Krugman: Romney completely misrepresented how we ended up in Iraq. Media fails to report this gaffe.

[flpoljunkie]

Evidently nothing has changed since 2000. The media is still not doing their job.

Lies, Sighs and Politics,
by Paul Krugman,

In Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, Mitt Romney completely misrepresented how we ended up in Iraq. Later, Mike Huckabee mistakenly claimed that it was Ronald Reagan’s birthday.

Guess which remark The Washington Post identified as the “gaffe of the night”?

Folks, this is serious. If early campaign reporting is any guide, the bad media habits that helped install the worst president ever in the White House haven’t changed a bit.

<>Now fast forward to last Tuesday. Asked whether we should have invaded Iraq, Mr. Romney said that war could only have been avoided if Saddam “had opened up his country to I.A.E.A. inspectors, ... and they’d found that there were no weapons of mass destruction.” He dismissed this as an “unreasonable hypothetical.”

Except that Saddam did, in fact, allow inspectors in. ... When those inspectors failed to find nonexistent W.M.D., Mr. Bush ordered them out so that he could invade. Mr. Romney’s remark should have been the central story in news reports about Tuesday’s debate. But it wasn’t...

more...

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2007/06/paul_krugman_li.html

[whistle]

1. Why would any of the media change, they are completely owned and dominated

...by the largest corporations in America and their reporters just follow corporate dictates or they don't work and certainly won't get a paycheck!

[Jim__]

2. These reports are important.

We all know the American media sucks. But, we need to hammer on the reasons why they suck, report on their blatant failures. Otherwise, we'll just begin to accept their horseshit; and then we are finished.

[Benhurst]

3. Recommended #1. 2008 is going to be stolen if we aren't vigilant .

And the corporate media is primed and ready to go along.

[StClone]

4. Before the Bush Era Ends: rewriting History

Mantra "If not for the Iraq War this would be a very successful Presidency." They cite Economic growth and no inflation.

They forget that 9/11 happened on Bush's watch ignoring warnings. They forget Katrina? Who was Ken Lay and ENRON. Plame scandal... On and on.

[gratuitous]

5. The media haven't changed a bit

And it's right there for those who have eyes to see. Remember all the hubbub over Al Gore's sighs or his misidentification of the FEMA official he visited a hurricane area with? Oh, those stories went on for days and days, they were so much fun! But a major candidate completely fumbles an event from less than five years ago on the biggest issue of our times, and the response from the media is a collective vacant stare off into space.

[flpoljunkie]

6. Our corrupted media has always ignored Bush's lies that Saddam denied inspectors access in Iraq.

That's no reason, though, not to call them out now-loudly and repeatedly. Thank you Paul Krugman and Paul Begala--who. amazingly brought this up on CNN the night of the debate--and has also posted an article on Huffingpost about Romney's "gaffe."

[AzDar]

7. K & R.....

[MGKrebs]

8. This is why OUR words matter.

The internet is our tool, perhaps our only chance to make sure the responsibility that the media has abdicated is fulfilled.

I feel a new maturity growing on the internet. For those sites who wish to be influential in the political arena, certain standards are emerging. You probably have to use your own name, and you should refrain from hateful personal attacks.