More Update: Ms Ifill thinks Gov. Palin dismissed her. I guess the public spanking caused some indignation. Full transcript. Heck, SNL ask Queen Latifa to portray her in a debate skit. That is flattery. Of course, they brought up the issue of the book. Don’t be pissy about this Ms. Ifill. You got a lot of free publicity and we all know what that translates to.
And there wasn’t a blessed thing she could do about it — except maybe say, “Governor, with all due respect, you haven’t addressed my question.” Why didn’t she?
Gwen, you did a fine job this evening even though you will whine about it later. Thank you for not wearing your Obama shirt.
Nothing stirs the pot quite like conflicts of interest . . . at least as long as it’s not a Newshour star creating a blatant appearance of impropriety. You know, that Ms. Ifill thang. Hmm, again we have a conundrum. Do as I say, Not as I do.
Search Newshour’s website for the phrases “conflict of interest” and “appearance of impropriety” and bingo!
Here’s Ifill yet again, wondering whether former Senator Bill Frist’s hospital company stock represented a conflict of interest vis a vis his legislative responsibilities. There’s the host himself, Jim Lehrer, asking whether Ken Starr should step aside as independent counsel due to the “conflict of interest” caused by his representation of tobacco companies.
Don’t stop now, it is just getting better:
You’ll quickly learn that “the greatest damage to [Sen. John McCain] is the appearance of impropriety” caused by the maverick reformer’s decision to opt out of the public campaign financing system. No surprise there. The Newshour likes campaign finance reform nearly as much as conflicts of interest. Typical is another top correspondent, Margaret Warner, pressing Sen. Russ Feingold: “So are you saying . . . that you do think this will end or limit the spectacle that so many of you pointed to as at least giving the appearance of impropriety, or corruption, which is elected officials . . . essentially selling their access to donors who gave big contributions?”
Ah yes, trading favors for access. Self-dealing and windfall profits. These are big no-nos at the Newshour. The program was chagrined to report that the Senate Ethics Committee had cited former Senator Robert Toricelli for appearance of impropriety. Warner was moved to highlight an investigation’s condemnation of a U.N. bigwig’s “grave and ongoing conflict of interest” — overseeing the Oil-for-Food program while telling Saddam Hussein which favored companies should get the business. Another reporter agitated that a House Democrat could be laboring under a disqualifying conflict of interest: his lobbyist wife represented companies with a stake in legislative matters. Indeed, the Newshour even found a troubling potential conflict of interest — inviting the possibility of insider trading — when it realized Fortune 500 executives were sitting on each others boards.
Even among the adoring Obamedia, Ifill’s swoon is singular. MSNBC’s cringe-inducing Chris Matthews volunteers his leg tingles (thanks for sharing there, Chris); Ifill is thankfully more discreet but still leaves no need to wonder: She is so deep in the Anointed One’s hip pocket, she can feel Obama’s leg tingle.
Now that is a visual I did not need while sipping on tea.
Gwen decided a fitting subtitle for The Breakthrough would be Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. It must be why the first sentence in the publisher’s description of the book raves that Ifill has set about “shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama’s stunning presidential campaign.” It must be why Ifill and Random House have scheduled publication to coincide with the inauguration of the next president.
No, she is not in the tank for Obama. What would make you think that?
…when last seen slumming among the lower species during the Republican Convention, Ifill was on the floor covering Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech. Most critics conceded, however grudgingly, that the speech was a home run. Not Ifill, though. You can judge Ms. Objectivity’s performance for yourself (Michelle Malkin provides the clip, here). Maybe the reporter’s pained weariness is excusable — after all, for an MSM stalwart, it was the end of a very long day, marked more by knuckle-dragging than leg-tingling. Still, Ifill’s distaste for the whole Palin business is patent, especially over how Palin “belittled” Obama’s formative “community organizer” experience.
It was a sharp contrast from the bubbly Gwen of the Democrat convention. In Denver, not even the rigors of a long coverage day could dampen her enthusiasm for another highly anticipated speech: an address to the convention by Obama’s wife, Michelle.
The woman was beyond herself. You’d think she had just won MegaMillions.
Ifill’s chore was to set the table. What to say to millions of Americans just starting to pay attention, just encountering Mrs. O for the first time? Perhaps a recap of notorious Michelle moments? The pronouncement that the United States is “downright mean”? The explanation that Barack’s nomination marked the first time she’d ever felt “proud” of her country?
Not exactly. Here’s Ifill’s rigorously even-handed, dispassionate assessment (again, courtesy of Michelle Malkin):
A lot of people have never seen anything that looks like a Michelle Obama before. She’s educated, she’s beautiful, she’s tall, she tells you what she thinks and they hope that she can tell a story about Barack Obama and about herself. . . .
As I have said before, has she never seen a black woman before? I know many women who are beautiful women.
Conflict? Anyone else have a problem with Ms. Ifill pretending to be objective???
