CBS Sunday Morning joins vast right wing conspiracy

[Paranoid Pessimist]

This morning, on CBS Sunday Morning -- a show that usually manages not to take partisan sides in things -- had a segment when Ben Stein came on and urged President Junior not to abandon Karl Rove. Forgetting that he is now a deadpan comedian, Stein presented in all seriousness the view that his old boss Richard Nixon's biggest mistake was jettisoning his people. I guess he means firing Haldeman and Ehrlichman. Stein said that Rove had not done anything wrong because Valerie Plame was just a desk jockey, not a real spy out there undercover, wearing an actual cloak and dagger.

Stein told President Junior that he, the president, needs Rove, the whole conservative agenda needs Rove and that "the liberals" were out to get the president and that sacrificing Rove would not make them stop.

I emailed [e-mail] to tell them I did not appreciate their taking sides on this issue without an "opposing point of view". I hope a lot of other people did also.

[indepat]

1. God, how I despise Ben Stein: what an effing prick

[BlueWolff]

3. Ben Stein the IDIOT

He is still lamenting his job loss as chief CROOK while he worked for the other chief CROOK Tricky Dick Nixon!

[Union Thug]

5. Does anyone take ben stein seriously?

He comes across like a laughable stooge to me... all puffed up and self-congratulatory every time he spews some of he 'economic wisdom' like so much bile in a dry heave.

Ben Stein?????? hahahahah get Clear Eyes, you moron, it might help clear things up a bit.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

2. Well put and

welcome to DU :toast:

[Jack Rabbit]

4. How did CBS take sides?

Is Ben Stein the first guest they've had on that program to express an opinion? Have they never had a guest present views without an opposing view at least in that segment of the program?

I agree that if there was nothing on the program to make a point that there is another side to this matter, then CBS erred. I didn't see the program, so I don't know.

By the way, it was Ben Stein's father, the late economist Herbert Stein, who worked for Richard Nixon as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. As far as I know, Ben Stein has never worked for the government.

[TahitiNut]

6. Ben Stein was a speechwriter for Nixon.

Nepotism? Of course.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. I stand corrected

From Wikipedia:

Stein began his career as a speechwriter and lawyer for United States President Richard Nixon, and later for President Gerald Ford. He regularly denied being Deep Throat until W. Mark Felt confessed to being Deep Throat on May 31, 2005.

If there is anything disturbing about CBS having Ben Stein as a guest to comment on the Plame matter, it is that he has made his living for the last twenty years in Hollywood and there is no reason to take his views as any more informed than yours or mine.

Having Ben Stein repeat RNC talking points is bad; having a liberal Hollywood personality (Warren Beatty, for example) read the litany of complaints against the White House on the is matter would have been just as bad.

Of course, the RNC talking points are just as full of baloney coming from Ken Mehlman or Bill Safire as from Ben Stein.

[spooky3]

12. With one small difference...

Per the late Sen. Moynihan, everyone's entitled to his/her own opinion but not to his/her own facts. I didn't see the program but if it's being accurately reported here, the talking points being spouted include untrue allegations of fact. For example, Plame Wilson either was a "desk jockey" who was not undercover, or she wasn't. It's not a matter of Ben Stein's opinion versus mine. So there is a difference between a one sided presentation by a Republican of untruths (perhaps along with opinions) versus a Democrat (or a Republican or anyone else) appearing and simply giving properly labeled opinions, or simply giving facts. (I'd add "true" but that's redundant with "fact.")

[Jack Rabbit]

14. The talking points include more lies than truth

Please click here.

For example, Wilson falsely claimed that it was Vice President Cheney who sent him to Niger . . . . Wilson never said or even implied any such thing. He stated in his article in The New York Times that the CIA informed him that Cheney's office had questions and that the CIA sent him. That is true.

Also, in their attempt to discredit Wilson, the RNC is stating that he was (gasp!) tied to the Kerry campaign (cue the organ music). They argue that he is a partisan Democrat, ignoring the fact that he contributed money to the Bush campaign in 2000.

These talking points are lies, half-truths and red herrings -- just the sort of thing one would expect from a Bushie-generated smear campaign.

[spooky3]

17. exactly

[joanski0]

10. I turned on my local CBS channel, while

waiting for Meet the Press (on NBC channel) this morning. I stayed tuned to CBS because they had a neat segment on about Carly Simon (now I'm confused about what singer and songwriter it was. She was married to James Taylor for awhile.) Anyway, as soon as that segment was over, this guy, Ben Stein, showed up on a stool all by himself. I have no idea who this guy is. When he started spouting all that shit, I really did think it was a big joke. I sure thought it was laughable. But nobody came on to tell us that it was satire, so I dunno.

[Cha]

15. When it is proven that Valerie

Wilson was not only NOT a "desk jockey" but a NOC..cbs can trot out this segment again and show how Weirdly Stupid ben stein Really is..to the whole nation.

[Imagevision]

18. Benny Stein wrote speech's for Nixon

[La Coliniere]

7. CBS should know better..

Who will they be trotting out next to spew their partisan dreck, Dennis Miller? Or perhaps Carrot Top.

[magnolia]

8. ABC was much more reassuring.....

On "This Week" round table segment....they all (Except William Safire) seemed to agree that this issue is very serious and it will be moving toward the president and vice-president. Stephanopoulis said it will be about "What the president knew and when he knew it!"

Ben Stein is wasting his energy wanting Bush to help Rove. Bush is going to be too busy helping himself!!! Maybe when they are both in prison, Bush can keep the "bad boys" away from Rove!!!!

I am so sick of them all acting like Bush is an innocent in all this.

[Booster]

11. Just sent them a scathing email of which the last sentence said

"when I want infotainment news, I watch CBS, but if I want real news, I go to the Internet." What a loser Ben Stein is.

[Cha]

16. This would be a good place

to bring up "CIA Vet testifies and tells rove defenders" "A True Patriot Would Shut Up"!

Testimony of James Marcinkowski
July 22, 2005

What is important now is not who wins or loses the political battle or who may or may not be indicted; rather, it is a question of how we will go about protecting the citizens of this country in a very dangerous world. The undisputed fact is that we have irreparably damaged our capability to collect human intelligence and thereby significantly diminished our capability to protect the American people.

Understandable to all Americans is a simple, incontrovertible, but damning truth: the United States government exposed the identity of a clandestine officer working for the CIA. This is not just another partisan "dust-up" between political parties. This unprecedented act will have far-reaching consequences for covert operations around the world. Equally disastrous is that from the time of that first damning act, we have continued on a course of self-inflicted wounds by government officials who have refused to take any responsibility, have played hide-and-seek with the truth and engaged in semantic parlor games for more than two years, all at the expense of the safety of the American people. No government official has that right.

For an understanding of what is at stake it is important to understand some fundamental principles. No country or hostile group, from al Qaeda to any drug rings operating in our cities, likes to be infiltrated or spied upon. The CIA, much like any police department in any city, has undercover officers--spies, that use "cover."

To operate under "cover" means you use some ruse to cloak both your identity and your intentions. The degree of cover needed to carry out any operation varies depending on the target of the investigation. A police officer performing "street buys" uses a "light" cover, meaning he or she could pose as something as simple as a drug user, operate only at night and during the day and, believe it or not, have a desk job in the police station. On the other hand, if an attempt were made to infiltrate a crime syndicate, visiting the local police station or drinking with fellow FBI agents after work may be out of the question. In any scenario, your cover, no matter what the degree, provides personal protection and safety. But it does not end there. Cover is also used to protect collection methodology as well as any innocent persons a CIA officer may have regular contact with, such as overseas acquaintances, friends, and even other U.S. government officials.



Much more interesting stuff at..
http://www.davidcorn.com/2005/07/a_cia_vets_mess.php

[Emit]

13. Stein, along with Ron Silver, have been

talking-head shills for Bush & Co. for some time now. Leading up to the elections and during the RNC last year, I saw them both frequently on MSNBC (Silver on Chris Mathews) and Stein on other programs/stations, spouting their support for Bush & Co.

For whatever it's worth, Stein is a big Bush & Co. supporter, and of Republicans in general over the last few years--mid 90's (although he has donated to Dems in the past) and supported Buchanan at one point in time:

See link, he contributed $27,300 to Republicans since mid-90's:
http://newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Ben_Stein.php

He also supported Nader this last go round, probably to undercut the Dems.

He's considered a Neocon by some:

http://batr.net/neoconwatch/
http://miami.indymedia.org/news/2005/07/1834.php

Not that it all matters, I could care less what actors and previous Presidential speech writers support what candidate. But I, too, saw Ben Stein today, and wondered why CBS allowed him this air time for this stunt--he only proved to infuriate me (again) because he's such a hack for Bush & Co., and I can't, for the life of me, help but wonder who cares what he thinks (he does write a regular column for the American Prospect, and his articles are often found in other Repug propaganda.)

I'm glad you wrote CBS to complain.

...And the Repugs are always talking and complaining about the celebs in Hollywood shilling for the liberals! Jeesh.

[Geek_Girl]

19. Ben Stein is a partisan hack

He has been shilling for the Bush administration for several years now. I don't support or watch anything he is in. He's just another neo-con in sheep's clothing.