Tracy Chapman - World-of-Newave.info World-of-Newave.info http://www.world-of-newave.info/ 2008-10-13T17:42:58Z Latest news and articles about Tracy Chapman Copyright (c)2004-2008.§/Newave SARL. All rights reserved. {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Media Matters: The media's enduring pro-McCain double standard It isn't surprising that the conventional wisdom is that the news media have turned on Sen. John McCain. After all, decades of attacks from conservatives have conditioned reporters to believe that they are biased against Republicans -- even when there is scant evidence in the reporting to support such claims. And the McCain campaign has launched an all-out assault on the media, complaining relentlessly about the coverage its candidate has gotten. On top of all that, McCain historically has been the recipient of the most favorable media coverage of any politician in modern American history. Reporters spent years all but offering to peel McCain a grape. So, just as the media judge a candidate to have "won" a debate if s/he "exceeds expectations," the fact that McCain's coverage hasn't been as hagiographic as expected has led many to conclude that it has actually been unfairly negative. The truth is that when John McCain says "jump," the media still ask, "How high?" Think about this: When was the last time McCain or his campaign has wanted the news media to focus on something, and they have refused? From "lipstick on a pig" to Bill Ayers, the media have scampered after whatever mud McCain has flung, like a puppy dog chasing a stick thrown by its master. Sure, sometimes they have pointed out that McCain is lying -- and that's tremendous progress for a profession that has spent a decade flatly asserting McCain's honesty. But -- as I've explained in the past -- even as they've debunked McCain's claims, they've too often privileged the lie by allowing those claims to drive their coverage. And, increasingly, they uncritically quote McCain campaign attacks on Sen. Barack Obama for things McCain himself has done. When a campaign does something like this, the media often point out the hypocrisy, and the attack backfires. But those rules don't apply to John McCain. So when John and Cindy McCain attack Barack Obama for what they describe as a vote to "cut off the funds for the troops," the news media dutifully repeat the charge -- without noting that, by the same logic, McCain also voted to cut off funds for the troops: Obama voted against a funding bill that did not include a timeline for withdrawal; McCain voted against a bill that did include a timeline for withdrawal. The funding vote has been the subject of some of McCain's nastiest attacks recently. Cindy McCain, for example, claimed Obama's "vote to not fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body" and lectured: "I would suggest that Senator Obama change shoes with me for just one day. ... I suggest he take a day and go watch our fine young men and women deploy." You would think, then, that media reporting Cindy McCain's purported indignation would note that John McCain also voted against funding. They haven't. Indeed, some have falsely stated the opposite -- that McCain did not cast such a vote. You might even think reporters would ask the McCain campaign if Cindy McCain got a "cold chill" when her husband voted "to not fund [her] son." But there is no indication that any reporter has done so. But the best indication that McCain has not yet truly "lost his 'base,' " as The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder put it this week, is the glaring media double standard in covering the two presidential candidates' controversial relationships. Let's start with Bill Ayers, since the news media have spent much of the week obliging McCain's efforts to make him the focus of the campaign. As an activist in the 1960s -- when Barack Obama was a young child -- Bill Ayers was a member of the Weathermen, a group of radical activists who launched a series of violent demonstrations and bombings in protest of the Vietnam War. Ayers is now a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago and a school reform advocate. During Obama's first campaign, Ayers hosted a coffee for him, and the two men have served together on the board of a school reform effort funded by a foundation chaired by Leonore Annenberg, who has endorsed John McCain. The New York Times concluded that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close," and Obama has denounced Ayers' actions as a member of the Weathermen. A search* of the Nexis database found that more than 4,500 news reports so far this year have mentioned Obama and Ayers -- more than 1,800 this week alone. Now: G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy served four and a half years in prison for his role in the break-ins at the Watergate and at Daniel Ellsberg's psychologist's office. He has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary." He plotted to kill journalist Jack Anderson. He plotted with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt in order to thwart an investigation. He plotted to firebomb the Brookings Institution. He used Nazi terminology to outline a plan to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 GOP convention. And Liddy's bad acts were not confined to the early 1970s. In the 1990s, he instructed his radio audience on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents ("Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests." In case anyone missed the subtlety of his point, Liddy also insisted: "Kill the sons of bitches.") During Bill Clinton's presidency, Liddy boasted that he named his shooting targets after the Clintons. What does Liddy have to do with the presidential election? As Media Matters has noted: Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled, "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07," includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program." McCain even backed Liddy's son's congressional bid in 2000 -- a campaign that relied heavily on the elder Liddy's history. To sum up: John McCain is "proud" of his "old friend" Gordon Liddy -- an old friend who plotted to kill one of the most respected journalists in American history, and who urged listeners to kill federal agents and advised them on how to do so. McCain campaigned for Liddy's son, and Liddy has even hosted a fundraiser for McCain at his home. So McCain's relationship with Liddy is pretty much a direct parallel to Obama's relationship with Ayers. Except that McCain and Liddy have apparently spent time together more recently than Obama and Ayers. And Liddy's extremist activities continued well into the 1990s, at least. And Liddy says he and McCain are "old friends," while The New York Times says Obama and Ayers aren't close. And Obama has never said Ayers adheres to "the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great." Other than all that, it's a direct parallel. Yet even as they obsess over Barack Obama and Bill Ayers -- just as the McCain campaign tells them to -- the news media have all but ignored John McCain's close ties to Gordon Liddy. A Nexis search** finds fewer than 100 news reports that have mentioned McCain and Liddy this year. As Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman -- who has criticized Obama's relationship with Ayers -- has noted: Liddy, now a conservative radio host, has never expressed regret for this attempt to subvert the Constitution. Nor has he developed any respect for the law. ... Yet none of this bothers McCain. Liddy has contributed thousands of dollars to his campaigns, held a fundraiser for McCain at his home and hosted the senator on his radio show, where McCain said, "I'm proud of you." Exactly which part of Liddy's record is McCain proud of? While Obama has gotten lots of scrutiny for his connection to Ayers, McCain has never had to explain his association with Liddy. If he can't defend it, he should admit as much. And if he thinks he can defend it, let him. To repeat: 2008 news reports that mention Obama and Ayers: more than 4,500. 2008 news reports that mention McCain and Liddy: fewer than 100. Incredibly, The Atlantic's Ambinder today suggests that the media have not covered Ayers: "To truly drive Ayers into the public conversation, to trick what they consider an irredeemably biased press corps into biting, McCain has three vehicles gassed up and ready to go. ... So far, McCain has done none of those things." There are 1,800 Nexis hits for Barack Obama and Bill Ayers in the past week, and yet Marc Ambinder thinks the media have not bitten on the Ayers "story" -- and that McCain, who is running ads about Ayers, isn't "really serious" about pushing it, anyway. Even Steve Schmidt would likely be too embarrassed to try to claim that the media have not covered Bill Ayers. Incidentally, Ambinder doesn't seem to have ever mentioned McCain's relationship to Liddy. Not only have the media avoided stand-alone reports on McCain and Liddy, they consistently fail to bring up the connection when reporting on McCain's attacks on Obama's ties to Ayers, or in interviews with McCain staff who bring up Ayers. The McCain/Liddy relationship is such an obvious parallel -- except arguably much worse -- that it's hard to imagine how any evenhanded journalist could possibly justify ignoring it. Yet it happens again and again. And, needless to say, McCain aides do not get badgered about Liddy the way Time's Mark Halperin badgered Obama aide Robert Gibbs about Ayers. Just this morning, NBC's Chuck Todd said he is "sure" Ayers will come up during the final presidential debate next week, adding that moderator Bob Schieffer "may feel no choice but to bring it up" in light of the "TV ads" the McCain campaign and Republican National Committee are running. Setting aside the absurdity of the suggestion that a debate moderator is compelled to bring up a topic simply because John McCain is running ads about it, if Schieffer does ask about Ayers, basic fairness demands that he ask McCain about Liddy as well. OK ... moving on. How about controversial religious figures? Earlier this year, Media Matters showed that The New York Times and The Washington Post had published a total of 161 articles, editorials, and opinion pieces that mentioned Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright -- and only 12 that mentioned John McCain and John Hagee. That disparity wasn't unique to the Times and the Post -- and it hasn't evened out over time. 161 to 12. Land deals? Barack Obama once bought a parcel of land from a controversial donor named Tony Rezko. Obama paid more than the land's assessed value -- but that hasn't stopped the news media from suggesting Obama had an improper relationship with Rezko. Comparatively little attention has been paid to John McCain's relationship with real estate developer Donald Diamond. Diamond, a co-chair of McCain's campaign finance committee, has raised more than $250,000 for McCain's presidential bid and is a "close personal friend" and longtime political patron. For his part, McCain has sponsored two bills sought by Diamond that helped the developer gain what The New York Times described as "millions of dollars and thousands of acres" of land. And McCain helped Diamond buy another parcel of land from the U.S. Army -- a deal that helped Diamond turn a $20 million profit. The Washington Post and USA Today have identified other land deals McCain has facilitated as senator that have benefited some of his biggest donors and fundraisers. Yet a Media Matters review last month found that five national newspapers had run a total of 39 articles, editorials, and opinion pieces that mentioned Obama and Rezko -- but only seven that mentioned McCain and his donors' land deals: [S]ince The New York Times' initial April 22 article [about McCain and Diamond], the land deals have been mentioned in only six additional news articles, editorials, or opinion pieces in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, or The Washington Post, and have yet to be mentioned on any evening network news program. By contrast, during the same time period, 39 news articles, editorials, or opinion pieces in those papers have collectively mentioned Obama and Rezko; and the evening news broadcasts have collectively mentioned Obama and Rezko in five reports. 39 to 7. And, of course, there's always Charles Keating. The news media have done their best to ignore McCain's involvement in the Keating Five -- and, when they have mentioned it, they've done so by parroting the McCain-friendly storyline that the scandal turned the Arizona senator into the World's Greatest Reformer. Even this week, after the Obama campaign drew attention to McCain's involvement in the Keating Five with a Web page and a 13-minute documentary featuring one of the regulators McCain pressured on behalf of his political benefactor, the media have paid far more attention to Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers than to McCain's relationship with Keating. And when they have mentioned Keating, they have often questioned the propriety of the Obama campaign's decision to bring up the subject. Remember: Barack Obama didn't have anything to do with Bill Ayers' wrongdoing. He was a young child at the time. McCain did have something to do with Keating's wrongdoing -- without McCain, the scandal would have been called the Keating Four, not the Keating Five. And yet the media are quick to dismiss the Keating matter. When the topic came up on MSNBC earlier this week, Andrea Mitchell dismissed it as having occurred 20 years ago. Well, sure. But McCain was involved in it 20 years ago, unlike Bill Ayers' controversial activities, which occurred closer to 40 years ago, and which Barack Obama didn't have anything to do with. The American people have made clear that they think the most important consideration in deciding who to vote for is the economy. An astounding 52 percent of Americans call "the economy and jobs" the "most important" issue to them in this election, according to the latest CBS/New York Times poll. Terrorism and national security came in a distant second, with only 11 percent. John McCain and his campaign have made clear that they do not want the last few weeks of this campaign to be about the economy, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, health care, the housing crisis, or the Constitution. They want it to be about personal associations. Incredibly, much of the news media have sided with John McCain in treating Bill Ayers and ACORN as the most important topic facing the nation. Even worse, they are scrutinizing only Obama's relationships, not McCain's. It's bad enough that they're letting McCain, rather than the American people, set the parameters of the debate. The fact that they aren't applying those parameters to both candidates equally is an inexcusable double-standard. And it's evidence that John McCain retains the support of his "base" -- the media. * Conducted 10/9/08 using the search terms Barack Obama and ((Bill or William) w/2 Ayers ** Conducted 10/9/08 using the search terms John McCain and Gordon Liddy http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/media-matters-the-media-s-enduring-pro-mccain-double-20081050515.htm 2008-10-10T22:43:36Z 2008-10-10T22:43:36Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200810100015 Media Matters: The media's enduring pro-McCain double standard {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - It isn't surprising that the conventional wisdom is that the news media have turned on Sen. John McCain. After all, decades of attacks from conservatives have conditioned reporters to believe that they are biased against Republicans -- even when there is scant evidence in the reporting to support such claims. And the McCain campaign has launched an all-out assault on the media, complaining relentlessly about the coverage its candidate has gotten. On top of all that, McCain historically has been the recipient of the most favorable media coverage of any politician in modern American history. Reporters spent years all but offering to peel McCain a grape. So, just as the media judge a candidate to have "won" a debate if s/he "exceeds expectations," the fact that McCain's coverage hasn't been as hagiographic as expected has led many to conclude that it has actually been unfairly negative. The truth is that when John McCain says "jump," the media still ask, "How high?" Think about this: When was the last time McCain or his campaign has wanted the news media to focus on something, and they have refused? From "lipstick on a pig" to Bill Ayers, the media have scampered after whatever mud McCain has flung, like a puppy dog chasing a stick thrown by its master. Sure, sometimes they have pointed out that McCain is lying -- and that's tremendous progress for a profession that has spent a decade flatly asserting McCain's honesty. But -- as I've explained in the past -- even as they've debunked McCain's claims, they've too often privileged the lie by allowing those claims to drive their coverage. And, increasingly, they uncritically quote McCain campaign attacks on Sen. Barack Obama for things McCain himself has done. When a campaign does something like this, the media often point out the hypocrisy, and the attack backfires. But those rules don't apply to John McCain. So when John and Cindy McCain attack Barack Obama for what they describe as a vote to "cut off the funds for the troops," the news media dutifully repeat the charge -- without noting that, by the same logic, McCain also voted to cut off funds for the troops: Obama voted against a funding bill that did not include a timeline for withdrawal; McCain voted against a bill that did include a timeline for withdrawal. The funding vote has been the subject of some of McCain's nastiest attacks recently. Cindy McCain, for example, claimed Obama's "vote to not fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body" and lectured: "I would suggest that Senator Obama change shoes with me for just one day. ... I suggest he take a day and go watch our fine young men and women deploy." You would think, then, that media reporting Cindy McCain's purported indignation would note that John McCain also voted against funding. They haven't. Indeed, some have falsely stated the opposite -- that McCain did not cast such a vote. You might even think reporters would ask the McCain campaign if Cindy McCain got a "cold chill" when her husband voted "to not fund [her] son." But there is no indication that any reporter has done so. But the best indication that McCain has not yet truly "lost his 'base,' " as The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder put it this week, is the glaring media double standard in covering the two presidential candidates' controversial relationships. Let's start with Bill Ayers, since the news media have spent much of the week obliging McCain's efforts to make him the focus of the campaign. As an activist in the 1960s -- when Barack Obama was a young child -- Bill Ayers was a member of the Weathermen, a group of radical activists who launched a series of violent demonstrations and bombings in protest of the Vietnam War. Ayers is now a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago and a school reform advocate. During Obama's first campaign, Ayers hosted a coffee for him, and the two men have served together on the board of a school reform effort funded by a foundation chaired by Leonore Annenberg, who has endorsed John McCain. The New York Times concluded that Obama and Ayers "do not appear to have been close," and Obama has denounced Ayers' actions as a member of the Weathermen. A search* of the Nexis database found that more than 4,500 news reports so far this year have mentioned Obama and Ayers -- more than 1,800 this week alone. Now: G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy served four and a half years in prison for his role in the break-ins at the Watergate and at Daniel Ellsberg's psychologist's office. He has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary." He plotted to kill journalist Jack Anderson. He plotted with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt in order to thwart an investigation. He plotted to firebomb the Brookings Institution. He used Nazi terminology to outline a plan to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 GOP convention. And Liddy's bad acts were not confined to the early 1970s. In the 1990s, he instructed his radio audience on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents ("Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests." In case anyone missed the subtlety of his point, Liddy also insisted: "Kill the sons of bitches.") During Bill Clinton's presidency, Liddy boasted that he named his shooting targets after the Clintons. What does Liddy have to do with the presidential election? As Media Matters has noted: Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled, "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07," includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program." McCain even backed Liddy's son's congressional bid in 2000 -- a campaign that relied heavily on the elder Liddy's history. To sum up: John McCain is "proud" of his "old friend" Gordon Liddy -- an old friend who plotted to kill one of the most respected journalists in American history, and who urged listeners to kill federal agents and advised them on how to do so. McCain campaigned for Liddy's son, and Liddy has even hosted a fundraiser for McCain at his home. So McCain's relationship with Liddy is pretty much a direct parallel to Obama's relationship with Ayers. Except that McCain and Liddy have apparently spent time together more recently than Obama and Ayers. And Liddy's extremist activities continued well into the 1990s, at least. And Liddy says he and McCain are "old friends," while The New York Times says Obama and Ayers aren't close. And Obama has never said Ayers adheres to "the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great." Other than all that, it's a direct parallel. Yet even as they obsess over Barack Obama and Bill Ayers -- just as the McCain campaign tells them to -- the news media have all but ignored John McCain's close ties to Gordon Liddy. A Nexis search** finds fewer than 100 news reports that have mentioned McCain and Liddy this year. As Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman -- who has criticized Obama's relationship with Ayers -- has noted: Liddy, now a conservative radio host, has never expressed regret for this attempt to subvert the Constitution. Nor has he developed any respect for the law. ... Yet none of this bothers McCain. Liddy has contributed thousands of dollars to his campaigns, held a fundraiser for McCain at his home and hosted the senator on his radio show, where McCain said, "I'm proud of you." Exactly which part of Liddy's record is McCain proud of? While Obama has gotten lots of scrutiny for his connection to Ayers, McCain has never had to explain his association with Liddy. If he can't defend it, he should admit as much. And if he thinks he can defend it, let him. To repeat: 2008 news reports that mention Obama and Ayers: more than 4,500. 2008 news reports that mention McCain and Liddy: fewer than 100. Incredibly, The Atlantic's Ambinder today suggests that the media have not covered Ayers: "To truly drive Ayers into the public conversation, to trick what they consider an irredeemably biased press corps into biting, McCain has three vehicles gassed up and ready to go. ... So far, McCain has done none of those things." There are 1,800 Nexis hits for Barack Obama and Bill Ayers in the past week, and yet Marc Ambinder thinks the media have not bitten on the Ayers "story" -- and that McCain, who is running ads about Ayers, isn't "really serious" about pushing it, anyway. Even Steve Schmidt would likely be too embarrassed to try to claim that the media have not covered Bill Ayers. Incidentally, Ambinder doesn't seem to have ever mentioned McCain's relationship to Liddy. Not only have the media avoided stand-alone reports on McCain and Liddy, they consistently fail to bring up the connection when reporting on McCain's attacks on Obama's ties to Ayers, or in interviews with McCain staff who bring up Ayers. The McCain/Liddy relationship is such an obvious parallel -- except arguably much worse -- that it's hard to imagine how any evenhanded journalist could possibly justify ignoring it. Yet it happens again and again. And, needless to say, McCain aides do not get badgered about Liddy the way Time's Mark Halperin badgered Obama aide Robert Gibbs about Ayers. Just this morning, NBC's Chuck Todd said he is "sure" Ayers will come up during the final presidential debate next week, adding that moderator Bob Schieffer "may feel no choice but to bring it up" in light of the "TV ads" the McCain campaign and Republican National Committee are running. Setting aside the absurdity of the suggestion that a debate moderator is compelled to bring up a topic simply because John McCain is running ads about it, if Schieffer does ask about Ayers, basic fairness demands that he ask McCain about Liddy as well. OK ... moving on. How about controversial religious figures? Earlier this year, Media Matters showed that The New York Times and The Washington Post had published a total of 161 articles, editorials, and opinion pieces that mentioned Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright -- and only 12 that mentioned John McCain and John Hagee. That disparity wasn't unique to the Times and the Post -- and it hasn't evened out over time. 161 to 12. Land deals? Barack Obama once bought a parcel of land from a controversial donor named Tony Rezko. Obama paid more than the land's assessed value -- but that hasn't stopped the news media from suggesting Obama had an improper relationship with Rezko. Comparatively little attention has been paid to John McCain's relationship with real estate developer Donald Diamond. Diamond, a co-chair of McCain's campaign finance committee, has raised more than $250,000 for McCain's presidential bid and is a "close personal friend" and longtime political patron. For his part, McCain has sponsored two bills sought by Diamond that helped the developer gain what The New York Times described as "millions of dollars and thousands of acres" of land. And McCain helped Diamond buy another parcel of land from the U.S. Army -- a deal that helped Diamond turn a $20 million profit. The Washington Post and USA Today have identified other land deals McCain has facilitated as senator that have benefited some of his biggest donors and fundraisers. Yet a Media Matters review last month found that five national newspapers had run a total of 39 articles, editorials, and opinion pieces that mentioned Obama and Rezko -- but only seven that mentioned McCain and his donors' land deals: [S]ince The New York Times' initial April 22 article [about McCain and Diamond], the land deals have been mentioned in only six additional news articles, editorials, or opinion pieces in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, or The Washington Post, and have yet to be mentioned on any evening network news program. By contrast, during the same time period, 39 news articles, editorials, or opinion pieces in those papers have collectively mentioned Obama and Rezko; and the evening news broadcasts have collectively mentioned Obama and Rezko in five reports. 39 to 7. And, of course, there's always Charles Keating. The news media have done their best to ignore McCain's involvement in the Keating Five -- and, when they have mentioned it, they've done so by parroting the McCain-friendly storyline that the scandal turned the Arizona senator into the World's Greatest Reformer. Even this week, after the Obama campaign drew attention to McCain's involvement in the Keating Five with a Web page and a 13-minute documentary featuring one of the regulators McCain pressured on behalf of his political benefactor, the media have paid far more attention to Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers than to McCain's relationship with Keating. And when they have mentioned Keating, they have often questioned the propriety of the Obama campaign's decision to bring up the subject. Remember: Barack Obama didn't have anything to do with Bill Ayers' wrongdoing. He was a young child at the time. McCain did have something to do with Keating's wrongdoing -- without McCain, the scandal would have been called the Keating Four, not the Keating Five. And yet the media are quick to dismiss the Keating matter. When the topic came up on MSNBC earlier this week, Andrea Mitchell dismissed it as having occurred 20 years ago. Well, sure. But McCain was involved in it 20 years ago, unlike Bill Ayers' controversial activities, which occurred closer to 40 years ago, and which Barack Obama didn't have anything to do with. The American people have made clear that they think the most important consideration in deciding who to vote for is the economy. An astounding 52 percent of Americans call "the economy and jobs" the "most important" issue to them in this election, according to the latest CBS/New York Times poll. Terrorism and national security came in a distant second, with only 11 percent. John McCain and his campaign have made clear that they do not want the last few weeks of this campaign to be about the economy, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, health care, the housing crisis, or the Constitution. They want it to be about personal associations. Incredibly, much of the news media have sided with John McCain in treating Bill Ayers and ACORN as the most important topic facing the nation. Even worse, they are scrutinizing only Obama's relationships, not McCain's. It's bad enough that they're letting McCain, rather than the American people, set the parameters of the debate. The fact that they aren't applying those parameters to both candidates equally is an inexcusable double-standard. And it's evidence that John McCain retains the support of his "base" -- the media. * Conducted 10/9/08 using the search terms Barack Obama and ((Bill or William) w/2 Ayers ** Conducted 10/9/08 using the search terms John McCain and Gordon Liddy
Media Matters - Media Matters: The media's enduring pro-McCain double standard {...}
Published: October 10, 2008, 10:43 pm - Indexed: October 11, 2008, 10:39 am - Page Size: 27KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - CNN's Schiavone aired Chapman's criticism of Obama for Ayers association, ignored his denunciation of McCain's association with Liddy On the October 7 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN correspondent Louise Schiavone aired a video clip of Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman criticizing Sen. Barack Obama for what host Lou Dobbs described as Obama's "relationship with 1960s radical terrorist William Ayers." But neither Schiavone nor Dobbs noted that Chapman has also repeatedly criticized Sen. John McCain for his association with the person Chapman has called McCain's "own Bill Ayers" -- radio host and convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy -- and has written that "[i]f Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy." Indeed, in a post published on his Tribune blog earlier on October 7, Chapman wrote: "While Obama has gotten lots of scrutiny for his connection to Ayers, McCain has never had to explain his association with Liddy. If he can't defend it, he should admit as much. And if he thinks he can defend it, let him." According to a search of the Nexis database, CNN has yet to mention McCain's association with Liddy during the 2008 presidential campaign -- from McCain's November 15, 2006, announcement that he was planning to form a presidential exploratory committee through October 6, 2008.* As Media Matters for America has documented in detail, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after Bill and Hillary Clinton. Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled, "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07," includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program." Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character": [McCain] campaign officials said Liddy's character will appeal to many voters because he was following orders from President Nixon and kept silent afterward. "His (Liddy's) judgment might be in question, but I don't think his character is," said Ed Walker, the York County chairman of McCain's campaign. "He was following orders just like any good soldier, and he didn't tell on anybody. He felt like he was on a mission and kept his silence." Liddy's 2000 speech was reportedly canceled due to bad weather. As Media Matters previously noted, in an October 4 article, The New York Times quoted Chapman denouncing Obama's association with Ayers but did not note Chapman's denunciations of McCain for his association with Liddy. From the October 7 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight: DOBBS: One topic that is very likely to come up in tonight's debate is Senator Barack Obama's relationship with 1960s radical terrorist William Ayers. The McCain campaign says the relationship raises serious concerns about Senator Obama's judgment and his character. Louise Schiavone joins me now with more on the Obama-Ayers relationship. Louise. SCHIAVONE: Lou, Barack Obama and '60s radical William Ayers go back at least 13 years, when it's reported they were introduced in a Democratic Party ally's living room. They've collaborated on community projects since then, although Obama rejects suggestions that he and Ayers are allies in radical politics. But, there are skeptics. OBAMA [video clip]: The notion that somehow, as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense. CHAPMAN [video clip]: I think it does make sense. I think Ayers is a guy who set off a bomb in the United States Capitol, in the same Capitol where Barack Obama serves as a senator. I mean, he was a guy who was at war with the American Democratic system. SCHIAVONE: Ayers, in fact, is famously quoted in The New York Times in 2001, before the 9-11 attacks, as having said of the Weather Underground violence, quote, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough," end quote. Obama directed $50 million in Annenberg Challenge grants to various programs in Chicago schools, including some Ayers education projects. Annenberg funds also went to a left-wing community action group called ACORN, which, as you know, Lou, is now under investigation for voter fraud and embezzlement. DOBBS: In a number of jurisdictions, shall we say. Louise, thank you very much. Louise Schiavone. * Media Matters searched the Nexis database for CNN for "McCain and Liddy" http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/cnn-s-schiavone-aired-chapman-s-criticism-of-obama-2008104178.htm 2008-10-08T18:33:20Z 2008-10-08T18:33:20Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200810080011 CNN's Schiavone aired Chapman's criticism of Obama for Ayers association, ignored his denunciation of McCain's association with Liddy {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - On the October 7 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN correspondent Louise Schiavone aired a video clip of Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman criticizing Sen. Barack Obama for what host Lou Dobbs described as Obama's "relationship with 1960s radical terrorist William Ayers." But neither Schiavone nor Dobbs noted that Chapman has also repeatedly criticized Sen. John McCain for his association with the person Chapman has called McCain's "own Bill Ayers" -- radio host and convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy -- and has written that "[i]f Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy." Indeed, in a post published on his Tribune blog earlier on October 7, Chapman wrote: "While Obama has gotten lots of scrutiny for his connection to Ayers, McCain has never had to explain his association with Liddy. If he can't defend it, he should admit as much. And if he thinks he can defend it, let him." According to a search of the Nexis database, CNN has yet to mention McCain's association with Liddy during the 2008 presidential campaign -- from McCain's November 15, 2006, announcement that he was planning to form a presidential exploratory committee through October 6, 2008.* As Media Matters for America has documented in detail, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after Bill and Hillary Clinton. Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled, "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07," includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program." Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character": [McCain] campaign officials said Liddy's character will appeal to many voters because he was following orders from President Nixon and kept silent afterward. "His (Liddy's) judgment might be in question, but I don't think his character is," said Ed Walker, the York County chairman of McCain's campaign. "He was following orders just like any good soldier, and he didn't tell on anybody. He felt like he was on a mission and kept his silence." Liddy's 2000 speech was reportedly canceled due to bad weather. As Media Matters previously noted, in an October 4 article, The New York Times quoted Chapman denouncing Obama's association with Ayers but did not note Chapman's denunciations of McCain for his association with Liddy. From the October 7 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight: DOBBS: One topic that is very likely to come up in tonight's debate is Senator Barack Obama's relationship with 1960s radical terrorist William Ayers. The McCain campaign says the relationship raises serious concerns about Senator Obama's judgment and his character. Louise Schiavone joins me now with more on the Obama-Ayers relationship. Louise. SCHIAVONE: Lou, Barack Obama and '60s radical William Ayers go back at least 13 years, when it's reported they were introduced in a Democratic Party ally's living room. They've collaborated on community projects since then, although Obama rejects suggestions that he and Ayers are allies in radical politics. But, there are skeptics. OBAMA [video clip]: The notion that somehow, as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense. CHAPMAN [video clip]: I think it does make sense. I think Ayers is a guy who set off a bomb in the United States Capitol, in the same Capitol where Barack Obama serves as a senator. I mean, he was a guy who was at war with the American Democratic system. SCHIAVONE: Ayers, in fact, is famously quoted in The New York Times in 2001, before the 9-11 attacks, as having said of the Weather Underground violence, quote, "I don't regret setting bombs. I feel we didn't do enough," end quote. Obama directed $50 million in Annenberg Challenge grants to various programs in Chicago schools, including some Ayers education projects. Annenberg funds also went to a left-wing community action group called ACORN, which, as you know, Lou, is now under investigation for voter fraud and embezzlement. DOBBS: In a number of jurisdictions, shall we say. Louise, thank you very much. Louise Schiavone. * Media Matters searched the Nexis database for CNN for "McCain and Liddy"
Media Matters - CNN's Schiavone aired Chapman's criticism of Obama for Ayers association, ignored his denunciation of McCain's association with Liddy {...} On CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight , correspondent Louise Schiavone aired a video clip of Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman criticizing Sen. Barack Obama for his association with Bill Ayers, but neither Schiavone nor Lou Dobbs noted that Chapman has also repeatedly criticized Sen. John McCain for his association with G. Gordon Liddy, whom Chapman has called McCain's "own Bill Ayers." {...}
Published: October 8, 2008, 6:33 pm - Indexed: October 9, 2008, 12:28 pm - Page Size: 24KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> {NORTH AMERICA > RENTALS} - Room for rent in a spacious 4 bedroom (walnut creek) $550 Walking distance (.6 miles) to BART, shopping center, bus lines, trails and Heather Farms Park. Washer & dryer inside. and community pool also available. You will be sharing 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. Rent is $550, and includes: Utilities, cable, and Wireless Internet Access. $500.00 deposit. I am looking for a respectful, quiet, responsible, female professional or student to rent the room. This could be great for a female professional or student at DVC, Cal State East Bay, Chapman, and Saint Mary’s, JFKU etc. No overnight visitors! Thanks for looking, http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/california/metro-areas/san-francisco-bay-area/business-and-economy/real-estate/rentals/room-for-rent-in-a-spacious-4-bedroom-walnut-creek-20081074313.htm 2008-10-05T05:26:27Z 2008-10-05T05:26:27Z Sfbay.Craigslist.Org http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/roo/866922261.html Room for rent in a spacious 4 bedroom (walnut creek) $550 {new window}   Sfbay.Craigslist.Org - Walking distance (.6 miles) to BART, shopping center, bus lines, trails and Heather Farms Park. Washer & dryer inside. and community pool also available. You will be sharing 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. Rent is $550, and includes: Utilities, cable, and Wireless Internet Access. $500.00 deposit. I am looking for a respectful, quiet, responsible, female professional or student to rent the room. This could be great for a female professional or student at DVC, Cal State East Bay, Chapman, and Saint Mary’s, JFKU etc. No overnight visitors! Thanks for looking,
Room for rent in a spacious 4 bedroom {...}
Published: October 5, 2008, 5:26 am - Indexed: October 5, 2008, 10:26 am - Page Size: 4KB
Category: Regional > North America > United States > California > Metro Areas > San Francisco Bay Area > Business and Economy > Real Estate > Rentals

]]> {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Why is the NY Times continuing to ignore McCain's "own Bill Ayers"? On October 4, The New York Times published a 2,140-word front-page article about Sen. Barack Obama's association with former Weather Underground member William Ayers -- at least the 18th Times article this year mentioning that association. But the Times has yet to mention, let alone devote an entire article to, Sen. John McCain's relationship with radio host and convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy. Indeed, in its October 4 article, the Times quoted Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman denouncing Obama's association with Ayers but did not note that Chapman has described Liddy as McCain's "own Bill Ayers" and has written that "[i]f Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy." The Times, moreover, quoted McCain criticizing Obama for his association with Ayers without noting that Chapman has faulted McCain for what Chapman described as McCain's "howling hypocrisy on the subject." As Media Matters for America has noted, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after Bill and Hillary Clinton. Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07" includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program." Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character": His [McCain's] campaign officials said Liddy's character will appeal to many voters because he was following orders from President Nixon and kept silent afterward. "His (Liddy's) judgment might be in question, but I don't think his character is," said Ed Walker, the York County chairman of McCain's campaign. "He was following orders just like any good soldier, and he didn't tell on anybody. He felt like he was on a mission and kept his silence." Liddy's 2000 speech was reportedly canceled due to bad weather. Media Matters has documented that as of September 19, the Times had published 15 news articles and four opinion pieces referencing Obama's ties to Ayers. Since then, in addition to the October 4 article, the Times has published two more articles mentioning the association. But despite having apparently judged Chapman's opinions on the candidates' controversial associations as being newsworthy, the Times has ignored entirely McCain's relationship with Liddy, according to a search of the Nexis database from January 1 through October 4*. In his May 4 Tribune column, Chapman wrote: What McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers -- in the form of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him. How close are McCain and Liddy? At least as close as Obama and Ayers appear to be. In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns -- including $1,000 this year. Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great." Which principles would those be? The ones that told Liddy it was fine to break into the office of the Democratic National Committee to plant bugs and photograph documents? The ones that made him propose to kidnap anti-war activists so they couldn't disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention? The ones that inspired him to plan the murder (never carried out) of an unfriendly newspaper columnist? Liddy was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American history -- and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a prisoner of war." All this may sound like ancient history. But it's from the same era as the bombings Ayers helped carry out as a member of the Weather Underground. And Liddy's penchant for extreme solutions has not abated. [...] Given Liddy's record, it's hard to see why McCain would touch him with a 10-foot pole. On the contrary, he should be returning his donations and shunning his show. Yet the senator shows no qualms about associating with Liddy -- or celebrating his service to their common cause. How does McCain explain his howling hypocrisy on the subject? He doesn't. I made repeated inquiries to his campaign aides, which they refused to acknowledge, much less answer. On this topic, the pilot of the Straight Talk Express would rather stay parked in the garage. That's an odd policy for someone who is so forthright about his rival's responsibility. McCain thinks Obama should apologize for associating with a criminal extremist. To which Obama might reply: After you. And in an August 22 blog post about an anti-Obama ad highlighting Obama's association with Ayers, Chapman wrote: But conservatives may not want to draw attention to the issue of ties to violent radicals -- since John McCain is longtime pals with convicted Watergate burglar Gordon Liddy, who once plotted a journalist's murder (which was never carried out) and has advocated the shooting of federal law enforcement agents. If Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy. How about they both get started? From The New York Times' October 4 article "Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths": Their relationship has become a touchstone for opponents of Mr. Obama, the Democratic senator, in his bid for the presidency. Video clips on YouTube, including a new advertisement that was broadcast on Friday, juxtapose Mr. Obama's face with the young Mr. Ayers or grainy shots of the bombings. In a televised interview last spring, Senator John McCain, Mr. Obama's Republican rival, asked, "How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings that could have or did kill innocent people?" [...] Since earning a doctorate in education at Columbia in 1987, Mr. Ayers has been a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the author or editor of 15 books, and an advocate of school reform. "He's done a lot of good in this city and nationally," Mayor Richard M. Daley said in an interview this week, explaining that he has long consulted Mr. Ayers on school issues. Mr. Daley, whose father was Chicago's mayor during the street violence accompanying the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the so-called Days of Rage the following year, said he saw the bombings of that time in the context of a polarized and turbulent era. "This is 2008," Mr. Daley said. "People make mistakes. You judge a person by his whole life." That attitude is widely shared in Chicago, but it is not universal. Steve Chapman, a columnist for The Chicago Tribune, defended Mr. Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his longtime pastor, whose black liberation theology and "God damn America" sermon became notorious last spring. But he denounced Mr. Obama for associating with Mr. Ayers, whom he said the University of Illinois should never have hired. "I don't think there's a statute of limitations on terrorist bombings," Mr. Chapman said in an interview, speaking not of the law but of political and moral implications. "If you're in public life, you ought to say, 'I don't want to be associated with this guy,' " Mr. Chapman said. "If John McCain had a long association with a guy who'd bombed abortion clinics, I don't think people would say, 'That's ancient history.' " http://articles.world-of-newave.info/society/issues/business/media/bias-and-balance/why-is-the-ny-times-continuing-to-ignore-mccain-s-2008102399.htm 2008-10-04T22:23:43Z 2008-10-04T22:23:43Z Mediamatters.Org http://mediamatters.org/items/200810040004 Why is the NY Times continuing to ignore McCain's "own Bill Ayers"? {new window}   Mediamatters.Org - On October 4, The New York Times published a 2,140-word front-page article about Sen. Barack Obama's association with former Weather Underground member William Ayers -- at least the 18th Times article this year mentioning that association. But the Times has yet to mention, let alone devote an entire article to, Sen. John McCain's relationship with radio host and convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy. Indeed, in its October 4 article, the Times quoted Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman denouncing Obama's association with Ayers but did not note that Chapman has described Liddy as McCain's "own Bill Ayers" and has written that "[i]f Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy." The Times, moreover, quoted McCain criticizing Obama for his association with Ayers without noting that Chapman has faulted McCain for what Chapman described as McCain's "howling hypocrisy on the subject." As Media Matters for America has noted, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after Bill and Hillary Clinton. Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07" includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program." Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character": His [McCain's] campaign officials said Liddy's character will appeal to many voters because he was following orders from President Nixon and kept silent afterward. "His (Liddy's) judgment might be in question, but I don't think his character is," said Ed Walker, the York County chairman of McCain's campaign. "He was following orders just like any good soldier, and he didn't tell on anybody. He felt like he was on a mission and kept his silence." Liddy's 2000 speech was reportedly canceled due to bad weather. Media Matters has documented that as of September 19, the Times had published 15 news articles and four opinion pieces referencing Obama's ties to Ayers. Since then, in addition to the October 4 article, the Times has published two more articles mentioning the association. But despite having apparently judged Chapman's opinions on the candidates' controversial associations as being newsworthy, the Times has ignored entirely McCain's relationship with Liddy, according to a search of the Nexis database from January 1 through October 4*. In his May 4 Tribune column, Chapman wrote: What McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers -- in the form of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him. How close are McCain and Liddy? At least as close as Obama and Ayers appear to be. In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns -- including $1,000 this year. Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great." Which principles would those be? The ones that told Liddy it was fine to break into the office of the Democratic National Committee to plant bugs and photograph documents? The ones that made him propose to kidnap anti-war activists so they couldn't disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention? The ones that inspired him to plan the murder (never carried out) of an unfriendly newspaper columnist? Liddy was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American history -- and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a prisoner of war." All this may sound like ancient history. But it's from the same era as the bombings Ayers helped carry out as a member of the Weather Underground. And Liddy's penchant for extreme solutions has not abated. [...] Given Liddy's record, it's hard to see why McCain would touch him with a 10-foot pole. On the contrary, he should be returning his donations and shunning his show. Yet the senator shows no qualms about associating with Liddy -- or celebrating his service to their common cause. How does McCain explain his howling hypocrisy on the subject? He doesn't. I made repeated inquiries to his campaign aides, which they refused to acknowledge, much less answer. On this topic, the pilot of the Straight Talk Express would rather stay parked in the garage. That's an odd policy for someone who is so forthright about his rival's responsibility. McCain thinks Obama should apologize for associating with a criminal extremist. To which Obama might reply: After you. And in an August 22 blog post about an anti-Obama ad highlighting Obama's association with Ayers, Chapman wrote: But conservatives may not want to draw attention to the issue of ties to violent radicals -- since John McCain is longtime pals with convicted Watergate burglar Gordon Liddy, who once plotted a journalist's murder (which was never carried out) and has advocated the shooting of federal law enforcement agents. If Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy. How about they both get started? From The New York Times' October 4 article "Obama and '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths": Their relationship has become a touchstone for opponents of Mr. Obama, the Democratic senator, in his bid for the presidency. Video clips on YouTube, including a new advertisement that was broadcast on Friday, juxtapose Mr. Obama's face with the young Mr. Ayers or grainy shots of the bombings. In a televised interview last spring, Senator John McCain, Mr. Obama's Republican rival, asked, "How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings that could have or did kill innocent people?" [...] Since earning a doctorate in education at Columbia in 1987, Mr. Ayers has been a professor of education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the author or editor of 15 books, and an advocate of school reform. "He's done a lot of good in this city and nationally," Mayor Richard M. Daley said in an interview this week, explaining that he has long consulted Mr. Ayers on school issues. Mr. Daley, whose father was Chicago's mayor during the street violence accompanying the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the so-called Days of Rage the following year, said he saw the bombings of that time in the context of a polarized and turbulent era. "This is 2008," Mr. Daley said. "People make mistakes. You judge a person by his whole life." That attitude is widely shared in Chicago, but it is not universal. Steve Chapman, a columnist for The Chicago Tribune, defended Mr. Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his longtime pastor, whose black liberation theology and "God damn America" sermon became notorious last spring. But he denounced Mr. Obama for associating with Mr. Ayers, whom he said the University of Illinois should never have hired. "I don't think there's a statute of limitations on terrorist bombings," Mr. Chapman said in an interview, speaking not of the law but of political and moral implications. "If you're in public life, you ought to say, 'I don't want to be associated with this guy,' " Mr. Chapman said. "If John McCain had a long association with a guy who'd bombed abortion clinics, I don't think people would say, 'That's ancient history.' "
Media Matters - Why is the NY Times continuing to ignore McCain's "own Bill Ayers"? {...} On October 4, The New York Times published a front-page article about Sen. Barack Obama's association with William Ayers -- at least the 18th Times article this year mentioning that association. But the Times has yet to mention Sen. John McCain's relationship with G. Gordon Liddy. The October 4 article quoted Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman denouncing Obama's association with Ayers but did not note that Chapman has described Liddy as McCain's "own Bill Ayers" and written that "[i]f Obama needs to answer questions about Ayers, McCain has the same obligation regarding Liddy." {...}
Published: October 4, 2008, 10:23 pm - Indexed: October 5, 2008, 11:50 am - Page Size: 26KB
Category: Society > Issues > Business > Media > Bias and Balance

]]> {NORTH AMERICA > RENTALS} - #155 Panoramic Fully furnished home just for you (belmont) $3000 1bd This fully remodeled contemporary home has been designed with your comfort in mind. This home has great views from the balcony. This spacious hardwood home features are a gourmet kitchen and a parking garage. Enjoy your life swimming in the pool or working out in the fitness room and eating at the BBQ place. Basic cable, local phone calling, and internet are also included. Neighborhood Belmont is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is a small suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area, located half-way down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Mateo and San Carlos. The population was 25,123 at the 2000 census. Belmont is mostly made up of residential housing and retail stores. During the 1990s housing demand (and prices) increased dramatically, in large part due to the growth of the nearby headquarters of Oracle Corporation. Ralston Hall, built around a villa formerly owned by Count Cipriani, an Italian aristocrat, by Bank of California founder William Chapman Ralston, on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University is a historic landmark. FEATURES o Stove / Oven o Microwave o Dish Washer o Washer and Dryer in Unit o Unit accommodates : 2 o Bed size : Q o Parking : Garage AMENTIES o Housekeeping o TV with basic cable o High speed Internet o Phone o Balcony o Fitness Room o BBQ place o Pool For more information please contact via e-mail at iersf@pacbell.net, phone at 415.775.8032 and request home #155 or visit www.iersf.com for more selections http://articles.world-of-newave.info/regional/north-america/united-states/california/metro-areas/san-francisco-bay-area/business-and-economy/real-estate/rentals/155-panoramic-fully-furnished-home-just-for-you-2008107232.htm 2008-10-02T00:09:30Z 2008-10-02T00:09:30Z Sfbay.Craigslist.Org http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/sub/862901411.html #155 Panoramic Fully furnished home just for you (belmont) $3000 1bd {new window}   Sfbay.Craigslist.Org - This fully remodeled contemporary home has been designed with your comfort in mind. This home has great views from the balcony. This spacious hardwood home features are a gourmet kitchen and a parking garage. Enjoy your life swimming in the pool or working out in the fitness room and eating at the BBQ place. Basic cable, local phone calling, and internet are also included. Neighborhood Belmont is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is a small suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area, located half-way down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Mateo and San Carlos. The population was 25,123 at the 2000 census. Belmont is mostly made up of residential housing and retail stores. During the 1990s housing demand (and prices) increased dramatically, in large part due to the growth of the nearby headquarters of Oracle Corporation. Ralston Hall, built around a villa formerly owned by Count Cipriani, an Italian aristocrat, by Bank of California founder William Chapman Ralston, on the campus of Notre Dame de Namur University is a historic landmark. FEATURES o Stove / Oven o Microwave o Dish Washer o Washer and Dryer in Unit o Unit accommodates : 2 o Bed size : Q o Parking : Garage AMENTIES o Housekeeping o TV with basic cable o High speed Internet o Phone o Balcony o Fitness Room o BBQ place o Pool For more information please contact via e-mail at iersf@pacbell.net, phone at 415.775.8032 and request home #155 or visit www.iersf.com for more selections
#155 Panoramic Fully furnished home just for you {...}
Published: October 2, 2008, 12:09 am - Indexed: October 2, 2008, 8:52 am - Page Size: 6KB
Category: Regional > North America > United States > California > Metro Areas > San Francisco Bay Area > Business and Economy > Real Estate > Rentals

]]> {AUTOS > MAGAZINES AND E-ZINES} - Porsche Gets Nostalgic for the 914 and Four-Bangers The wave of nostalgia that's brought back the Mini, the Fiat 500 and old-school muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger is lapping at Porsche, which could bring back the 914 and is considering the return of four-cylinder engines. It's no secret that Volkswagen is bringing a small mid-engined two-seaterto the Los Angeles auto show in November, and with Walter de'Silvadesigning it, it's sure to be a stunner. What's interesting is it seems Porsche is interested in the project, raising the possibility of the 914's return as early as 2011. Couple that with the reportthat Porsche is ready to bring back four-cylinder engines should it need help meeting tightening environmental mandates and it appears that old Porsches may be new again. Although nothing's been finalized, a four-banger is a natural for the reborn 914. These fuel-efficient, enviro-conscious times have forced automakers, and their marketing departments, to come up with new selling points. With gas just shy of four bucksa gallon and CAFE standards (not to mention Europe's emissions rules) only getting stricter, how much longer can automakers crow about massive engines and high horsepower? Oh sure, the automakers are still cranking out high-power sports cars and even the Cadillac CTS-V produces 550 horsepower. But take a closer look at the product pipeline and you'll see automakers increasing performance by reducing bulk, an approach Colin Chapman espousedwith great results. VW's taken that approach to the mid-engined concept we'll see in Los Angeles. Although it has rolled out some cool one-offs, from the One-Liter carwith triple-digit fuel economy to the sweet diesel-electric hybrid Golfwe saw earlier this year, this one's actually feasible. According to Motor Trend , VW's engineers are raiding the company parts bin to keep costs down. Look for styling influenced by the EcoRacer conceptand a chassis developed by Audi. Such a car, if built, would aspire to the sharp handling of the Lotus Elise but for a lot less coin. As Motor Trendnotes, Porsche's controlling stake in VWdoesn't make it crazy to think it will get in on the action and bring back the 914, a car born of a similar collaboration between the two companies. What's more, VW Group chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech was the shepherd who led the original 914 to production. Like the original, which Porsche built from 1969 until 1976, the updated model would be an entry-level model, slotting in below the Boxster. While the VW would probably get the 1.4L Twincharger engine, the Porsche would probably use the Boxster's 2.7-liter six-cylinder mill. Unless, of course, Porsche starts lopping cylinders off its six-cylinder powerplants, something Australia's Drivemagazine saysthe company is prepared to do if gas prices surge again or bureaucrats further tighten fuel economy or emissions rules. Porsche's man in charge of engines, Thomas Krickelberg, recently told reporters Down Under the new line of boxer sixes was engineered to easily be converted to four-bangers. "(There are) the discussions about global warming and the need to reduce fuel consumption," he said. "The target was to have a six-cylinder because that is the criteria of the 911 and the Boxster. But there is still the option to reduce the number of cylinders.? Although there are no immediate plans to bring back four-cylinder cars, Krickelberg did say "if there's a strong need to do it, we'll have to think about it." A resurrected 914 would be the natural place for such an engine. While it's at it, Porsche could put one in an entry-level 911, thereby resurrecting the 912. But what we'd really like to see is a 904or 550 Spyderrevival. Photo by Flickr user atlasphere. http://articles.world-of-newave.info/recreation/autos/magazines-and-e_zines/porsche-gets-nostalgic-for-the-914-and-four-bangers-2008103652.htm 2008-10-01T10:55:10Z 2008-10-01T10:55:10Z Blog.Wired.Com http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/09/old-porsches-ar.html Porsche Gets Nostalgic for the 914 and Four-Bangers {new window}   Blog.Wired.Com - The wave of nostalgia that's brought back the Mini, the Fiat 500 and old-school muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger is lapping at Porsche, which could bring back the 914 and is considering the return of four-cylinder engines. It's no secret that Volkswagen is bringing a small mid-engined two-seaterto the Los Angeles auto show in November, and with Walter de'Silvadesigning it, it's sure to be a stunner. What's interesting is it seems Porsche is interested in the project, raising the possibility of the 914's return as early as 2011. Couple that with the reportthat Porsche is ready to bring back four-cylinder engines should it need help meeting tightening environmental mandates and it appears that old Porsches may be new again. Although nothing's been finalized, a four-banger is a natural for the reborn 914. These fuel-efficient, enviro-conscious times have forced automakers, and their marketing departments, to come up with new selling points. With gas just shy of four bucksa gallon and CAFE standards (not to mention Europe's emissions rules) only getting stricter, how much longer can automakers crow about massive engines and high horsepower? Oh sure, the automakers are still cranking out high-power sports cars and even the Cadillac CTS-V produces 550 horsepower. But take a closer look at the product pipeline and you'll see automakers increasing performance by reducing bulk, an approach Colin Chapman espousedwith great results. VW's taken that approach to the mid-engined concept we'll see in Los Angeles. Although it has rolled out some cool one-offs, from the One-Liter carwith triple-digit fuel economy to the sweet diesel-electric hybrid Golfwe saw earlier this year, this one's actually feasible. According to Motor Trend , VW's engineers are raiding the company parts bin to keep costs down. Look for styling influenced by the EcoRacer conceptand a chassis developed by Audi. Such a car, if built, would aspire to the sharp handling of the Lotus Elise but for a lot less coin. As Motor Trendnotes, Porsche's controlling stake in VWdoesn't make it crazy to think it will get in on the action and bring back the 914, a car born of a similar collaboration between the two companies. What's more, VW Group chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech was the shepherd who led the original 914 to production. Like the original, which Porsche built from 1969 until 1976, the updated model would be an entry-level model, slotting in below the Boxster. While the VW would probably get the 1.4L Twincharger engine, the Porsche would probably use the Boxster's 2.7-liter six-cylinder mill. Unless, of course, Porsche starts lopping cylinders off its six-cylinder powerplants, something Australia's Drivemagazine saysthe company is prepared to do if gas prices surge again or bureaucrats further tighten fuel economy or emissions rules. Porsche's man in charge of engines, Thomas Krickelberg, recently told reporters Down Under the new line of boxer sixes was engineered to easily be converted to four-bangers. "(There are) the discussions about global warming and the need to reduce fuel consumption," he said. "The target was to have a six-cylinder because that is the criteria of the 911 and the Boxster. But there is still the option to reduce the number of cylinders.? Although there are no immediate plans to bring back four-cylinder cars, Krickelberg did say "if there's a strong need to do it, we'll have to think about it." A resurrected 914 would be the natural place for such an engine. While it's at it, Porsche could put one in an entry-level 911, thereby resurrecting the 912. But what we'd really like to see is a 904or 550 Spyderrevival. Photo by Flickr user atlasphere.
Porsche Gets Nostalgic for the 914 and Four-Bangers | Autopia from Wired.com {...} The wave of nostalgia that's brought back the Mini, the Fiat 500 and old-school muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger is lapping at Porsche, which could bring {...}
Indexed: October 1, 2008, 10:55 am - Page Size: 69KB
Category: Recreation > Autos > Magazines and E-zines

]]> {NEWS > BREAKING NEWS} - 15th Anniversary: The Rantiest Reader Rants Ever A decade and a half of provocative content has inspired plenty of letters to the editor. Some of them have been thoughtful and constructive, others just plain rude. Sticks and stones, kids... I have to pass on my disappointment with the first issue of your magazine. In fact, it has made me angry ... It's yuppie bullshit. Gary Chapman May/June 1993 I hated the cover on my new Wired magazine so much I tore it off and threw it in the trash. dteeter@aol.com August 1994 I don't know whether to congratulate you for your courage or cancel my subscription for presenting such one-sided drivel. Charles Lewis November 1995 As fiction goes, Ed Regis' article on anti-environmental crusader Julian L. Simon was a work of art. Tim Andrews May 1997 "101 Ways to Save the Internet" had a few good ones and a whole lot of crap. Andy Harrison March 2004 Prince is geekier than William Gibson? The unhackable computer in Hackers was named after Gibson, for Pete's sake! Ever seen an unhackable computer named after Prince? Peter Aaron October 2004 http://articles.world-of-newave.info/news/breaking-news/15th-anniversary-the-rantiest-reader-rants-ever-20080975934.htm 2008-09-29T05:00:00Z 2008-09-29T05:00:00Z Wired.Com http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/16-10/st_15insults 15th Anniversary: The Rantiest Reader Rants Ever {new window}   Www.Wired.Com - A decade and a half of provocative content has inspired plenty of letters to the editor. Some of them have been thoughtful and constructive, others just plain rude. Sticks and stones, kids... I have to pass on my disappointment with the first issue of your magazine. In fact, it has made me angry ... It's yuppie bullshit. Gary Chapman May/June 1993 I hated the cover on my new Wired magazine so much I tore it off and threw it in the trash. dteeter@aol.com August 1994 I don't know whether to congratulate you for your courage or cancel my subscription for presenting such one-sided drivel. Charles Lewis November 1995 As fiction goes, Ed Regis' article on anti-environmental crusader Julian L. Simon was a work of art. Tim Andrews May 1997 "101 Ways to Save the Internet" had a few good ones and a whole lot of crap. Andy Harrison March 2004 Prince is geekier than William Gibson? The unhackable computer in Hackers was named after Gibson, for Pete's sake! Ever seen an unhackable computer named after Prince? Peter Aaron October 2004
Get Wired's take on technology business news and the Silicon Valley scene including IT, media, mobility, broadband, video, design, security, software, networking and internet startups on Wired.com {...}
Published: September 29, 2008, 5:00 am - Indexed: October 1, 2008, 11:50 am - Page Size: 46KB
Category: News > Breaking News

]]> {AUTOS > MAGAZINES AND E-ZINES} - Porsche Gets Nostalgic for the 914 and Four-Bangers The wave of nostalgia that's brought back the Mini, the Fiat 500 and old-school muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger is lapping at Porsche, which could bring back the 914 and is considering the return of four-cylinder engines. It's no secret that Volkswagen is bringing a small mid-engined two-seaterto the Los Angeles auto show in November, and with Walter de'Silvadesigning it, it's sure to be a stunner. What's interesting is it seems Porsche is interested in the project, raising the possibility of the 914's return as early as 2011. Couple that with the reportthat Porsche is ready to bring back four-cylinder engines should it need help meeting tightening environmental mandates and it appears that old Porsches may be new again. Although nothing's been finalized, a four-banger is a natural for the reborn 914. These fuel-efficient, enviro-conscious times have forced automakers, and their marketing departments, to come up with new selling points. With gas just shy of four bucksa gallon and CAFE standards (not to mention Europe's emissions rules) only getting stricter, how much longer can automakers crow about massive engines and high horsepower? Oh sure, the automakers are still cranking out high-power sports cars and even the Cadillac CTS-V produces 550 horsepower. But take a closer look at the product pipeline and you'll see automakers increasing performance by reducing bulk, an approach Colin Chapman espousedwith great results. VW's taken that approach to the mid-engined concept we'll see in Los Angeles. Although it has rolled out some cool one-offs, from the One-Liter carwith triple-digit fuel economy to the sweet diesel-electric hybrid Golfwe saw earlier this year, this one's actually feasible. According to Motor Trend , VW's engineers are raiding the company parts bin to keep costs down. Look for styling influenced by the EcoRacer conceptand a chassis developed by Audi. Such a car, if built, would aspire to the sharp handling of the Lotus Elise but for a lot less coin. As Motor Trendnotes, Porsche's controlling stake in VWdoesn't make it crazy to think it will get in on the action and bring back the 914, a car born of a similar collaboration between the two companies. What's more, VW Group chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech was the shepherd who led the original 914 to production. Like the original, which Porsche built from 1969 until 1976, the updated model would be an entry-level model, slotting in below the Boxster. While the VW would probably get the 1.4L Twincharger engine, the Porsche would probably use the Boxster's 2.7-liter six-cylinder mill. Unless, of course, Porsche starts lopping cylinders off its six-cylinder powerplants, something Australia's Drivemagazine saysthe company is prepared to do if gas prices surge again or bureaucrats further tighten fuel economy or emissions rules. Porsche's man in charge of engines, Thomas Krickelberg, recently told reporters Down Under the new line of boxer sixes was engineered to easily be converted to four-bangers. "(There are) the discussions about global warming and the need to reduce fuel consumption," he said. "The target was to have a six-cylinder because that is the criteria of the 911 and the Boxster. But there is still the option to reduce the number of cylinders.? Although there are no immediate plans to bring back four-cylinder cars, Krickelberg did say "if there's a strong need to do it, we'll have to think about it." A resurrected 914 would be the natural place for such an engine. While it's at it, Porsche could put one in an entry-level 911, thereby resurrecting the 912. But what we'd really like to see is a 904or 550 Spyderrevival. Photo by Flickr user atlasphere. http://articles.world-of-newave.info/recreation/autos/magazines-and-e_zines/porsche-gets-nostalgic-for-the-914-and-four-bangers-20080955343.htm 2008-09-27T12:48:25Z 2008-09-27T12:48:25Z Blog.Wired.Com http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/09/old-porsches-ar.html Porsche Gets Nostalgic for the 914 and Four-Bangers {new window}   Blog.Wired.Com - The wave of nostalgia that's brought back the Mini, the Fiat 500 and old-school muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger is lapping at Porsche, which could bring back the 914 and is considering the return of four-cylinder engines. It's no secret that Volkswagen is bringing a small mid-engined two-seaterto the Los Angeles auto show in November, and with Walter de'Silvadesigning it, it's sure to be a stunner. What's interesting is it seems Porsche is interested in the project, raising the possibility of the 914's return as early as 2011. Couple that with the reportthat Porsche is ready to bring back four-cylinder engines should it need help meeting tightening environmental mandates and it appears that old Porsches may be new again. Although nothing's been finalized, a four-banger is a natural for the reborn 914. These fuel-efficient, enviro-conscious times have forced automakers, and their marketing departments, to come up with new selling points. With gas just shy of four bucksa gallon and CAFE standards (not to mention Europe's emissions rules) only getting stricter, how much longer can automakers crow about massive engines and high horsepower? Oh sure, the automakers are still cranking out high-power sports cars and even the Cadillac CTS-V produces 550 horsepower. But take a closer look at the product pipeline and you'll see automakers increasing performance by reducing bulk, an approach Colin Chapman espousedwith great results. VW's taken that approach to the mid-engined concept we'll see in Los Angeles. Although it has rolled out some cool one-offs, from the One-Liter carwith triple-digit fuel economy to the sweet diesel-electric hybrid Golfwe saw earlier this year, this one's actually feasible. According to Motor Trend , VW's engineers are raiding the company parts bin to keep costs down. Look for styling influenced by the EcoRacer conceptand a chassis developed by Audi. Such a car, if built, would aspire to the sharp handling of the Lotus Elise but for a lot less coin. As Motor Trendnotes, Porsche's controlling stake in VWdoesn't make it crazy to think it will get in on the action and bring back the 914, a car born of a similar collaboration between the two companies. What's more, VW Group chairman Dr. Ferdinand Piech was the shepherd who led the original 914 to production. Like the original, which Porsche built from 1969 until 1976, the updated model would be an entry-level model, slotting in below the Boxster. While the VW would probably get the 1.4L Twincharger engine, the Porsche would probably use the Boxster's 2.7-liter six-cylinder mill. Unless, of course, Porsche starts lopping cylinders off its six-cylinder powerplants, something Australia's Drivemagazine saysthe company is prepared to do if gas prices surge again or bureaucrats further tighten fuel economy or emissions rules. Porsche's man in charge of engines, Thomas Krickelberg, recently told reporters Down Under the new line of boxer sixes was engineered to easily be converted to four-bangers. "(There are) the discussions about global warming and the need to reduce fuel consumption," he said. "The target was to have a six-cylinder because that is the criteria of the 911 and the Boxster. But there is still the option to reduce the number of cylinders.? Although there are no immediate plans to bring back four-cylinder cars, Krickelberg did say "if there's a strong need to do it, we'll have to think about it." A resurrected 914 would be the natural place for such an engine. While it's at it, Porsche could put one in an entry-level 911, thereby resurrecting the 912. But what we'd really like to see is a 904or 550 Spyderrevival. Photo by Flickr user atlasphere.
Porsche Gets Nostalgic for the 914 and Four-Bangers | Autopia from Wired.com {...} The wave of nostalgia that's brought back the Mini, the Fiat 500 and old-school muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger is lapping at Porsche, which could bring {...}
Indexed: September 27, 2008, 12:48 pm - Page Size: 71KB
Category: Recreation > Autos > Magazines and E-zines

]]> {ISSUES > BIAS AND BALANCE} - Despite attacks on media by McCain campaign, case studies show disparate coverage in McCain's favor The media have for months reported complaints by Sen. John McCain's campaign that they have favored his opponent in their coverage of the presidential race, while making little attempt to assess accuracy of those complaints or to confirm or refute them. Media Matters for America has undertaken a review of the media's coverage of two stories negatively affecting or reflecting on Sen. Barack Obama and two stories negatively affecting or reflecting on McCain and compared the extent of media attention to each. Specifically, Media Matters compared the media's coverage of Obama's association with Chicago developer Antoin Rezko to the media's coverage of McCain's associations with donors for whom McCain reportedly facilitated land deals. Media Matters also compared coverage of Obama's association with former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers to coverage of McCain's association with G. Gordon Liddy, whom Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman has described as McCain's "own Bill Ayers." Media Matters found that while the five major newspapers -- the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post -- and the three evening network news broadcasts have frequently mentioned Obama's ties to Ayers and Rezko, they have rarely mentioned McCain's dealings with donors whom he reportedly benefited and have completely ignored McCain's association with Liddy. Indeed, since The New York Times first reported on April 22 that McCain facilitated land deals that benefited major donors, these media outlets have mentioned those deals in only six additional reports, but news reports and editorial and opinion pieces by or in those media outlets have mentioned Obama's ties to Rezko -- who was convicted in June in a case in which Obama was never accused of any wrongdoing -- 44 times during that same time period. Moreover, while these same media outlets have frequently mentioned Obama's ties to Ayers -- 69 mentions so far in 2008 -- they have yet to mention McCain's connections to Liddy, whom McCain has praised and repeatedly associated with in public and in campaign settings. In addition to serving more than four years in prison for his role in the Watergate break-in and the Daniel Ellsberg case, Liddy also admitted that he plotted to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotted to murder fellow Republican operative E. Howard Hunt; and plotted to firebomb the Brookings Institution. Liddy also reportedly gave advice on how to shoot agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and reportedly admitted to naming shooting targets after the Clintons. Media Matters previously conducted a review of coverage of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. versus coverage of televangelist James Hagee in The Washington Post and The New York Times and found that, from February 27, the date Hagee endorsed McCain for president, to April 30, the two papers combined published more than 12 times as many articles mentioning Wright and Obama as they did mentioning Hagee and McCain. Media Matters also documented (here, here, here, here, and here) other examples of the disparity between the media's extensive coverage of controversial comments made by Wright and other supporters of Obama and their coverage of controversial comments by Hagee and other supporters of McCain. McCain and land deals vs. Obama and Rezko McCain has reportedly facilitated several land deals that benefited wealthy developers who were major McCain donors. But while several major newspapers published initial articles concerning those deals, the media have devoted far less attention to McCain's land deals than they have paid to Obama's ties to Rezko. According to a Media Matters search of the Nexis and Factiva databases, since The New York Times' initial April 22 article, the land deals have been mentioned in only six additional news articles, editorials, or opinion pieces in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, or The Washington Post, and have yet to be mentioned on any evening network news program. By contrast, during the same time period, 39 news articles, editorials, or opinion pieces in those papers have collectively mentioned Obama and Rezko; and the evening news broadcasts have collectively mentioned Obama and Rezko in five reports. Specifically: The Los Angeles Times has published one news article that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, compared to five news articles mentioning Obama and Rezko. The New York Times has published its original April 22 news article and one editorial that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, compared to seven news articles and one opinion piece mentioning Obama and Rezko. USA Today published one news article that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, compared to two news articles mentioning Obama and Rezko. The Wall Street Journal has yet to publish a news article, editorial, or opinion piece that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, but it has published six news articles and four editorials or opinion pieces mentioning Obama and Rezko. The Washington Post has published three news articles that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, compared to 12 news articles and two editorials or opinion pieces mentioning Obama and Rezko. ABC's World News has yet to air a report that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, but has aired three reports mentioning Obama and Rezko. The CBS Evening News has yet to air a report that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, but has aired one report mentioning Obama and Rezko. NBC's Nightly News has yet to air a report that mentioned McCain-facilitated land deals, but has aired one report mentioning Obama and Rezko. In its April 22 article, headlined "A Developer, His Deals and His Ties to McCain," The New York Times examined McCain's relationship with Arizona developer Donald R. Diamond. The Times reported: In Arizona, Mr. McCain has helped Mr. Diamond with matters as small as forwarding a complaint in a regulatory skirmish over the endangered pygmy owl, and as large as introducing legislation remapping public lands. In 1991 and 1994, Mr. McCain sponsored two laws sought by Mr. Diamond that resulted in providing him millions of dollars and thousands of acres in exchange for adding some of his properties to national parks. The Arizona senator co-sponsored a third similar bill now before the Senate. The article described Diamond as "one of the elite fund-raisers Mr. McCain's current presidential campaign calls Innovators, having raised more than $250,000 so far." In a May 9 article headlined "McCain Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer," The Washington Post reported that McCain "championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers." The Post continued: Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks. When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal. In the article, the Post also reported that "opponents were baffled by the senator's [McCain] seemingly contradictory positions" on the legislation and quoted Janine Blaeloch, founder and director of the Western Lands Project, asserting, "The bizarre thing to me regarding McCain is, we spent a lot of time with his staff, and we all seemed to be on the same page about the problems with this swap. But somehow, John McCain kept pushing it forward." Additionally, the Post stated: Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited from McCain-engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist for land developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas area, according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that yielded the developer thousands of acres in trade for national parkland. In a May 19 article, USA Today reported on a third McCain-facilitated land deal that benefited his political contributors, writing: McCain, who has made fighting special-interest projects a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, inserted $14.3 million in a 2003 defense bill to buy land around Luke Air Force Base in a provision sought by SunCor Development, the largest of about 50 landowners near the base. SunCor representatives, upset with a state law that restricted development around Luke, met with McCain's staff to lobby for funding, according to John Ogden, SunCor's president at the time. The Air Force later paid SunCor $3 million for 122 acres near the base. It was the highest single land transaction of the private lots purchased by the government -- three times the county's assessed value and twice the military's estimated value. SunCor also donated another 122 acres. Alan Bunnell, a spokesman for SunCor's parent company, Pinnacle West Capital, said the donation was meant to minimize the company's tax bill and enhance the value of adjacent property it owns. USA Today further reported that "McCain's campaigns have received $224,000 since 1998 from donors connected to Pinnacle West, including $104,100 for his current presidential run" and that Pinnacle West's CEO, vice president and lobbyist, and former president, in addition to Betts, SunCor's president, are all McCain fundraisers. McCain and Liddy vs. Obama and Ayers According to a Media Matters search of the Nexis and Factiva databases, between January 1 and September 17, none of the five major newspapers or three evening network news broadcasts mentioned McCain's association with Liddy. By contrast, during the same time period, the five major newspapers, as well as ABC's and NBC's evening news broadcasts, have collectively broadcast or published mentions of Obama's relationship with Ayers in 69 reports, editorials, and opinion pieces. The Tribune's Chapman wrote in his May 4 column, "[B]ack in the 1970s, [Liddy] extolled violence and committed crimes in the name of a radical ideology." Writing that "Liddy's penchant for extreme solutions has not abated," Chapman went on to note that, in 1994, Liddy "gave some advice to his listeners" on how to shoot and ATF officials. Chapman further wrote that "[f]ar from repudiating him [Liddy], McCain has embraced him": What McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers -- in the form of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him. How close are McCain and Liddy? At least as close as Obama and Ayers appear to be. In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns -- including $1,000 this year. Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great." Incidents in Liddy's past include: Felony convictions. As The Washington Post wrote in its online section about the Watergate break-in scandal, "Liddy was convicted for his role in the Watergate break-in, for conspiracy in the Daniel Ellsberg case and for contempt of court, spending about four and a half years in prison. In 1986, a federal appeals court found Liddy liable for $20,499 in back taxes on Watergate slush-fund money, rejecting his claim that his benefits did not exceed $45,000. As one of the White House 'plumbers,' Liddy spent about $300,000 engineering political dirty tricks and the Watergate break-in." Liddy plotted to murder journalist Jack Anderson. In a 2004 article in the British newspaper The Independent, Liddy was quoted discussing his never-implemented plans to kill Anderson: He [Liddy] is famous in the US as the most fiercely loyal of Richard Nixon's "plumbers", one of the agents sent to illegally burgle, drug and libel the President's internal opponents. "The war in Vietnam was fought on the streets of America too," he says. "It was lost here at home, by people who didn't have the Will to win. We had to get the people who wanted America to lose." Including killing columnists? "If they were traitors as Jack Andersen [sic] was, directly helping the enemy, then yes." In his 1980 autobiography, Will: The Autobiography of G. Gordon Liddy (St. Martin's Press, November 1996), Liddy wrote that he and GOP operative Hunt had become convinced that Anderson had compromised an overseas intelligence source's safety and must be assassinated: I took the position that, in a hypothetical case in which the target had been the direct cause of the identification and execution of one of our agents abroad, halfway measures were not appropriate. How many of our people should we let him kill before we stop him, I asked rhetorically, still not using Anderson's name. I urged as the logical and just solution that the target be killed. Quickly. [...] I submitted that the target should just become a fatal victim of the notorious Washington street-crime rate. No one argued against that recommendation and, at Hunt's suggestion, I gave [then-CIA deputy director of Medical Services] Dr. [Edward] Gunn a hundred-dollar bill, from Committee to Re-Elect the President intelligence funds, as a fee for his services. I took this to be to protect Dr. Gunn's image as "retired." Afterward Hunt and I discussed the recommendation further. It was decided to include the suggestion that the assassination of Jack Anderson be carried out by Cubans already recruited for the intelligence arm of the Committee to Re-Elect the President. [Pages 208-209] According to Liddy, when Hunt worried that his superiors would not trust those operatives to carry out the assassination, Liddy said he would be willing to carry out the plot himself: I thought about the damage Anderson was doing to our country's ability to conduct foreign policy. Most of all, I thought of that U.S. agent abroad, dead or about to die after what I was sure would be interrogation by torture. If Hunt's principal was worried, I had the answer. "Tell him," I said, "if necessary, I'll do it." [Page 210] Hunt confirms the murder plot in his own book, American Spy: My Secret History in the CIA, Watergate and Beyond (Wiley, February 2007): Liddy and I, feeling that Anderson had done such harm to the country by exposing foreign-based CIA agents who might be imprisoned and/or killed, spent a lot of time concocting ways to get rid of the pesky journalist, even trying to cook up a way to get him to ingest LSD through his skin from his steering wheel so that he would crash his car. A CIA specialist, however, assured me that skin was an inadequate delivery system, so the plan did not move forward. Still, Liddy was primed and ready to go it alone, planning an assassination if [Attorney General John] Mitchell would just give the word. Ultimately, the attorney general aborted the operation and the muckraker in question outlived most of his adversaries, dying in December 2005 at the age of eighty-three from Parkinson's disease. [Page 199] Liddy participated in Ellsberg psychiatrist break-in, prepared to kill someone "if necessary." After military analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times, Liddy and Hunt organized a break-in of Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office in an attempt to obtain files on Ellsberg. Liddy wrote in Will: I can run for miles, and there were numerous deeply shadowed hiding places in the area from which I could pause to warn the men inside with the transceiver. Only if there were no other recourse would I have used the knife, but use it I would, if I'd had to; I had given my men word that I would protect them. For the period of the actual breaking and entering, I posted myself in a narrow space between two buildings concealed by more shrubbery, from which I could see clearly the area of the break-in, all of the private, and much of the public parking lot. [Page 167] [...] I was completely candid with him [Egil (Bud) Krogh] in my report, showing him everything: the suitcase, tools, even the knife I had carried. He asked me, incredulous, "Would you really have used it -- I mean, kill somebody?" "Only if there were absolutely no other way. But yes, I would, if necessary to protect my men. I gave them my word I'd cover them." [Page 169] Liddy also wrote in Will that he and Hunt plotted to drug Ellsberg: According to Hunt, Daniel Ellsberg was scheduled to speak at a fund-raising dinner to be held in Washington, and [Nixon chief counsel] Chuck Colson thought it an opportunity to discredit him. The dinner would be well attended by media opinion-shapers and the speech would get wide coverage. Could ["[o]ur organization"] ODESSA drug Ellsberg enough to befuddle him, make him appear a near burnt-out drug case? Hunt and I studied the matter and developed a plan to infiltrate enough Cuban waiters into the group serving the banquet to be able to ensure that one of our people would serve Ellsberg at the dais. One of the earliest dishes on the menu was soup. A warm liquid is ideal for the rapid absorption and wide dispersal of a drug, and the taste would mask its presence. Hunt was certain that he could provide men from the Miami Cuban community who'd worked at major Florida hotels; the drug, a fast-acting psychedelic such as LSD 25, he said he could get from the CIA together with a recommendation of the dose necessary to have Ellsberg incoherent by the time he was to speak. [Page 170] The drug plan was not carried out because, according to Liddy, "our superiors had waited too long" to approve it and "[t]here was no longer enough lead time." [Page 170] Liddy plotted with "gangland figure" to murder Hunt, a government witness. While in prison, Liddy came to the conclusion that White House officials might want his partner, Hunt, killed rather than risk Hunt cooperating with the Watergate grand jury. Liddy wrote in Will that he made plans to carry out such an assassination order: By now I knew that the fee for a killing in the D.C. jail was two "boxes." I'd be an immediate suspect were Hunt to be killed, so it would have to be a contract sanction and I'd have to arrange an airtight alibi. That would be easy; just have myself put back in deadlock prior to the event. It wouldn't do, however, to go around soliciting Hunt's execution. Prisons are filled with informers. For that reason I sought the advice of a gangland figure I knew and could trust. My friend was sharp and as soon as I began to broach the subject, he nodded his understanding but jumped to the conclusion I was referring to [James] McCord, now free on bond. He offered immediately to have McCord shot. I had to explain that I appreciated his offer but had someone else in mind. [...] I explained carefully to my friend that I had not yet received orders to kill Hunt, and that under no circumstances was he to be harmed without my specific authorization, which I would not give in the absence of unequivocal orders from my superiors. [Page 309] Liddy wrote that after Hunt cooperated with investigators, he awaited an order to kill him, but "because the message never came, Hunt lives" [Page 311]. Liddy plotted to "firebomb[]" Brookings Institution. Liddy and Hunt believed that because of Ellsberg's past association with the Brookings Institution, classified or sensitive documents might be stored in the organization's security vault. Their plan to retrieve these supposed materials involved firebombing the building: We devised a plan that entailed buying a used but late-model fire engine of the kind used by the District of Columbia fire department and marking it appropriately; uniforms for a squad of Cubans and their training so their performance would be believable. Thereafter, Brookings would be firebombed by use of a delay mechanism timed to