On MSNBC, NY Times reporter Kornblut repeated "cut and run" attack on Democrats - New Judith Miller

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200701050014

On the January 4 edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country, New York Times reporter Anne E. Kornblut asserted that the "biggest nightmare for some of the Democrats in the Senate would be a Democratic Party that looks as though it just wants to, from -- the words from 2004 - 'cut and run,' " referring to the label frequently applied by Republican critics to Democratic proposals to withdraw troops from Iraq. As Media Matters for America has noted, many media outlets have uncritically repeated the "cut and run" characterization, while failing to note that recent polling, including exit polls of 2006 voters, finds a majority favoring the idea of troop withdrawal.

In repeating the characterization, Kornblut described it as "the words from 2004," apparently referring to that year's presidential campaign. But Republicans and conservatives used the phrase to dismiss calls for withdrawing troops from Iraq throughout 2006 as well (as Media Matters documented numerous times, including here, here, here, here, and here). However, as Media Matters further noted, exit polling conducted during the 2006 elections showed that a majority of Americans favor a withdrawal of all or some U.S. troops from Iraq.

From the January 4 edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country:

KORNBLUT: Well, it's interesting. I already heard some grumbling in the elevators today from, you know, all the Democratic supporters who are out here, especially from San Francisco, asking the question: "Are the Democrats going to cut off funding for the war in Iraq?" Can they prevent financially -- snip

Iraq is much more difficult and I think made more so by the fact that you have, you know, 9,000 people in the Senate running for president, and all of them are going to take a position, especially the Democrats who are running, that's careful not to make them look soft on foreign policy. I think the biggest nightmare for some of the Democrats in the Senate would be a Democratic Party that looks as though it just wants to -- from -- the words from 2004, "cut and run."

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, there's a -- and that's a problem.

[illinoisprogressive]

1. Ann was probably promoted to Judy's desk.

[B Calm]

2. Republicans know the Iraq war was a huge mistake and

and that it's a lost cause. So it shouldn't be a surprise that they're trying to save face and blame the democratic party for their blunder.

[madrchsod]

3. new in more ways than one..

i`d say a much younger version......

[Bitwit1234]

4. You surely know the republicans are going to blame dems.

bush got us into this war. He has kept us there. Our military and the innocents of Iraqi have been killed. We are trillons of dollars in debt. But if the war rages on, and bush leaves office with it still going, they republicans are going to blame the democrats. We are going to get the blame for bush's war, his mistakes and his egotistical actions. What do you want to bet.

[msongs]

5. please refer to it as "the republican party occupation of Iraq"... nt