Journalist Throws Shoes at President Bush In Iraq

Wow.. if only journalists in this country actually showed their emotions LOL. Take a look at President Bush dodging an Iraqi journalist's shoes. Just plain funny..... and quite sad for a leader of the U.S. to be treated this way.

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Bushisms: As President Bush Leaves Office, Track His Misspeaks

MSNBC has one of the early compilations of "Bushisms" just as President Bush prepares to leave office. Here is a sample. Add your favorite Bush language blunders in the comments below.
There are a few more, and some repeats, in this clip.

And still a few more...

A compilation of Bushisms from the Late Show With David Letterman.

And finally... a Letterman Top Ten.


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Jenna Wolfe and Lester Holt on 'Weekend Today' Show

There were more high jinks this AM on the Sunday edition of 'Today' with Jenna Wolfe and Lester Holt. This morning, Wolfe seemed to return to 'how I'm related to the news". I think she has made a lot of progress in this position... but still too often slips back into self-inclusion in the news or self-depricating actions.

• This morning, at the top of the show, Wolfe got into some back and forth with Holt about a word. I believe she was taliing about "schismatizing". Holt didn't realize what she was talking about (neither did I)... and told her. She mentioned that her mother would be happy about the discussion... and something about her 'big new job here.' It was awkward for Holt. I really like him and hate to see the rhythm of the show disrupted for him.
• Later, as Wolfe read a story about Pres. Bush's remarks last night at a Washington media event, she pulled herself into the story. Bush was joking about John McCain distancing himself from Bush. The President added that 'Jenna is moving out.' Wolfe joked about herself (Jenna) not knowing she was moving out. We (viewers) all know the President was talking about his daughter. Awkward.
• Finally, in several later segments, Wolfe made reference to the drizzle on the plaza and that she was out in. She finally even slapped herself around a bit by saying she needed to just stop talking about the rain. How about complaining to the executive producer about the segments in the rain instead of mentioning it so often to viewers.

If you've followed my posts about Wolfe, Amy Robach and Holt, you'll know that I was tough on Wolfe when she came to this position. I have been, and still am, an NBC News watcher. But, I think she has grown a lot. It's sad though when she slips back into old habits. By they way, there's a new string of comments about Wolfe on TVSpy.com. And... the TodayShow.com page focused on Weekend Today still only features Holt. There's no presence for Wolfe or Robach.

SEARCH FOR ALL WOLFE AND ROBACH POSTS BY ENTERING THE NAME IN THE SEARCH BOX IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE PAGE

CHECK OUT PAST POSTS ABOUT WOLFE, AMY ROBACH, 'TODAY'
Wolfe and Robach Co-Anchor Sunday 'Today'
Amy Robach (and Tamron Hall) on MSNBC
'Today' On Super Bowl Sunday
Wolfe-Robach, The Saga Continues
Endless Fascination With Wolfe
Jenna Wolfe & Weekend 'Today': Is OK Enough?
Robach Back, Wolfe Reading News
What In The World Has Happened To Weekend 'Today'
See A Sample Of Other User Comments About Wolfe, Robach
ADD YOUR COMMENT BELOW ABOUT THE AMY ROBACH - JENNA WOLFE ISSUE ON 'TODAY'
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President Bush’s State Of The Union Address; TV Anchors MUST Report From Washington

It happens every year… but why? I’m not talking about the actual State of the Union address, but TV news anchors rushing to the nation’s political center to prove they can report from D.C. I happened to walk in from work just as Brian Williams’ ‘NBC Nightly News’ was finishing a Lee Cowan piece on the Senator Kennedy endorsement of Barack Obama. He turned to a very awkward 3-shot that included Williams and Andrea Mitchell (there for another story). Her introduction was awkward as well. All of this happened just so Williams could have the U.S. Capitol over his shoulder… and to anchor the President’s coverage from the same generic location.

Hasn’t TV news advanced beyond this? Do media managers think they fool the viewers? You can’t really argue that Williams, Katie Couric or Charlie Gibson will do some actual reporting that may warrant an anchor location in D.C. None will be in the Gallery for the speech… but all are “there” at a generic location with a beauty shot over the shoulder. I would think at least NBC 2.0 would have cut this type of wasted live shot. How about keeping anchors in studio unless it’s major breaking news where their presence will actually advance the content provided to viewers? I have no doubt that no such added perspective will be gained from Williams, Couic or Gibson tonight. IF I AM WRONG… I will certainly apologize.

READ MORE: Oh Yeah We Forgot, The State Of The Union
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Oh Yeah, We Forgot: President Bush’s State of the Union Address

It seems the media and the country is all wrapped up in the presidential race (and Heath Ledger’s death this week), that we’ve basically forgotten about President Bush’s State of the Union address scheduled for Monday night. “Oh, I forgot about that,” it’s OK to say.

The media seems to have passed this by. Search Google news right now and you’ll find only one reference in the last day to “President Bush State of the Union” address. Has the media forgotten about those troops in Iraq? We slammed Bush and his policies for the last few years. Suddenly, it’s disappeared from the media radar. No doubt any other year, we would have talked for weeks about Iraq and the State of the Union address. OK, I get it. He’s a lame duck president right now. But he can do a whole lot of harm in the next 12 months… or he can start the country on a better course of foreign policy. What he plans to do in the next 12 months should be of interest to us… even if it scares you.

Bush Tax Relief Coverage

It was interesting to watch the media today respond to the big tax relief plan from President Bush. He wants a $145 billion tax relief package to help stimulate the economy. Most everyone agrees it won’t be enough for the economy to do a sharp turnaround… but doesn’t it help?

I say it was interesting because on websites and cable news networks that I surfed shortly after the announcement, Bush’s plan was the top story. But there were no breaking news banners (except MSNBC.com). There were no major shifts in coverage. The networks covered the story and moved on to other topics. I was even part of a very healthy discussion about why a tax relief package from President Bush was a significant story. (More at CNN.com and MSNBC.com)

Perhaps rightfully so, the President is carrying a great deal of baggage… much of which is filled with anger for any number of reasons. His international trip garnered little attention as our country focused most of our attention on the presidential nomination process. I think everyone accepts he’s a lame duck president at this point. But still, when a president announces a major tax relief package that could put money in the hands of millions of Americans, it is a big news story. It’s our job to put it in perspective for our viewers and users. Perhaps if we could step away from Lindsay Lohan being ordered to serve part of her sentence in a morgue, we could really give viewers and users insight into something that actually affects them.

Colbert's Presidential Race: STOP the Madness For the Sake of the Country!

UPDATE: South Carolina Democrats reject Colbert's attempts to register to run. 'Hours after the comedian officially filed as a Democratic candidate, party officials turned him down. The 13-3 executive council vote came after about 40 minutes of discussion by top party officials.' Read More Here

By now, anyone who has read my blog knows that I am not a fan of Stephen Colbert's entry into the Presidential race. I need a good laugh as much as the next guy. But, I am truly concerned about who will lead our country soon. In this great time of crisis with the Iraq situation, world tensions from Iran to Nort Korea and an econony nearing a depression, Americans need to focus their attention toward a candidate that can truly set a new course for the country. Our discourse about the real issues facing us should not be shifted toward a Comedy Central host's mockery of this election process. Now, new developments. Apparently Colbert's entry into the South Carolina race is pretty serious. This news coming from CNN: the 'South Carolina native will not file papers as a Republican because the $35,000 required to get on the GOP ballot is apparently too high a threshold... The South Carolina Democratic Party demands a candidate pay $2,500 or garner 3,000 signatures to get on the ballot.' Colbert will apparently file his official papers tomorrow (or could have this afternoon).

We all may chuckle a little at his dry wit enters the race. But let's face the facts. Americans need to focus on this election. There is too much at stake to waste time on silly entries like this. Not matter your political affiliation, we know Reagan had his own vision in the 80's and Clinton in the 90's. But most people would agree. George W. Bush has struggled to rally this country and lead us toward better times. Here's my wish... If Stephen Colbert wants to influence this election, lead a campaign to get more Americans to vote for a serious candidate of their choice. Don't make a mockery of our process at such a critical time.

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‘No End In Sight’ – You Should See It

If you can find it in your city (or on DVD), check out the documentary/film ‘No End In Sight.’ (move listings) At first glance, it’s an attack on the President’s plan for the war and its aftermath in Iraq. But, there’s more to this film than meets the eye.

I had a chance to see the film during a trip to Washington, DC. It was interesting watching the reactions of people in the small but crowded theater. There were chuckles, gasps and even a little laughter at comments from people on screen. The film details the aftermath of the fall of Baghdad in 2003. Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine, Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner all speak to producers for this film. As you can imagine, the President, Donald Rumsfeld and Condoleezza Rice did not speak.

The film examines basic U.S. errors in judging the start and continued growth of insurgent offenses in Iraq. That’s the important take away in this film. The critical role that L. Paul Bremer played in how American is positioned today is told in great detail and explanation. You can’t see this film and still appreciate any expertise that he brought to the effort.

Take a step back from liberal or conservative politics with this film to really try to gain a better view of the insurgent efforts. Ultimately the film asserts that those mistakes are where the U.S. effort in Iraq went way off track. It’s a film worth seeing… if for nothing more than to see a detailed perspective other than that of Michael Moore.

Check out some of the reviews: Roger Ebert, Emanual Levy, Various, Others

How ‘The View’ Has Changed From This Seat

I purposely avoided the temptation to sample ‘The View’ until the new team got settled. It’s rather unfair for everyone to criticize this new team too early. But, my-oh-my how ‘The View’ has changed from where I sit. I clicked the play on the DVR when I got home tonight. (I planned to record the show.. don’t suspect I record it every day LOL) I wish I hadn’t. I remember the good ‘ol days when Meredith, Star, Barbara and Joy really made up the heart of the show. It was topical. It was fun. It was enjoyable, even laughable sometimes. Elizabeth and her predecessors were hardly memorable.

The ongoing spat with Rosie seems to have lit a fire under Elizabeth. She’s just down right annoying now. And no, it’s not because she’s a conservative. It’s not because she comes from reality TV. It’s not because her popularity rose because of Rosie’s dismissals (by the way, I could never watch Rosie host this show either). She’s annoying because she won’t shut up! During today’s show, Whoopi Goldberg was trying to make a point about hearing directly from Iran’s president instead of through the blurred vision of the TV cable media. Elizabeth just wouldn’t listen. After every point from another host, she had to give the last word.

I clicked off the DVR and moved on after the first segment. I just couldn’t watch anymore. Thankfully, I’m at work during the day and rarely have a chance to watch.

DAN RATHER SUES CBS: What’s He Thinking?

Dan Rather’s $70 million lawsuit against CBS, Les Moonves, Summer Redstone and Andrew Hayward is a little perplexing.

He’s waited this long to file a suit? He didn’t realize CBS was pushing him out after ‘stepping down’ from the sinking ‘CBS Evening News’? He didn’t realize that as evening news anchor his baggage from this horrible report was too heavy for CBS? He didn’t realize that CBS was using the lack of accuracy in the Bush report as the opportunity to start a re-work of the news division? In every disaster, someone’s looking for a way to capitalize. In this case, journalism was the victim of this reporting disaster that Dan Rather took part in. Dan Rather is not the victim in the CBS debacle; journalism, and more specifically TV news, is the victim.

For decades since the departures of Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, Americans have increasingly distrusted TV news anchors. The debacle surrounding CBS, Rather and Mr. Bush cost us all as TV news people. It was not only a black mark against TV news and journalism, it was as if a semi-truck drove through what was once the most trusted news brand in the country. Dan Rather was a critical part of that reporting. He was a critical part of the leadership, or lack thereof, in handling the errors.

Rightfully so, most of us would have simply been fired for such an error. Rather escaped and was transitioned to a much lesser role at ’60 Minutes’ because of his tenure with CBS. In fact, CBS should have fired everyone involved immediately including Mr. Rather. Instead, the network that allowed the report and fumbled the aftermath now faces a lawsuit from the man who should have prevented the report in the first place. Interesting.

MEDIA ANSWER: Mistakes are made. But, handle them responsibly, quickly, decisively and thoroughly even if that involves top anchors or managers. The community will respect us more as journalists.

TV Hands Over Time For President's Iraq Message

Networks will give President Bush a spot in prime time tomorrow to tell Americans that he’s going to do something that was already planned; pull back troops associated with the surge in Iraq. Don’t assume this post is in support of or against the war. As a journalist, I have never publicly stated my personal opinion. But, this post is to point out two things.

First, Americans will laugh off the prime time speech. It’s more talk and no real action. They’re waiting to see change… not more talk about it. Supporters of the war have long wanted victory and I’m sure they fully expected it before now. Opponents of the war want the troops out this year instead of starting next. There have been countless speeches outlining news plans, new directions, and new ways forward. It’s often the case when people are unsure or insecure about the right direction. They soft-peddle talk about many directions. This is true in newsrooms, in business and in life. President Bush stood by his direction for years. If he’s changing or even softening his direction now, the country awaits concise, decisive action. I’m sure Friday morning polls will show Americans will believe there’s a change in direction when they see troops returning to their families.

Secondly, the days of prime time speeches are far behind us. “Prime time” to me is anytime I’m online checking headlines, reading favorite sites and blogging here (as well as two new blogs to come soon). The President is more likely to attract attention and awareness of his plan by initiating action first and talking second. When many of us were growing up in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s, prime time TV was important. Today it’s only an option as we (viewers and users) find the medium that satisfies us most at the time we want it. Scheduled appointments with the President (and Congress) appear optional in this digital age.