[PowerToThePeople]

37. my comment.

Obviously it is an embarrasement. They have yet to say anything on the subject. But, you have to remember, that the media in the United States is corporate owned. That being the case, they support our current fascist regime to all ends.

[helderheid]

48. "That being the case, they support our current fascist regime to all ends"

Excellent!

[patdem]

38. My comments....BTW..thanks for the link and a GREAT opportunity to show

our media for the claptrap they are! :grr:

How can a media, who claims the trial of Michael Jackson is news and the Downing Street Memo is just something the American people are not interested in, be embarrassed? The American press is being shamed into reporting by all the calls to report, if not for that it would not even be mentioned.

Did if forget to say :grr:

[helderheid]

39. what the media is doing is criminal!

[helderheid]

41. I can't believe Dean is the topic of the day when the

international MEDIA wants to hear from us! The Dean story must have Cheney grinning ear to ear knowing DUers are going NUTS over it, keeping them completely distracted from making progress with DSM!!!

:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[omega minimo]

46. Maybe the macho "fuck your shit up" "no wimps" "fuck yeah" stuff

is the only way to get a rise out of some DUers. Let's hope they can get that belligerent energy channeled into doing something positive.

Thanks for focusing on DSMgate.

:hi:

[helderheid]

47. thank you thank you thank you!

Maybe after some steam is blown, people will refocus. It's 9:30 pm in London. We have some time to praise them before they update the site tomorrow :)

[omega minimo]

49. Cheers then!

:toast:

I'd be interested if there's any discussion of that question in your OP about the usage of "fixed" and how it plays in English and 'Mercan.

[ellenfl]

42. i emailed them last night to thank them. eom

the gist of mine . . .

Is 'memogate' an embarrassment to the US media? i hope so! we no longer have a 'mainstream media' in this country but a corporate media.

thank you and the internet for exposing us to the downing street memo. especially, thank you, rep. john conyers.

ellen fl

[helderheid]

44. thanks

and sorry about losing my temper :blush:

I just get so frustrated :banghead: :rant:

[karlrschneider]

43. Needs another kick

:kick:!

[helderheid]

45. thank you

:hug: :patriot:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

50. My response:

Plus a plug for some great websites. :D

"I see the memo as confirmation that well before our troops were deployed, in fact well before we decided to take our case before the UN, that the decision to invade Iraq was already made.

The hesitance on the part of the media to report this story is puzzling. It's dismissal here in the U.S. by Mr. Bush as something released at campaign time to discredit Mr. Blair is hypocritical at best, when viewed against the often false stories circulated concerning Mr. Kerry in the media during the run up to the election in 2004.

This story warranted more than a few paragraphs in the back section. It should have been, once verified, a front page story in the major daily papers and the lead story on the network and local news.

There are several things at work here. One is the desire to not appear unpatriotic by reporting such events, or to appear biased against Mr. Bush. Sadly, this is the way things are here right now. The mainstream media appear to be reporting on eggshells.

Another is the fallout from the recent scandals involving CBS and Newsweek and the possibility of cold feet on the part of media to be caught in another case of irresponsible reporting. This is odd, seeing as there have been hundreds of instances documented of false or biased reporting by many of the conservative news outlets here that have gone largely unreported, save for the work done on several internet sites, including Media Matters for America and the Daily Howler.

Lastly there is the question of pressure by this administration to portray this story as little more than internet blogerry/rumor, in hopes that it would run it's cycle and be forgotten. How the Times can be reported as an internet rumor is anyone's guess, but one major cable network here did just that.

In any case there are only two words that sum up the lack of coverage by the U.S. media regarding the Downing Street Minutes or memogate: Irresponsible and inexcusable. Take your pick."

Name
Address
blahblahblah ;)

[helderheid]

51. excellent - time to talk about e-fraud as well?

Perhaps this is our opportunity to invite their press to look into the election fraud of 2004 as well...

If you go here:

http://www.udpc.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15

you will see all the stuff I've posted pertaining to Stolen 2004. Here's a snip:

First, the 2004 election results forum on Democratic Underground is a great place to check out. Read anything and everything by "TruthIsAll":

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=203


More interesting links:

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1970/
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us#020505 <-- video
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%2218%2C181+votes%22&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&fl=0&x=wrt

20 Amazing Facts About Voting in the USA

Did you know....

1.80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold

2.There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S. voting machine industry.

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

3.The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

4.The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886

5.Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES&S. He became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.

http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis. .html

6.Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was recently caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.

http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=articl le&sid=26
http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=26 www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php

7.Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush’s vice-presidential candidates.

http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html

8.ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and counts almost 60% of all U.S. votes.

http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

9.Diebold’s new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html

10.Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm

11.Diebold is based in Ohio. http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm

12.Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as senior managers and developers to help write the central compiler computer code that counted
50% of the votes in 30 states.

http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml

13.Jeff Dean, Diebold’s Senior Vice-President and senior programmer on Diebold’s central compiler code, was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree.

http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf

14.Diebold Senior Vice-President Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a “high degree of sophistication” to evade detection over a period of 2 years.

http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf

15.None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.

http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html

16.California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so bad. Despite Diebold’s claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it. (See the movie here http://blackboxvoting.org/baxter/baxterVPR.mov .)

http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190

17.30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml

18.All - not some - but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.

http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html
http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News& ;file=article&sid=950
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News& ;file=article&sid=950 http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm

19.The governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush, is the President’s brother.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html

20.Serious voting anomalies in Florida - again always favoring Bush - have been mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending further investigation.

http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/sto ory/0,10801,97614,00.html
http://www.uscountvotes.org/

[SalmonChantedEvening]

54. Sad isn't it?

That we now feel it necessary to have the foreign media do the real reporting on activities in America.

This seems a perfect follow up once the MSM acknolwdges the DSM story as one in need of nightly attention. Have the UK press look in to this to shame the MSM in to doing the same.


Although I'm familiar with the majority of those stories, it seems the average American is not, and even more disheartening, does not care to be.



Excellent work helderheid. :yourock:

[helderheid]

55. It IS sad

Maybe this is our opportunity to have our voices truly heard. They are paying attention to us right now and if we can let them know that our press is truly not free and we're depending on them (foreign press) for truthfull reporting, perhaps a true investigation on our media and on the major stories that were suppressed, perhaps we can break through. Oh how I hope!!!

Thank you!

[WolverineDG]

52. here's mine

with a nod to Emile Zola:

The media in American don't want to cover the Downing Street Memo story because it will be proof positive that they have been collaborating with the war criminals in the US & British governments. The blood of all the dead in the Iraq conflict is not only on the hands of Mr. Bush & Mr. Blair, but of each & every single reporter, editor, & news director who chose to turn a blind eye to the truth. To them, I point my finger & say: J'accuse.

dg

[helderheid]

53. I can't wait till tomorrow

to see all these great DU posts!

[in_cog_ni_to]

59. I emailed them.

I can't wait to see what they publish. This should be good. :)

[helderheid]

62. me too me too!

:bounce:

[helderheid]

63. hope some of you will kick this into the wee hours

Can't think of a better opportunity for us given how silenced we are here

[ewagner]

60. Mine...

thanks for posting this. Here's what I sent:

I'm afraid our media is "in for a penny; in for a dollar." They have been so complicit in allowing this administration to get away with their half-truths and downright lies, that exposing the administration now would also mean exposing their complicity in an illegal war. The British press has no such stake and are therefore free to seek the truth.

Thank you so much for having the courage to publish the Downing Street Minutes.

[helderheid]

61. Bravo! Bravo!

:applause:

[NewJeffCT]

64. Kick again

some good reads in here.

[helderheid]

65. I so appreciate it!

[helderheid]

66. did you write them?

[alfredo]

67. I wrote my message. I pointed out the fact that much of our media

is owned by defense contractors or party operatives.

I singled out Faux, calling them America's Pravda.

[helderheid]

68. Good on ya! I feel so helpless

This opportunity gives me hope.

[helderheid]

69. speaking of

Am I the only one who sees this as the most important opportunity we have to reach out to the international media??? Are we insane to focus on ANYTHING else?????

[helderheid]

70. apparently so

[alfredo]

71. Yeah, let them know that many of us have abandoned the US media

because they cannot be trusted to tell the truth or even report on issues important to America and Americans.

[helderheid]

72. .

THANK YOU. I'm tempted to start a new thread with a catchier title. London wants to hear from us and we're talking about every distraction the administration wants us to.

[helderheid]

73. I done did it

[alfredo]

77. I passed the link on to friends.

[alfredo]

94. One goal of the Authoritarian right is to kill all hope.

They want us to accept our position in life and not desire more.

[helderheid]

95. keeping hope ALIVE!

Thank goodness for the Times!!

[alfredo]

97. Seeking truth is an act of defiance against bush and the fascist

in control of our government and religious organizations.

[longship]

74. Done and kicked. n/t

.

[Al-CIAda]

75. done

[LightningFlash]

76. Can someone please post their direct email?

I think we can get them to cover all the scandals and shed light on everything.

[helderheid]

91. I didn't see it

just a form to fill out

[helderheid]

99. GOT IT!

[e-mail]

Write.
Thank.
Go forward.

:)

[longship]

78. My comment.

The Downing Street Minutes are the single most important revelation to surface since CuckooBananas took office in Jan 2001. They will be his downfall. Lying to Congress, the public, and the world to promote a unilateral war is an impeachable offense in the United States.

There are many here in the States who intend to see to it that CuckooBananas and his cronies pay the appropriate penance for their crimes against humanity--starting an illegal, immoral, preemptive war and putting into place a regime of torture, murder, and illegal incarceration in violation of codified law, both national and international.

[Occulus]

79. my letter

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for asking this question. It is time, and beyond time, that someone did so.

I would like to address the question of our US media's recent reporting behavior. It is not only the worst reporting in the world, long purchased by the very interests that same media regularly reports upon and, by the way, filled with fluff provided by those same interests, it is also fairly obviously being 'controlled' somehow; I'm not even certain 'controlled' is the correct word. Surely, the information our media chooses to publish has lately been most positive to those currently holding the reins of power- both corporate and governmentally- in the United States; obviously, one company might be (under other circumstances) somewhat loath to uncover or expose wrongdoing on the part of an owner, part-owner, or even heavy generator of advertising revenue of the media outlet in question.

We, however, are a nation at war. It is known, and should be remembered well from our lesson in Vietnam, that truth is oft the first casuality of war. One thing which should long have been obvious to all observers is that the Bush administration cannot ever be trusted to be entirely truthful even in a time of peace. While this can be said to be true of any nation's government, the Bush administration raises the bars for hubris, arrogance, and rank incompetence even beyond that of the Nixon administration, but I digress.

The people of the United States, as well as the rest of humanity, cannot afford a refusal upon the part of the media corporations of "The Most Powerful Nation On Earth (tm)" to report what little truths they do posess. Worse, such refusal, when pursued in concert with other media outlets and dozens of television, print, and radio personalities, and then combined with virtual one-party rule in our halls of Congress, smacks of something terribly, blackly familiar.

Thank you again for asking, and above all else, keep asking. Keep seeking the truth.

[helderheid]

88. GREAT

[pacalo]

81. I could write a book on this subject, but here's mine...

One of our Democratic leaders commented that reporters have told her, "I have orthodontia, I have tuition, I have mortgage, I need access, I'm not writing your story." Americans have been disserviced by big corporations who run the news & what is reported: celebrity news & select missing persons. Oh, & when an election is coming up, we're treated to another terror alert & lots of Democrat bashing. Pathetic, isn't it.

[autorank]

82. Kick - Recommend - Done

:kick::kick::kick:

Great action item.

[Carolab]

83. Done. Thanks.

On edit: Copied what I wrote but somehow lost it. I gave credit where it's due, to Congressman John Conyers, and told them they should give him some press. Also told them what Sensenbrenner is doing to the minority Dems on the Judiciary Committee.

[DisassemblingHisLies]

84. Kickety-kick-kick!

The person who leaked these meeting minutes is a hero. It is the first piece of concrete evidence that tells us what we already knew: The White House lied to the American people & to Congress in order to gain support for the neoconservatives' illegal, preemptive war.

I just wish someone would leak an official document that would tell us what happened to $8.8 billion of the American taxpayers' money which was "lost" in Iraq. We already know that, too. We just need the proof.

[meppie-meppie not]

85. done and

:kick:

[Karenina]

86. KICK!!!!

:kick:

[twenty4blackbirds]

87. kick

[helderheid]

89. NEW COMMENTS!!!

It took 43 days for the Downing Street Memo story to appear in major newspapers here in America. For 43 days liberals have worked tirelessly to get them to open their eyes to this story. The fact that I and many others have had to write letters to the editors demanding they do their job and report on something other than Michael Jackson or Paris Hilton is an outrage. Gloria Smith, Austin, Texas
It is unfortunate that in the US we need to rely on bloggers and the overseas press to get accurate US political news. This means that the average American is either ignorant of the minutes or has heard about them through the prism of White House spin. On the other hand, it is heartening to see citizen journalists (the bloggers) seeking truth to power. As each day goes by, they gain a larger audience and more credibility. Julie Willing, San Francisco



It is truly sad that we have to depend on foreign sources for any real news, unless, of course, you think Michael Jackson is news. Thank God for the internet! It may be what saves our country from another King George. Buddy Gill, San Jose, California

For those of us in America with an IQ greater than 100, nothing surprises us anymore. We no longer watch the news releases or infomercials on television or read the newspapers. If you want real news, you access it on the internet. Thank you for reporting what we would otherwise not see in the America. Janet Knowles, Eastsound, WA

Is the Downing Street Memo a smoking gun? Absolutely. There have also been numerous people from the Bush Administration come forward, before the memo was ever leaked, and say the exact same thing, but they were all dismissed as being "anti-Bush", and not taken seriously. The "free press" in the US is dead, except for the internet. Jeanette Brown, Portland, Oregon

It seems ironic that we would be using a definition of "fixed" to potentially defend George Bush when many mocked Bill Clinton for his statement, "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is." James Ginch, Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida

Nixon came very close to surviving Watergate out of sheer public apathy, even in the face of unprecedented discontent over his handling of the war in Vietnam. It feels to me like Bush is getting this pass now, and the difference between the two situations is still probably as little as one newspaper with the ability to see through red tape. However, today we have an administration whose senior members came of political age during the Nixon administration. They seem equally ready to pursue their ends without regard for means, but they have learned how to avoid leaks on the scale of Watergate. It's a very good thing that those at Downing Street haven't learned the same lesson. Ellen Jameson, Bloomington, Indiana

I think it's safe to say that a great majority of Americans, particularly those of us concerned about the direction our country is taking and the diminished honesty and integrity of some of our leaders, deeply appreciate the service you provided in reporting the Downing Street memo. Please report and share any additional documents in that regard so the citizens of our two great countries will learn the truth. Carl Williams, Pensacola, Florida

At the end of the Gulf War, Iraq agreed to all terms set by UN mandates to cease hostilities. Their persistent violations over a 12-year period resulted in war. Were we preparing for war? Absolutely. Stop rewriting history and recognize that Hussain's failure to abide by the 1991 terms resulted in his downfall, and the world is better off with him gone. The memo is pointless. Mark Mercer, Denver, Colorado

Why do Americans have to read foreign newspapers for better coverage? I was amazed at the more rounded reporting and superior writing I found on UK and other foreign web sites once the web gave us instant accessibility. Now, seven or eight years later, we have the answer in the Galloway-Senate confrontation. If the senate counsels, senators, or their staff had read a foreign news source or two, they would have known better than to enter the arena of public debate with such a flawed presentation. Robert Leardo, Washington, DC

As a US citizen, I signed Conyers petition to President Bush, but I fear that democracy has been so deeply undermined by the Bush Administration's attack on the media, that no one will know that this is happening. Pat Raymond, Island Lake, Illinois

You Brits really need to get a grip. The American people are not interested in overseas reports of alleged American wrong-doing. Bob Miller, Washington, DC

You have done yeoman service to the world in reporting this subject. Can't wait till each Sunday to see what you have next. I hope you will clearly explain that the word "fixed" used here is as per the reference of having a horse race or football match "fixed". Nothing glorious about that. Jacob Matthan, Oulu, Finland

I have a question regarding the definition of a word that might vary between American English and British English. Specific to the context of the "Downing Street memo", what is the definition of the word "fixed"? There seems to be some growing confusion here in the States and it would be nice to get this issue resolved before higher powers start using the argument of semantics. Sean Foxley

[helderheid]

90. kick!

[helderheid]

92. They've changed the title from memogate

Have US media been too cautious reporting Iraq?

is the new headline

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,564-1649071,00.html

[otohara]

93. Kick

thanks for posting

[Luminous Animal]

96. Mine made it online!

"It is unfortunate that in the US we need to rely on bloggers and the overseas press to get accurate US political news. This means that the average American is either ignorant of the minutes or has heard about them through the prism of White House spin. On the other hand, it is heartening to see citizen journalists (the bloggers) seeking truth to power. As each day goes by, they gain a larger audience and more credibility. "

[Fleshdancer]

98. WooHoo!!! Mine made it!

YAY!

[autorank]

100. Kick

:kick:

[helderheid]

101. thanks!

101!

[SalmonChantedEvening]

102. AM kick!

:kick: