Well, not really, but I thought the reference would get your attention because it has a certain je ne sais blogosphere quoi. What I did do is the spend the day running around Inside the Beltway with a video crew, interviewing newsmakers. It gave me a new found respect for the MSM types who have to do this on a regular basis. [Don't admit that.-ed. Right. My mistake. ] First it was former DCI James Woolsey in his office close to CIA headquarters in Langley (even closer to the shopping malls in Tysons Corner), then Rep. Tom Lantos in his offices in the Sam Raeburn Building and then fellow scribbler Richard Miniter at his house on Arlington Ridge (not far from the Pentagon). Midway through my interview with Richard I came about as close to freezing up as I ever do. My brain had turned to leftover jello. Thankfully one of our producers, Maura Flynn, pitched in and started asking questions from across the room, saving my bacon in the short run. I’m back at the hotel now, but my work is not over yet. In a few minutes I walk down to Andrew Marcus’ room to pretend to help as he edits all this together on his Mac.
Tomorrow we will be at the Intelligence Summit, which will either be ridiculous folly, brilliant revelation or something in between. The essence of the developing controversy surrounding this Summit is two-fold, whether the information on their new Saddam tapes is genuinely fresh and whether the event itself is tainted by being financed by a man named Michael Cherney who is alleged to have ties to the Russian mafia. Summit organizer John Loftus says Cherney was set up. But James Woolsey and the other former DCI on the Summit’s board, John Deutch, have both pulled out because of Cherney, although it is unclear why it took them so long since the Russian turned Israeli’s involvement with the Summit has been known for some time. Meanwhile, pressure has apparently been put on others to disassociate themselves from the event; some of this pressure, I am told, has been coming from Director of Intelligence John Negroponte’s office. (Are we deep enough into the intercine intelligence wars yet?) Meanwhile, Pajamas Media already has comments from Woolsey and Richard Miniter(who is attending) about this matter on tape and the event hasn’t even started. We will continue to inquire into it tomrrow. Will this experiment in blogosphere video work? You’ll be the judge on the WMDFiles.
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9 Comments
1. Pat Curley:I did a little googling the other day on Loftus and he’s something of a moonbat. He’s written articles on the supposed link between Bush’s grandfather and the Nazis.
Feb 17, 2006 - 6:48 pm 2. Yehudit:The translator of the Saddam tapes says that “Nightline” toned it down so that Saddam’s words were less threatening.
Good ole MSM . . . .
Feb 17, 2006 - 7:04 pm 3. Kevin Peters:Yehudit:
Let’s hold back until the tapes come out. But since they used the tapes themselves they will have a hard time disowning them. If true, I wonder if their press conference discussing why they didn’t use that part of the tapes will go over the sacred 18 hour limit. Matbe they will ask Rather for someone to help spin the translation in their favor,maybe Mapes typewriter specialist.
Feb 17, 2006 - 7:16 pm 4. David Thomson:ìThe translator of the Saddam tapes says that “Nightline” toned it down so that Saddam’s words were less threatening.î
They can only get away such nonsense for a limited time. Eventually the world, one way or another, will know the truth. The leftists are greatly worried about these tapes because of their investment in the ìBush liedî meme. I still believe that WMDs were shipped to Syria before the liberation of Iraq. It looks like we will know for sure in the very near future.
Feb 18, 2006 - 10:01 am 5. Joseph (formerly Samuel):Welcome to my backyard (which resides somewhere between Tysons Corner and Arlington Ridge) have fun!
Feb 18, 2006 - 12:42 pm 6. Lem:There is something curious in the lack of interest by the MSM in the Saddam tapes witch by any comparison are manifestly eclipsed by the interest they showed in the Nixon tapes.
At best the Nixon tapes showed abuse of power and the cover up, were as the Saddam tapes may offer a window into something we are still, even after 9/11, struggling to understand.
Feb 18, 2006 - 2:07 pm 7. Kevin Peters:Roger:
I have no idea what the whole story about the tapes will be but I do know that the MSM will have a hard time keeping a lid on any story like this as they did before. Their power as gatekeeper over stories like this is over because the blogs are a source where the information can get out unfiltered. Are the translations of the tapes accurate? I have no idea. But I do know that there will independent translators who will get a copy of the tapes and we will know exactly what was said and if the MSM wants to ignore it the truth will get out anyway. And if the tapes verify what is being hinted at the people who may have “edited” out the truth because they knew better what the public could handle are going to be hung out to dry. I am waiting till the full transcripts come out before I make up my mind but the very fact that I don’t have to rely on the crumbs that the MSM deigned to allow me to have is a fantastic thing. And it will make these reporters give me everthing out of fear that they will get caught with their pants down. This could all amount to nothing and change nothing about the truth as we currently know it. But if they did shade the truth to protect me from facts that they decided I could not handle then some mighty towers are going to crumble. It will be interesting to say the least.
Feb 18, 2006 - 3:17 pm 8. Dr. T:Interesting about the pull-out by Woolsey and Deutsch and the reason given.
Feb 18, 2006 - 8:27 pm 9. gumshoe:A few years ago I took part in the World Russia Forum in D.C. There was similar infighting because of support from the Free Congress Foundation (which is very right-wing by my right-wing lights); also, I was told but can’t confirm that a Russia expert in the U.S. tried to get visas denied to participants because of a personal dispute.
Roger -
congrats on your new job
as a talking head!
(just kidding.)
;0p
great conversation with Mr Woolsey.
at the risk of sounding “cosmetic” regarding
one of your maiden voyage broadcasts…
Mr W.’s lighting(warm),camera-angles(good background)
and sound quality(better mic placement?sound mix?) were head and shoulders above that afforded to your on-camera speaking parts(poor backrgound,cold lighting,poor sound).
it was like they were two different films.
i’m sure you’re doing after-action
assessments of the video-clips,
but the material is there
to be learned from…might take advantage of it.
thank you for the public service.
Feb 22, 2006 - 12:07 ammy best wishes for your new reporting and interviewing efforts.