On Monday’s Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski’s reaction to a David Letterman bit satirizing Dick Cheney drew a bemused reaction from host Joe Scarborough, and angry emails from viewers. The bit featured various clips of Cheney, including an open heart surgery, set to the Mary Tyler Moore theme, and finished with Cheney taking the famous MTM kitten’s place on the iconic vanity card. Brzezinski laughed uproariously, to Scarborough’s disapproval, for almost two minutes, over the course of two segments.

Real Time host Bill Maher wasn’t talking about energy efficient light bulbs when he used the term “2 watt” in reference to Sarah Palin on his show, and he wasn’t expressing a wish to see her next Tuesday during a weekend performance of his stand-up act. The late-night comic/political pundit often uses shocking language to [...]

On Monday night, conservative media watchdog Newsbusters published a column denouncing Mother Jones’ David Corn for making what they called an “anti-Semitic remark,” and whacked Hardball host Chris Matthews for laughing at it. Corn responded with befuddlement at the charge, and by Tuesday evening, the original post had been deleted from Newsbusters. Much to his credit, [...]

Although it seems to have originated at right-wing media watchdog Newsbusters, an accusation of anti-Semitism against Mother Jones‘ David Corn and Hardball host Chris Matthews is rocketing around the conservative blogosphere like a coked-up Ricochet Rabbit. Corn, who is Jewish, stands accused of making an “anti-Semitic remark,” while Matthews “laughs hysterically.”

There ought to be a special word for falsely accusing a Jewish person of anti-Semitism. Maybe “anti-Semitism³?”

The recent appointment of former Time magazine reporter Jay Carney as White House Press Secretary has already spawned an effort to discredit Carney, and his former colleagues, by right-wing media watchdog Newsbusters. The right’s answer to Media Matters has released what it calls a “Media Bias Dossier” on Carney, but at eight quotes in a twenty-year career, it’s pretty thin gruel. It might also surprise Newsbusters to know that libeeral watchdog Media Matters has an even thicker “dossier” on Carney, and that Redstate’s Erick Erickson is among Carney’s biggest fans.

Saturday’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear was barely even over when some conservatives on Twitter began clamoring for stories about offensive signs at the rally, which only seems fair given the attention paid to offensive Tea Party signs. However, like comparing Restore Sanity‘s Funniest Signs with the funny (for a different reason) Tea Party signs, it only seems fair.

Still, there were a few signs that drew outrage (faux and otherwise), and one that would have if I’d been able to get a sh

Thanks largely to the Tea Party phenomenon, protest signs are now fodder for news stories, with left and right scanning each other’s rallies for the offensive sign that damns their rivals as racists/America-haters. Saturday’s Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, however, set a different bar. At a rally by two world class satirists, placard-makers were under heavy pressure to deliver the funny. Here are the heroes who heard that trumpet’s call.

Covering the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear on Saturday was an exhausting, frustrating experience. The crowd size made navigation a real challenge, and the press accommodations didn’t really offer anything you couldn’t see on C-Span.

Even so, I managed to get some great pictures, and I ran into a few interesting characters, including Slate’s Dave Weigel. See his take on the rally, and a brief interview with Darth Vader, after the jump.

Earlier today, James O’Keefe released a statement in which he expanded upon his initial denial that he planned to sexually humiliate CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau, a denial that is belied by additional evidence presented in Boudeau’s “Right on the Edge” documentary. In addition to the “CNN Caper” document that outlined the plan, Boudreau also released emails and telephone recordings that corroborated key elements of the plot.

We reached out to Boudreau to see if she had a reaction to O’Keefe’s statement. Her response was brief and to the point:

Since the story of conservative ACORN slayer James O’Keefe‘s attempt to sexually humiliate CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau broke on Wednesday, ever-more disturbing details have emerged. Saturday night’s airing of Right on the Edge, the Boudreau documentary about which she and O’keefe were supposed to meet, fills in a few more blanks, and reveals just how monumental a screwup this was for O’Keefe.

Conservative reaction to James O’Keefe‘s alleged plot to sexually humiliate CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau has been almost uniformly harsh. Until now, aside from a few tangential tweets, O’Keefe mentor and benefactor Andrew Breitbart has been silent on the matter. Those waiting to take their cues from the influential conservative media figure can now let the pigeons loose, as Breitbart has released a statement in which he praises Boudreau, and calls O’Keefe’s plot “patently gross and offensive.”

Aside from several segments on her own network, CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau‘s tale of attempted sexual humiliation by conservative activist James O’Keefe has gotten scant coverage on cable news. Popular Fox News late-night yuckfest Red Eye at least tried to cover the story last night, and while there was some mockery of O’Keefe, the overall effect was to deflect and trivialize what O’Keefe is alleged to have done. The segment begins with a misguided comparison to Stephen Colbert‘s congressional testimony, and ends with panelist Ann Coulter lamenting the fact that “narc” Izzy Santa prevented Boudreau from “rolling in the condoms.”

CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau was interviewed by Rick Sanchez this afternoon regarding the now-dominant story of ACORN pimp James O’Keefe‘s attempt to lure her onto a boat “filled with sexually explicit props and then record the session,” a “prank” that even conservative media figure Brent Bozell called an “attempted assault.”

As more details emerge over conservative activist James O’Keefe‘s ugly attempt to lure CNN correspondent Abbie Boudreau onto a boat “filled with sexually explicit props and then record the session,” many are waiting to see what the reaction from the online right will be. Early indications are that O’Keefe may find himself adrift, as the founder of conservative watchdog Media Research Center has scathingly denounced O’Keefe, and even O’Keefe mentor Andrew Breitbart shows signs of distancing himself from his onetime star.

Newsbusters parent company The Media Research Center is promoting a new, heavily-edited video that claims to show Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) “intimidat(ing) constituents” at a town hall meeting, with her own hired “thug.”

Calling this an attempt at “Breitbarting” is actually a bit of an insult to Andrew Breitbart, as this is a particularly clumsy effort even on its face. When introduced to actual facts, this bit of video chicanery folds up like an origami umbrella.

On last night’s Countdown, host Keith Olbermann featured the Glenn Beck Twitter favorite on which we reported yesterday, a tweet from a white power message board. Olbermann presented the tweet, and said “Since the StopBeck website discovered it, Beck has since erased it. He should erase his career.”

What Olbermann failed to mention is that the top tweet on his Twitter favorites is a column by right-wing media watchdog Media Research Center President Brent Bozell! Is Keith Olbermann in the tank for Newsbusters?

Controversial Rep. Alan Grayson is a little bit worried about his health. After a Media Research Center personality tweeted a request to his followers to punch Grayson in the face (“I just want to let them know that I punch back,” the Congressman replied then), his office received a legitimate death threat, which Grayson compared to some of the most high-profile assassinations in history.

Right-wing media watchdog Newsbusters and influential conservative uber-blogger Ed Morrissey are taking exception to a “Libtalker Meltdown” by my White House press colleague Bill Press. What kind of Toxic Talk did Bill engage in to draw fire from the right? Reacting to a new poll that says 6 in 10 Americans lack faith in President Obama, Press called Americans “spoiled” and “impatient.” I’d say he was being kind.

Earlier this week, Raul Castro agreed to release 52 Cuban political prisoners. The release came after bilateral talks with Spain and was prompted in large part by activist Guillermo Fariñas‘ 130-day hunger strike, who, upon hearing the news, thanked the people of Spain and called off the hunger strike. Naturally, the largest anti-Castro Cuban American blog on the web would be fuming about this outrageous development.

Conservative media watchdog Newsbusters notes that Archie Comics is promoting the introduction of Riverdale’s first openly gay character. I know what you’re thinking, but Reggie doesn’t count. It says openly gay.

In what is perhaps a sly nod to the cluelessly repressed world of Archie’s hometown, new guy Kevin Keller catches Veronica’s eye by demonstrating how much beef he can shove in his mouth. Seriously. Does this give Archie some street cred, or does it still mainly exist to bolster Aquaman’s case in lamest-comic-evar debates?

CNN anchor Rick Sanchez took some criticism from conservative media watchdog Newsbusters last week, but he didn’t take it lying down. Newsbusters’ Matt Balan slammed Sanchez for a segment in which he joked that he thought it was too cold for a volcano to erupt in Iceland. Balan apparently didn’t get that Sanchez was joking.

The uproar surrounding CNN commentator Erick Erickson‘s comment about pulling a shotgun on an ACS census worker seemed to be dying down, after rippling all the way to the White House. News reports about a March incident (prior to Erickson’s comments) in which a warning shot was fired (with a shotgun) at a census worker may turn the heat back up.

There is a trend emerging that seems to indicate a strategic shift at CNN from self-professed neutral, objective journalism to a desire to actively court conservative viewers. First, there was CNN’s hiring of Redstate chief Erick Erickson , embedded (and wide-eyed) coverage of the Tea Party Express bus tour, email shot at “the left” to Brent Bozell, and now, their attack on liberal radio host Bill Press for his question to Robert Gibbs about their employee’s threat to census workers. CNN is very concerned about fact-checking Press. Fair enough. I will fact-check Press and CNN, and give you the latest reaction from CNN on Erickson’s comments.

There was a bit of an uproar recently when some left of center websites a suggested that CNN was “pimping” the Great American “Tea Party Express PR and Propaganda Tour.” Many thought CNN’s motivation was to promote the Tea Party tour, but rather, to be in the right place at the right time when something juicy happens. As it turns out, reporting by conservative Newsbusters seems to confirm elements of liberal Crooks and Liars‘ thesis, or at the very least, that CNN is trying to have it both ways.

Conservative media watchdog site Newsbusters called out the Washington Post yesterday for “Assaulting” Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell with “Seven Hit Pieces in One Day,” when all he did was declare a celebration of an imaginary, slavery-free Confederacy.