Category: Video Content

Wright was quoting someone else; media reports wrong?

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More campaign shenanigans? Was Rev. Wright simply quoting Ambassador Edward Peck when he made those controversial remarks that ended with, “God damn America”? Over at the Daily Kos, naijaman seems to think so. He posted the following YouTube link showing approximately ten minutes of the sermon, rather than the short clip being run by the mainstream media. Judge for yourself:

Assuming this clip shows the way it really happened, why didn’t the Obama camp say so right away? Why didn’t they release this video? Wouldn’t it have taken some heat out of the controversy?

With the campaigns trying to cripple each other while putting the best possible face on everything, and the media loving controversy wherever they can find or manufacture it, it is becoming increasing difficult to know what the truth is.

One thing we do know, however, is to never fully trust either politicians or media.

© 2008 PiedType.com. Some rights reserved.

McCain gaffe, Lieberman correction are cause for concern

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By now everyone knows that in Jordan yesterday, Sen. John McCain said Iran (predominately Shiite) was training Al Qaida (mostly Sunni) operatives to go into Iraq to fight. In fact, the Sunni and Shia are fighting each other in Iraq, and Iran is reportedly training Shiite extremists, not Al Qaida. However, not until Joe Lieberman whispered a correction in his ear did McCain change his statement.

The exchange in Jordan has been reported in various ways. The Huffington Post, for example, said that McCain “falsely claimed” Iran was training Al Qaida. “Falsely claimed” sounds perilously close to “lied.” Other sources reported that McCain “misspoke” and corrected himself (not mentioning that Lieberman had intervened), and still others (CNN and AP, according to Media Matters) didn’t refer to the gaffe at all.

If nothing else, the lesson here is don’t limit yourself to just one news source. Watch and interpret the incident for yourself. Get it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6GBdyws5YU]

More worrisome than this one “gaffe” is that none of the reportage from Jordan, nor the subsequent explanations and clarifications from the McCain camp, addresses the fact that McCain said virtually the same thing the day before in an interview on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show: “As you know, there are Al Qaeda operatives that are taken back into Iran, given training as leaders, and they’re moving back into Iraq.”

It is disquieting to think the presidential candidate who touts himself as most capable of dealing with the situation in Iraq seems to so easily and often confuse the major players. Sounds a lot like something the Bush administration has done.

© 2008 PiedType.com. Some rights reserved.

Hillary doesn’t cry… again

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Crocodile tears. Or not. Depends on who you ask. But again today, again on the eve of an important primary election day, Hillary got misty-eyed. Or not.

Was she remembering her show of emotion on the eve of the New Hampshire primary? When all the women voters turned out in sympathy and unexpectedly gave her the win? Or so the analysts said. If you want to listen to them. Don’t forget, they’re the same people who predicted 24 hours earlier that Obama would win.

Now those pundits are saying yes, she got a little emotional today, but she’s human. She’s exhausted. She’s been campaigning non-stop for weeks. She let down her guard in a small, personal gathering.

Isn’t that what they said when she didn’t cry in New Hampshire?

Note: March 11 — Just watched this again and now I don’t see it. Interesting what the passage of time can do to perceptions, especially when the largest view you have is a Youtube video on a small computer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGr9AFtUoAA&rel=1]

© 2008 PiedType.com. Some rights reserved.

This is the moment; Obama is the one

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Barack Obama has won the Democratic caucuses in Iowa. And as he put it this evening in a stirring speech to his supporters, this is the moment. This is the time America will remember as the beginning of a new era, the end of the politics of fear, the beginning of the politics of hope.

Partisanship, special interests, and polarization in Washington. The good ol’ boys. The smoke-filled rooms. The lobbyists. The political dynasties. This is the year it ends.

It feels good to be optimistic again. It feels good to be proud of a candidate. It feels good to think that, just maybe, the system might not be broken after all.

~~~

Barack Obama made history in Iowa tonight. And then he spoke to America:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqoFwZUp5vc]

YouTube video of Obama’s victory speech in Iowa

© 2008 PiedType.com. Some rights reserved.