Publius' Forum

According to an entry in Media Bistro's DC Fishbowl, New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller has sent out an email whining that the Media are so put upon as to imagine they might be forced to martyrdom at the hands of the nefarious Bush administration, cheered on by Bush's henchmen.

I don't know about you, but I hear the strains of the world's tiniest violin wafting through the air. Or, as my sainted Mother always said when we kids were complaining, "Let's throw a pity party" for him. Galileo-like, Keller seems to imagine he is headed for persecution by the mighty and powerful, sure that his actions and the actions of his brethren are blameless and right.

I sense eyes rolling all across the county.

Mr. Keller's email begins:

"I'm not sure journalists fully appreciate the threat confronting us -- The Times in the eavesdropping case, the Post for its CIA prison stories, and everyone else who has tried to look behind the war on terror."

You are right, Mr. Keller, neither you nor your fellows "appreciate the threat confronting us". Since you see that threat as the United States, absolving entirely those who would kill each and every one of us and destroy our civilization, you seem to totally miss the threats in the times in which we live.

"Maybe we're suffering a bit of subpoena fatigue. Maybe some people are a little intimidated by the way the White House plays the soft-on-terror card."

Or maybe, the Bush administration is SOFT on the "soft-on-terror" card, since NONE of you are really under any direct threat of that dreaded subpoena.

"Whatever the reason, I worry that we're not as worried as we should be. No president likes reporters sniffing after his secrets, but most come to realize that accountability is the price of power in our democracy."

In other words, you have intimidated every president since Truman and you feel that is the natural order of things. Bad assumption, mate.

"Some officials in this administration, and their more vociferous cheerleaders, seem to have a special animus towards reporters doing their jobs."

No one would be upset if all you did was your job, Mr. Keller. But, where the glee rests is within your "profession", not those "Vociferous cheerleaders" you so despise. It veritably oozes from your work exposing National Security secrets. It shimmers from your every attempt to undermine the rooting out of terrorists. It calls out in high pitched squeals as you propound a recognition of the "rights" of terrorists as all the while you step on the rights of those terrorism injures.

"There's sometimes a vindictive tone in way they talk about dragging reporters before grand juries and in the hints that reporters who look too hard into the public's business risk being branded traitors."

Again, if you were not doing all in your power to harm the prosecution of this war and subsequently placing our troops at risk, that "vindictive tone" might not seem so pervasive to you, Mr. Keller.

"I don't know how far action will follow rhetoric, but some days it sounds like the administration is declaring war at home on the values they profess to be promoting abroad."

What falderal. Bush clearly said early in this war on terror that "if you aren't with us you are against us" and you, Mr. Keller, seem to have clearly picked a side... the OTHER side. Seems to me that if Bush is targeting you and your ilk, he is practicing what he preaches.

Yet, still, there is absolutely no evidence that journalists are being unduly targeted by the Bush administration at all. In fact, Bush is much less harsh on the media than either Lincoln, Wilson OR FDR was, all of who jailed journalists in their time of national crisis.

No, this nonsense amounts to alarmism and self-pity as well as mock outrage, Mr. Keller. But, you certainly have given us all a good example of just why so many Americans are turning against you and your fellows. The rampant arrogance and anti-Americanism in your profession is driving Americans to frustration and causing them to have little sympathy for a journalist pressured to stop being so unpatriotic.

I'd suggest that if you want to stop feeling so put upon, perhaps you might want to at least pretend as if you like the country in which you derive your living. People might stop being so mad at you then.

(See link- Click here)

By Warner Todd Huston