The NewsBusters Weekly Recap: January 6 to 12

January 12th, 2007 9:50 AM

Last week saw the dawning of the new Democratic majority and members of the media seemed to be charmed by the event. ABC reporter Cokie Roberts described a photo-op of new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holding her grandchild as "fun" and "completely natural." CBS’s Bob Schieffer interviewed Pelosi and pressed her to raise taxes. And "60 Minutes" commentator Andy Rooney became nostalgic for Democrats of old, saying it’s "hard to dislike Jimmy Carter."

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann continued his fevered attack on all things Republican and conservative. He’s now accused White House Press Secretary Tony Snow of "bald-faced lying" about a Bush speech. Olbermann’s cohort in liberalism, Chris Matthews, described the Vice President of the United States as someone "who always wants to kill." Later in the week, he told his "Hardball" audience that he was "terrified" of the President’s plans for Iran. Chris, calm down!

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer blithely asked Senator Ted Kennedy if the United States would be better off with Saddam Hussein still in power.

The East Coast has, thus far, been enjoying a relatively mild winter. For "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira, however, this means it’s time to panic. Speaking of global warming, she hyperbolically wondered, "Are we all gonna die?"

NBC’s "Nightly News" had previously dismissed climate change as the culprit for the temperate temperatures, instead saying that El Nino is the cause. After a few liberals whined, anchor Brian Williams quickly backed down. Over on ABC, even "Good Morning America’s" weatherman got in on the environmental bias. Finally, the always reliable Alec Baldwin found a way to link global warming with Iraq! Quite a feat for the sitcom star.