Liberal Blogosphere Dissembles

Yes, the Lefty blogs must stop The Path To 9/11 from ever being shown. But here is what some notables had to say previously when the program in question dealt with Reagan, not as a politician, but as a human being.

Hypocrites all. You simply need to read their writing over the last few days and compare it to these posts and positions below.

Alterman:

Amazing but true, the far-right media machine has successfully held CBS entertainment to a higher standard of truth regarding the docudrama, "The Reagans" than the news media manages to hold the Bush administration regarding the war in Iraq. The ability of these would-be censors to "work the refs" on the issue of the CBS movie, "The Reagans" is truly impressive. Setting a new standard for accuracy in TV docudramas - something that never troubled them, for instance, when a network had to invent a voice of morality in the Reagan White House for an Ollie North biopic based on Guts And Glory: The Rise And Fall Of Oliver North by Ben Bradlee Jr.'s, because none existed in real life - the right not only got CBS to walk away from its $9 million investment, it got them to excise a statement emanating from Reagan’s mouth that was largely accurate.

Atrios: And, now that the RNC has veto power over television programming, it's time to have another beer.

Atrios again: Gates of Delerium

If two years ago I'd suggested that the political party which effectively ran all 3 branches of government would start demanding the right to review the content of television programs before they aired you all woulda called me crazy.

Steve Gilliard - Why CBS buckled

Even if the Reagans was written by the Socialist Workers Party and promoted by former spy Eddie Lee Howard, given that CBS spent $9m on it, only to shift it to Showtime, the reasons for dumping it is not only political cowardice. It's too much money for that. While some speculate that Viacom's business in Congress might have played a role, it's not nearly as Manchurian Candidate as all that.

billmon makes an extended post and point apparently no longer embraced.

Glenn Greenwald wasn't blogging then. But leave it to him to simply flat out lie. Patterico exposes him here.

Comments

[billmon]

From my "extended post": CBS says it agrees with Department of Homeland Security censors that a purported video about the seven-year-long conflict in Iraq should be banned from the U.S. airwaves.

At the rate we're going, this may yet come true.

In all seriousness, if Disney-ABC-Capital Cities wants to air a right-wing propaganda film about 9/11, they should at least not lie and say that it is based upon the 9/11 Commission Report. This is like the makers of The Reagans claiming it was based on "Where's the Rest of Me?"

And if we're going to talk about hypocrisy, then by all means we should talk about the ironic humor of the neo-fascist right suddenly claiming to give a shit about freedom of expression.

[Terrye]

billmon:

As a former Democrat I have to say that people like you are killing that party. It will be deader than a doornail if you do not stop acting like such a bunch of ninnies. George Bush was the first Republican I ever voted for, but when I saw Michael Moore sitting next to Jimmy Carter I decided he would not be the last.

Speaking of hypocrites, I actually remember not only Fahrenheit 9/11, I remember hearing about Saddam and his weapons and his ties to terrorism long before Bush came to office. I can only assume that some people were either smoking crack or have slept since then and have thus forgotten that Bush did not invent terrorism, but this display over this show is just plain stupid.

This is not about the vast right wing conspiracy, this about the Democrats not being able to control the message, and they hate that.

BTW, the RNC wanted the Reagan movie pulled because it was personal and nasty and the old man was in no position to defend himself. This time we have Democratic Senators threatening to use their authority to go after Disney if they fail to say how high when said Senators say jump.

So get a grip.