Obama Not Riled by Fox Chief's Word Play

[cal04]

Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday he was not greatly offended by the Fox News chief's word play about his name that led Nevada Democrats to cancel a presidential debate hosted with the network.

Fox's Roger Ailes made a remark last week about the similarities between the Illinois senator's name and al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden.

''I didn't take great offense at the joke,'' Obama said in an Associated Press interview while campaigning in Iowa. ''I have been called worse.''

(snip)
''Fortunately, I feel very comfortable about how I've conducted my life, and I think I will survive the vetting process with flying colors,'' he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Obama-Interview.html

[MADem]

1. The words of an asshole reflect on the asshole, at the end of the day.

It says everything about Roger, his comment. Nothing about Obama, who handled this exactly right by dismissing it. Don't give the bastard any play.

[liberaldemocrat7]

5. What about AlaBAMA?

Why doesn't Mr. Ailes say somethign about AlaBAMA the state. That name apears similar to OSAMA. Also Hussein appears the name of the father of the current King of Jordan.

Mr. Ailes has a problem in my view.

[MADem]

10. Well, of course he does. He's an asshole. But Obama did the right thing.

Wave him off. By continuing to harp on it, who gets the play? Ailes and Faux, that's who. And that is what they WANT.

When the right thinks HUSSEIN, they don't think Abdullah's father, they don't think about one of the founders of a sect of Islam, they don't think of anything but Saddam. Mentioning those other examples won't change their hearts or minds.

The best thing to do is give them as little time as possible--the time you'd spend swatting a fly.

[NanceGreggs]

2. Every time Obama opens his mouth ...

... I like him EVEN MORE!

[Kahuna]

3. True dat!!!

:pals:

[carpe diem]

4. now this is a bold statement...

''Fortunately, I feel very comfortable about how I've conducted my life, and I think I will survive the vetting process with flying colors,'' he said.


...he must feel confident that nobody has anything on him that he hasn't already told on himself...lesson for future candidates, write your own story and be honest (drug use, whatever) and all it leaves is manufactured b.s. about stocks and parking tickets...

[GreenTea]

6. That wasn't the reason why the debate was canceled...John Edwards

immediately saw through Fox's bullshit and rightfully refused to participate in republican propaganda...Bill Richardson also canceled a couple of days ago and momentum was building exposing Fox's hypocrisy...

If anyone it was John Edwards who stood up to Fox and stopped the bullshit debate.

Where did you get it that is was Obama "his name that led Nevada Democrats to cancel a presidential debate hosted with the network."

Television? You can't watch television and expect to ever get the truth!!

[chimpymustgo]

7. The article doesn't even MENTION Edwards. Hmmmmm.....

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

Edwards definitly started this fire.

[GreenTea]

8. Obama is televisions (besides Fox) golden boy, he can do no wrong...

while other candidate, like Edwards, struggle just to get any kind of funding or donations...Excellent democratic candidates will be left in the dust because of television....

Television pounding away everyday, that we all want ONLY Obama or Hillary, that's what's good for us democrat's...and they in turn receive all the money!

As the republicans smile.

Fucking television!

[MADem]

13. Television touted Gary Hart to the exception of all others, too.

Remember how well that worked?

Don't give 'television' more power than it deserves.

[GreenTea]

16. Yes, I recall....television pounded away with that Donna Rice photo...

sitting on Hart's lap, day in and day out...all aboard!

[MADem]

21. Recall back BEHIND that Donna Rice "follow me" throwdown/photos.

It was Hart, Hart, HERO Hart, Hart with all the answers, no one is wiser. He was regarded as a "LOCK" for the nomination.

When Gary got a little hubris-laden, and challenged reporters to chase him, that's when he had trouble. A bunch of them did, most enthusiastically. I seem to remember the WASHINGTON TIMES had a good chunk of that tale, as well as the MIAMI HERALD.

And the icing on the cake were those pictures from Bimini, on the MONKEY BUSINESS...but that came at the END of the tale, not the beginning. The beginning had to do with Hart, rooming with a lobbyist, and reporters noticing a couple of ladies coming and going. One of them was Donna Rice. There was a lousy explanation that no one believed for their presence.



If not for those pictures, he might have gotten away with it. She came out dressed like a damned nun and denied any relationship...but that was before the photo suggested a lie.



"Television" can't resist a good scandal--and by good, I mean sexual. But lying, cheating, stealing--unless you have good video with drugs being used as a bonus, they take a back seat---the only scandals that sell well are the sexual ones.

However, this scandal was shopped primarily in the OLD media, the print press--they took the lead, and TV followed along. TV threw a few logs on the fire, sure, but the ones who flogged this into a frenzy were the newspapers, the tabloids, and the news magazines.

[Adelante]

9. According to the Nevada Democratic Party

They did cancel because of the Ailes joke on Obama. I read it the other day.

[GreenTea]

11. As chimpymustgo mentions above did the article even mention Edwards?

Or was it saving face, because after Edwards.... other candidates were also dropping out...

And only Obama & Hillary would of been left standing there debating each other...

Now you see...Hillary couldn't very well snub her funding buddy Fox's Murdoch....I'm sure there was pressure there from her sources...and the Nev. Dems came up with, oh it was about a name Fox said...

And of course right on cue Obama says "oh it didn't bother me" making for a good television hero.

I don't think it's very hard to see through the shit if one knows where to look.

Television, what shit.

[NYCGirl]

14. Reid's letter cancelling the debate to Fox did not mention Edwards:

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/mar/10/harry_reids_letter_to_fox_roger_ailes_blew_it

Marty Ryan
Executive Producer
Fox News Political Programs

Dear Marty,

A month ago, the Nevada Democratic Party entered into a good faith agreement with FOX News to co-sponsor a presidential debate in August. This was done because the Nevada Democratic Party is reaching out to new voters and we strongly believe that a Democrat will not win Nevada unless we find new ways to talk to new people.

To say the least, this was not a popular decision. But it is one that the Democratic Party stood by. However, comments made last night by FOX News President Roger Ailes in reference to one of our presidential candidates went too far. We cannot, as good Democrats, put our party in a position to defend such comments.

In light of his comments, we have concluded that it is not possible to hold a Presidential debate that will focus on our candidates and are therefore canceling our August debate. We take no pleasure in this, but it is the only course of action.

Sincerely,

Tom Collins
Chairman, Nevada State Democratic Party

Harry Reid
U.S. Senator (D-NV)

[GreenTea]

17. Yep, so that must be the reason....

Nothing more....that was the one and only reason...Wow, long live bullshit propaganda!

Yesssssssssssssss, the people believe everything and will NEVER look any further!

[NYCGirl]

19. It could be because of Edwards' boycott, and because Obama kicked Fox reporters

off his campaign after the Madrassas story, and it could be because Richardson said he would not show up, or it could be because none of the other candidates had ever confirmed, even before Edwards boycotted. But I guess someone will always feel left out.

[Adelante]

20. I don't think it would have happened only because

of Edwards, either. The Nevada Dems weren't about to stick up for Edwards due to his co-sponsoring unpopular anti-gambling legislation. So the Ailes joke could have been taken as a way out for them. There are always reasons behind reasons.

[Adelante]

15. The Nevada Democrats say what they say

It doesn't please you, I understand, but the state party sent the letter to cancel with Fox the day after the Ailes joke and the letter did not mention Edwards.

[MADem]

12. That is actually the correct course of events. Senator Reid is hanging the reason on

the last straw that broke the camel's back, but it was all of those things. After all, you can't have a debate if no one shows up.

[GreenTea]

18. I completely agree.