CNN's Heidi Collins: Monstrous Spending Bill 'Is a Hold-Over From the

On this morning's CNN Newsroom, anchor Heidi Collins gave Barack Obama some cover by characterizing the omnibus spending bill, larded with thousands of earmarks, as left over from the Bush administration:A controversial $410 billion spending bill hits a snag in the Senate. This is the bill we've been talking about with about $8 billion in earmarks. Republicans and a few Democrats are mad about…
Mike Bates
 

Newsweek's Gross on Blaming Obama for Lack of Market Confidence: That

CNBC panel discusses BusinessWeek cover contemplating the question of the new administration's role in market turmoil.
Jeff Poor
 

Newsweek’s Wolffe: Limbaugh Is GOP’s ‘Jeremiah Wright’ Corneri

On Thursday's Countdown show, MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe of Newsweek compared Rush Limbaugh to rapper Sister Souljah and Barack Obama's racist former minister, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, as Wolffe advised the Republican party to "kill some sacred cows" by denouncing "extremist" Limbaugh. Wolffe: "What they first of all need to do is to kill some sacred cows here. ... for President…
Brad Wilmouth
 

CNN: Rush is the 'Anti-Obama' Since He 'Isn't Black, Slim...or Well Sc

CNN International’s Jonathan Mann labeled Rush Limbaugh the “anti-Obama” in a CNN.com article on Friday, and condescendingly listed the reasons why the talk show host is the antithesis of the president: “Rush Limbaugh isn’t black, slim, stylish or well schooled.” He later described why Democrats are so eager to portray Limbaugh as the leader of the Republican Party: “They think that Limbaugh, 58…
Matthew Balan
 

CBS ‘Evening News’: Obama’s Gray Hair ‘Equals Gravitas

At the end of Thursday’s CBS Evening News correspondent Chip Reid reported important breaking news about President Obama's graying hair: "...the rate at which President Obama is adding salt to his pepper is what’s surprising, even if his inner circle says ‘no big deal.’" Axelrod observed: "The gray seemed to be on him from the moment he took the oath. There was talk during the campaign that maybe…
Kyle Drennen
 

USA Today Hints Hypocrisy in Catholic Church Views on Lenten Technolog

USA Today's Cathy Lynn Grossman sought to create a rift between Pope Benedict XVI and Italian clerics in a March 4 blog post, "'Virtually' signing off technology for Lent?"The rage among some Italian dioceses is to call on Catholics to shut off the Internet connection, put down the I-pod and chill out on texting for the Lenten fast. This may contradict the pope, who just recently extolled social…
Ken Shepherd
 

Gaffe Watch: Hillary Tells Europeans U.S. Democracy Much Older Than Eu

Tim Graham
 

Open Thread

For general discussion and debate. Possible talking point: You tell us.
NB Staff
 

Friendly TV Reception for Obama's Health Care 'Fix

President Obama's health care summit at the White House played into receptive television news hands Thursday night as NBC displayed “Fixing Health Care” on screen before reporter Chuck Todd appropriated the coach who inspired “win one for the Gipper” by touting how “the President's drive to pass health care got a Knute Rockne-like boost with a surprise appearance” by Senator Ted Kennedy, while…
Brent Baker
 

When Will Media Blame Economy and Bear Market on Obama

A consistent media meme since Election Day has been that Barack Obama was inheriting a recession that some believe began as far back as December 2007. Since then, despite various rescue plans from his Administration, and the passage of a $787 billion stimulus package, the stock market has continued to plummet while employers shed payrolls in a fashion rarely seen in history.This all raises an…
Noel Sheppard
 

Time Gives Bobby Jindal Ten Questions, Like 'Why Are You a Skinny Geek

Time offered its "Ten Questions" interview to Gov. Bobby Jindal, but the questions it selected from readers were mostly negative, underlining how unpopular the GOP is. One even insulted his personal appearance, with the increasingly common liberal mockery that he resembles the nerdy Kenneth the Page character on NBC’s 30 Rock. Here’s a sample: What is your reaction to the negative reviews of your…
Tim Graham
 

'General' David Brooks Calls Retreat After 3 Days on Political Battlef

"General" David Brooks, the very compliant house conservative of the New York Times, after just three days of bravely volunteering to lead a mighty "moderate" army against the "ideological outrages" of the Barack Obama administration, has now called a hasty retreat with a column that borders on outright apology for daring to oppose the very liberal budget. First let us take trip down memory lane…
P.J. Gladnick
 

TelePrompter Story Shows Another Way Old Media Covers for Obama

Carol E. Lee of Politico had a short March 5 piece about President Obama's singular inability to give a speech, even short ones, without the crutch of a TelePrompter in front of him to prod him about what to say next. This isn't the only time the media has raised its eyebrow about the president's TelePrompters (I even covered it myself not long ago), so the story isn't a new one, but one little…
Warner Todd Huston
 

Globe Column: A Perfect Example of Lies About Rush

Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe started off her column on March 6 with the exact same feeling about the current Obama/Limbaugh feud that I at first had: I wasn't going to talk about it either. But after reading her column of distortions and outright lies about Limbaugh -- as well as the ever present fat jokes and general incivility -- I couldn't resist analyzing her column. It is, as it occurs…
Warner Todd Huston