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A Prime Example of American Politics and European Journalism At It's Worst!

by Judith Haney

USNEWSLINK/January 6, 2002

Two days ago Republicans in Congress who are facing election in 2002 took serious heat from Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle about Bush's tax cuts and the detrimental effects thereof.

But the ever resourceful Republicans found a creative way to fight back.

Being fully aware that no American news organization would write the story, they jumped across the Atlantic where journalistic ethics are nonexistent, and unleashed their venom upon Americans via a proxy, i.e., they co-opted The Times/UK to circulate a questionable, detrimental, unsubstantiated, story about former President Bill Clinton and Osama Bin Laden.

And predictably, twenty-four hours later, before the clock struck midnight Saturday night, right on cue, the unsubstantiated story was unleashed across the Internet, thanks to right wing, Clinton hating, Matt Drudge, who printed the story in full on his website in violation of international copyright infringement laws.

The ploy of smearing cow dung on Bill Clinton and hoping it sticks to Congressional democrats has worked before. In fact it has worked for years. The question remains, will it work in 2002?

At the very moment critical budget negotiations and economic stimulus plans are being debated in Congress, with the world watching and waiting for some sanity from both sides of the isle, Republicans are engaging in tactics that outlaws are familiar with, i.e., throwing a bomb in the other direction while they make their get-away. As a well organized, media savvy group, they are practiced professionals at diffusing attention away from themselves, and aiming it toward their opponents. One doesn't have to look very far back in history to find examples of this tact. The Nixon Administration honed the tactic to fine art.

The trick is, if they engage in these tactics long enough, eventually it 'may' work. But it won't work THIS YEAR if the press doesn't cooperate.

So let's call the Republican group of budget negotiators what they really are:  An opportunistic pack of wolves preparing for Congressional elections in 2002 who are engaging in pre-election dirty tricks for the purpose of sabotaging Democratic opponents. And the coup de Gras? Let the European press finish the job they start by spreading unfounded stories sure to be picked up by right wing American web sites. For they know that negative stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton spread like a dry wind blown grass fire across America's media outlets once they hit the illicit hatemongers websites.

On the other hand, the world's legitimate press has an option, i.e., don't pick up the Republican inspired negative stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton. Don't help those Republicans who are running scared from George Bush's ill-advised tax cuts switch the glaring light of day off of themselves by using the Clintons as their decoys.

The Republicans (Trent Lott and other George W. Bush, #43, sycophants) who dared to jump across the ocean this week and use the foreign press to underhandedly influence American public opinion in advance of Congress reconvening should be driven from elective office with bullwhips like the mules they are, and hung from their heels in front of the United States Capital Dome to be photographed for the front cover of the National Enquirer.

The following is a link to the original UK story:

US missed three chances to seize Bin Laden
President Bill Clinton (Ed: is alleged to have) turned down at least three offers involving foreign governments to help to apprehend Osama Bin Laden after he was identified as a terrorist who was threatening America, according to unnamed sources in Washington and the Middle East.
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