-wing pundits would be chomping at the bit to misquote him. He's been in politics a long time, and he should know better.
But also to be fair, Sean Hannity is intentionally dishonest.
At the end of his previous segment, Hannity asks the question
And later, is Senator Kennedy putting American troops in danger by demanding they be sent home and by claiming that the president is misleading the country and that our military is part of the problem?
After the commercial, Hannity is interviewing Oliver North, that pillar of military virtue; and I want to cut out what North is saying, so you can get the full thrust of Hannity's comments:
Colonel North, your background in the military -- you have been on this program from Iraq with the troops as often as anybody else that's been on this program, Colonel. When a prominent senator three days outside of this election, where people were told the vote may be as high as 70 percent, hear a prominent senator like Ted Kennedy say our U.S. military present is part of the problem, not the solution, what does that do to -- does that put the troops in harm's way? Does that undermine their...
But let me ask you this. Does it give...
Does it give justification -- does it give a rational for enemy insurgents for what they're doing? They can say in their minds, if it's plastered all over, you know, propaganda Al Jazeera television, they could be hearing it, like even U.S. senators know that the U.S. military is the enemy here?
Hannity is accusing Kennedy of treason, but doing it by asking questions. So that when someone says to him, 'you called Kennedy a traitor,' Hannity can say, 'I never called him a traitor.'
Well, since I certainly don't want to be on the record calling Hannity a fuckwit, let me ask some questions. Doesn't this sort of thing show that Sean Hannity is intellectually dishonest? Doesn't he know that Kennedy said "military operations" and not just "military?" And doesn't he know that his audience isn't listening closely? And isn't he cynically using their stupidy/lack of attention to create the impression in their minds that Kennedy is a traitor? And he isn't he a cowardly motherfucker for not having the balls to come out and say that Kennedy is a traitor? Aren't his tactics despicable?
-- Michael Bona or Michael Jackson or Barbara streisand represents the libs.
As far as your indignation about him misrepresenting what someone said, that happens to me on your blog every day, and you are one of the prime offenders.
I state very clearly my opinion, then you or one of your regulars misrepresent what I say, call me names, and then change the subject.
Let's not be too hypocritical, Michael.
Posted by: Buckshot | January 29, 2005 at 10:14 PM
For starters, if Hannity were to be intellectually dishonest, wouldn't that intimate some sort of intellect at play to begin with? Hannity doesn't make intelligent arguments, even at his best. He's bluster and waving the bloody shirt.
And by the way, Buckshot, if you want to be taken seriously, you have to stop saying things that make me snort tea out of my nose like " He in no way represents the run-of-the-mill "conservative[s]." Sorry, but when you have the stage that Hannity has, and when you are looked at approvingly by the people calling themselves conservatives in our government, then you represent the mainstream. And by the way, saying Michael Jackson is a liberal is lower than a cheap shot.
Posted by: Incertus | January 30, 2005 at 09:55 PM
The thing that makes me laugh about the kennedy speech is why does anyone take him seriously? Kennedy has been wrong on the major foreign policy issues for over 3 decades. He has the blood of millions on his hands for leading the charge on a full blown American retreat in Vietnam. That idea certainly worked out well. We pull out and millions of cambodians and south vietnames are slaughtered.
Were was Kennedy during Reagan's confrontation with the Soviets? On the wrong side again.
I am overjoyed every time the killer himself gets out and opens his trap. Their is nothing better for Republicans than to have Kennedy be the main spokesman for the Democrat party.
Posted by: drm | January 31, 2005 at 12:00.
Just some things for Michael to chew on. If Hannity was devoid of intelligence, explain to me why he is so popular to begin with? You know as well as I that on that show, the best liberal speakers in the country go on for the chance to stop Hannity in his tracks, and time after time Hannity stops them cold. These are men with degrees, Doctorates, and the likes of a intellectually minscule Hannity beats them in every argument there. Wonder why Colmes can't come up with counter arguments, reason being the whole liberal mindset precludes rational logic. I mean, if he was so intellectually dishonest, Colmes would call him on it, and Colmes, for anyone that watches the show regularly, can't. The whole stance of the liberal world is eschew. Blame America for its "failure in Iraq" never mention the fact that even the most zealous Reps said a 50% turnout would be pushing it, there were over 60% turnout. Sunnis did in fact vote, and their numbers were expected, considering the insurgents, being Sunnis themselves would've killed them. Oh how, America is to blame for the ills of the world, yet I unmistakely saw Iraqis dancing, and CRYING, for their chance to build Iraq. I don't recall in this internationally observed elections of even Al Jazeera reporting on US Troops escorting Iraqis to vote on gun point, yet, that is exactly what a liberal would think. If you listened to the rants of liberals of the likes as New York Times, Ted Kennedy, Al Jazeera and The Guardian, you would've been convinced we were losing the Iraq war, and Afghanistan for that matter, and yet, we won. And time and time again, it always comes down to what the French think. Anyone that has taken IR in college knows that with the fall of the USSR there is an obvious power vacuum the EU is trying to fill, and that in filling that vacuum you'd think the EU would stop being pro American, and counter America. That is the nature of power shifts. Of COURSE the Europeans don't like us. Not since before WWII when they slit their own wrists have they had the economic power and presitge of the likes during their colonial era. All the more embarassing to them that they think themselves as the cultural center of the world, yet which country are people fleeing in great numbers too? Its not hollowed Austria, or Germany. America the bad, millions come to these shores for freedom the culturally sophiscated Euros can't deliver. Liberals mistake the accents for sophiscation. Anyways. The obvious glaring truth is that the Iraqis voted in overwhelming numbers, and that America is not the villian liberals make it out ot be. Afghanistan proved it, Iraq proved it. Our Aid to the Tsumani victims show it. And I could go on a tirade about how it is the Islamic countries that blame America for being "stingy" yet, to date, with all the money the Saudis have to donate, they've only donated pocket change, you know it and I. Lol, that is a different debate altogether. Later Michael.
Posted by: AG | January 31, 2005 at 12:55 AM
wow, we get some real crazies these days, don't we? i wonder how AG figured out that that this site has a liberal slant. maybe it's the word "left" in the title.
and they say conservatives aren't smart.
Posted by: here's what's left | January 31, 2005 at 01:17 AM
Considering the increased troll activity on many left-leaning sites in the last couple of days (I even got a troll, and I don't ever get comments), I have to wonder if some enterprising freeper type organized some sort of pushback times for yesterday's Iraq "elections."
Posted by: Incertus | January 31, 2005 at 08:06 AM
i wonder how AG figured out that that this site has a liberal slant. maybe it's the word "left" in the title.
not only that, but the word "left" in the title is actually slanting to the left.
Posted by: heather | January 31, 2005 at 10:09."
Uh, heather, Incertus, and others, read the above. I knew this site was for liberals, lol you try to demean my intelligence, why not counter what the bulk of what I had to say? Uh I'm sure you'll counter this by saying I'm not smart, and then say you didn't even bother to read what I had to say, cause you read one line and drew your opinions. Figures. Typical liberal mindset. I can see you typing in "oh he figured out this is a liberal site" You loons, I KNEW it was liberal from the moment I came in here. Its just hilarious to me to see the advanced intelluctualism with such remarks as: not only that, but the word "left" in the title is actually slanting to the left. Good one Heather--Please, when I made quite clear I knew what this site was all about from