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A skirmish broke out on Morning Joe today as PBS host Tavis Smiley claimed President George W. Bush "lied" the USA into the war in Iraq. Joe Scarborough and--surprisingly--Jon Meacham forcefully refuted Smiley's slur. Scarborough unwittingly provoked the incident when, commenting on yesterday's 9-11 observances, he called for a Kumbaya moment in which Americans would put aside politics and…

Paul Krugman wasn’t the only old soul at The New York Times who refused any urge to be patriotic on September 11. Former Times reporter Chris Hedges unleashed a tirade on Truthdig on Saturday. It was titled: “A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe.”  He began by suggesting coverage of 9/11 was sanitized by the Bush "lap dogs" of the press because the occasion “demanded images and stories of…

On the front of Sunday's Business section, Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein slammed GOP candidates: "If you came up with a bumper sticker that pulls together the platform of this year’s crop of Republican presidential candidates, it would have to be: Repeal the 20th century. Vote GOP." Pearlstein seemed especially insulted that Gov. Rick Perry would suggest John Maynard Keynes and…

CNN's Fareed Zakaria got more than he bargained for in his Sunday interview with guest Donald Rumsfeld. As he pushed the former Secretary of Defense on America's need to cut military spending, the "GPS" host blushed when Rumsfeld smartly said, "There are people who think we're living in the post-American world, to coin a phrase. There are people who believe that we should step back and lead…

Politics didn't change on 9/11. It paused, then, little by little, resumed as before: increasingly polarized and venomous, a trend well underway even at the time of the first, failed attack on the World Trade Center in early 1993. These days, the sort of invective on display below (especially from agnostic, Hunter, and joelgp) is, sad to say, common.   As usual, each headline is preceded by…

Within seconds of his introduction on Friday's "Tonight Show," Bill Maher attacked leading Republicans. In a truly delicious example of instant karma, moments after calling Dan Quayle, George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, and Michele Bachmann idiots, the pompous, more arrogant than most Maher spoke of how important the "Iowa primary" is (video follows with commentary):

The story broken by NewsBusters last week involving Chuck Todd saying NBC's pollsters were "concerned" about President Obama's poll numbers has brought some scrutiny on the Peacock Network's chief White House correspondent. After radio's Laura Ingraham questioned Todd about this issue Thursday, Fox News's Bill O'Reilly brought her on his program Friday saying, "We did a little research on Mr…

It certainly wasn't a Paul Krugman moment, but is the tenth anniversary of the biggest attack on our mainland a good time to say, "Fifty years from now, we might even look at 9/11 as simply the beginning of the decline of America?" That's what Fareed Zakaria said Sunday on the CNN program bearing his name (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Many of the news broadcasts from the day our nation was attacked on 9/11 have become a part of the fabric of American culture. The Internet Archive has put together a fabulous video summary of reports from around the world that day (videos follow with commentary):

On this solemn commemorative day, we at NewsBusters have made a point of holding our rhetorical fire against liberals as a gesture of respect to those who lost their lives that day and subsequently. There is much we could say and, starting tomorrow, will say. An exception has to be made for one Paul Krugman, who seems, earlier life, to have been a decent and civilized person. Since he began…

CBS's Bob Schieffer finished Sunday's "Face the Nation" with a fitting tribute to the feeling of unity the 9/11 attacks brought to our nation and its capital. "Ten years later, I sometimes wonder if we could still come together as we did then" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

On September 11, 2001, after our nation had been attacked, the leaders of Congress, flanked by their fellow members, spoke to the country in a united front. Moments after they concluded, emotional legislators spontaneously sang "God Bless America" as they hugged each other (video follows):

Ten years ago today, an event happened that impacted not just America, but also each one of us who lived through that moment. As we recall that day as a nation, I wanted to provide a thread here on NB for all reading who so choose to share your experiences of that day. You can also use this post to comment on other public commemorations of the day or tributes to America and/or those who serve…

On September 11, 2001, I was a White House correspondent for World magazine and was on my way to cover a hearing on Capitol Hill. The second tower of the World Trade Center had been hit on my commute, and then as I approached Alexandria, Virginia on the Capital Beltway, I saw a large column of black smoke rising from Arlington. I was in the middle of a phone call with an editor who said I needed…