Dana Perino: “We Did Not Have A Terrorist Attack” Under Bush
On last night’s Hannity, former Bush press secretary Dana Perino said that “we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term.” And Sean Hannity and Fox correspondent Stuart Varney didn’t miss a beat: they leapt ahead to an open-and-shut discussion of how the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, is a terrorist. 9/11: never forget?
From the segment:
Hannity: Why won’t they say what you so simply said? [that Hasan was a terrorist.]
Perino: You know, they want to do all of their investigations, I don’t know all of their thinking that goes into it. But we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term. I hope they’re not looking at this politically. I do think that we owe it to the American people to call it what it is.
Hannity: If you say “allahu akbar” before the shooting and you reached out to al-Qaeda 20 times, it’s a pretty good indication that you’re a terrorist sympathizer.
Varney: What is it, you’re not a terrorist unless you’ve got an al-Qaeda button right on there?
Perino’s statement was definitely jarring, given that the Bush presidency was defined by the terrorist attacks of September 11th and the response to them. But the micromeme that’s popped up on Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, and other like-minded sites of puffing up indignantly and accusing Perino of coverup or treason seems overblown. From Daily Kos: “This is an insult to the entire country but especially to the thousands of families who lost their loved ones on 9-11, to the Anthrax attacks that followed, and on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.” Uh: maybe she just misspoke?
But: Perino’s attempt to score terrorism-related political points by accusing Obama of trying to score terrorism-related political points was pretty transparent. And it shows how ossified political talking points have become that no one corrected her for saying such a howler: in the midst of a discussion of terrorism, the worst terrorist attack in US history — which occurred less than a year into Bush’s presidency — didn’t warrant a mention.
(h/t Media Matters via Daily Kos)
19 comments
Jim R says: There was no surprise whatsoever Hannity didn’t correct this blatant fabrication, since it served the Fox Agenda.
Just make it up as you go along, by the time they’re called out for it they’ve already moved on to the next right wing provably false meme.
Welcome to Planet Wingnuttia.
ImNotBlue says: Oh goodie… Mediaite is now recycling talking points from “The Daily KOS,” and “Media Matters”!
HOORAY! I wonder if you’ll get put on some blue-blog “visit” list?!
Oh wait… you say this site is supposed to be “UNBIASED?” Well, certainly after ripping stories directly from the bluest of blue blog sources, that can’t be true… I wonder what the About page says…
Mediaite is the site for news, information and smart opinions about print, online and broadcast media, offering original and immediate assessments of the latest news as it breaks.
Hmmm… interesting, no mention that they advocate liberal ideology… and yet, there it is… a story ripped from the far left. Well, I’m sure that stories the right it talking about now have been mentioned… big stories like “Climategate.” Wait, what’s that you say? Even though Mediaite has a whole section devoted to “Print,” and a sub-story in this scandal is the NYTimes refusing to run any stories about it, they haven’t really mentioned it at all?! REALLY?!
WOW! I guess Mediaite thinks it’s audience won’t be able to recognize it’s bias… even when it’s RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM! I wonder, do you think that makes them dishonest? Do you think that shows they disrespect their audience? Do you think that means they so mired in the “journalistic/left-wing group think” that so many others in their profession are afflicted by, that they can’t recognize overt spin when they see it?
*Sigh*
It’s obvious that Ms. Parino meant, “after 9-11″ being that this was the defining moment of the Bush Presidency. Prior to 9-11, Bush didn’t do much of anything significant, and it’s a commonly held believe that his Presidency (in terms of his legacy) began on 9-11… it was the #1 focus of the following 7 years. But of course, reasonably looking at the situation isn’t what the liberal talking points call for… so here comes the hate. Rationality and JOURNALISTIC ETHICS be damned.
(PS- At least we now know why Mediaite hasn’t yet talked about “Climategate.” The places they consider “sources,” haven’t mentioned it… so how would they know?)
1 – Hasan is a terrorist regardless of why he did it, what he shouted or who he contacted.
2 – If there was no terrorist attack under Bush, then why the big deal about having a trial in New York, since, as Ms. Perrino stated, no terror attack during Bush’s term.
Being charitable, let’s say it was a misstatement. Well, it was a doozy and somebody should have caught it. Plus, Ms. Perrino’s job was communicating without misspeaking. It would suit the right wonderfully to be able to pretend there wasn’t one. Hannity and Varney are too busy slamming and bamming the current administration to correct a glaring, massive error by a person from their beloved Bush years.
Flip side – the left, which has spent several years trying to eliminate the word terrorist and be sympathetic to the actual terrorists, suddenly spins the hypocrite dial to full power. Now they are pretending that they were the ones pointing out terrorism.
None of them are honest or sincere. Neither side. All any of them care about are themselves and their course of rip and tear.
As was said above, it’s pretty goddam clear Perino meant post-9/11. Yeash. This doesn’t even deserve attention. Slow news day Mediaite? So slow that you have to post filler trash from blue blogs?
Come on!
Robert Quigley says: @ImNotBlue and @John Boyer: that was addressed in the post–
“But the micromeme that’s popped up on Daily Kos, Democratic Underground, and other like-minded sites of puffing up indignantly and accusing Perino of coverup or treason seems overblown. From Daily Kos: ‘This is an insult to the entire country but especially to the thousands of families who lost their loved ones on 9-11, to the Anthrax attacks that followed, and on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq.’ Uh: maybe she just misspoke?”
I don’t always agree with Keeva, but in this case we are on the same page — I think that both sides are trying to score cheap points off of terrorism here.
ImNotBlue says: Robert Quigley says:
November 25, 2009 at 3:22 pm
“Uh: maybe she just misspoke?”
If your intention was to show this was overblown, you’ll have to forgive me for asking the common sense follow-up question: Why post anything about this at all?
KOS, DemUnder, MM, etc. are always looking for the next cheap shot, the next way to smear something they disagree with, and jump at the chance blast FOX (often falsely). That’s nothing new… so who cares?
Instead, why not take a cue from J$ who posted a very interesting piece yesterday on how the blue blogs went nuts after a census worker’s body was found hanging from a tree. The blue blogs were quick to indict FNC and the right for inciting violence against census workers… but have been less quick (read: non-existent) to update the story now that the police have classified this as a suicide.
http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/blog/lry280795598.html
And you’re taking memes from those people why, exactly?
Tommy Christopher says: For once, I sort of agree with I’mNotBlue. Perrino didn’t “misspeak,” she was clumsily trying to further the bullshit right-wing myth that Bush kept us safe, and 9/11 didn’t count against Bush because…because…well, just because.
straitshooter says: Most importantly: no one can credibly claim they saw 9/11 coming. Bush kept us safe after 9/11.
As for this post: Perrino made a huge, bone-headed screw-up, but I’m guessing Hannity is the type of guy who already had his next statement cued up and he probably didn’t even hear her, although even if he did, I doubt he would have corrected her.
Perrino is a pro, and I’m guessing she will make some half-hearted correction statement about how she meant Bush made sure there wasn’t ANOTHER terrorist attack after 9/11.
This is a great example of why words matter. Because Perrino botched her statement, instead of keeping the focus on the current administration — which is demonstrably refuses to use the word “terrorist” in regard to Fort Hood — the focus is now back on Bush. Perrino got too comfortable appearing on Hannity, and she let her guard down because she knew the host was friendly.
Pat Buchanan, surrounded by vipers, would never make such a clumsy mistake because he knows the guy (or woman who looks like a guy) sitting next to him would eat him alive.
I’m thinking that she’s remembering her “term”, which Wikipedia says that she was hired as deputy in ‘05 and was with the Bush White House until the end.
rmbltmbl says: This is as significant as some tea party footage in Bachmann’s rally. This is drivel.
Jim R says: Tommy makes a good point about the desperate Republican meme that no one could have done anything before 9/11.
Especially when volumes have been written detailing how the Bush Administration avoided repeated warnings from the intelligence community. Perhaps too busy planning the Iraq debacle?
From the ignored PDB to “you’ve covered your ass now”, to Richard Clarke metaphorically “holding a gun to Rice’s head” on September 10 after being denied even a meeting for months to warn us, it is clear why Republicans are frantic to create their revisionist version of events.
Sunnyr says: Dana is total “CLASS” and was the best Press Secretary, next to Tony Snow. Poor old Gibbs is the most inept, bumbling, STUPID jerk we’ve EVER had in that office.
Today’s evidence proving that Republoteabaggerists will say anything to further their agenda — no matter how stupid. Dana Perino’s statements explain why the Bush Administration did nothing significant about 9/11 — they didn’t know it happened.
Nachi says: BushDrunk WAS/IS a “terrorist attack” in itself. History will forever demonstrate that fact. That is – if you can ever work your little selves thru “My Pet Goat.”
Nachi says: Shucks. The Republiscum are making international enemies – faster than we can kill them!!
timzank says: I made the same mistake a few weeks ago, clearly meaning “since 9/11″ and was quickly pounced upon by rabid democrats as well. In today’s blogosphere, you simply can’t take for granted everyone is following the conversation in a rational manner. Libs look for any opening to attack, so make damn sure you spell out every thought and sentence and your sentence structure is perfect. Don’t ever speak in generalities, cuz they’ll take you out of context, put words in your mouth and generally lie, cheat and steal and obfuscate anything cuz they can’t win on the merits.
And Nachi, would you explain why you are compelled to always refer to Bush that way? How about if we just change our nick-name for Barry to “dumb fu#k”, would you think that over the top?
fkd_up_world says: i keep seeing comments of bush kept us safe. That there were no acts of terrorism after 9/11. Well that has to be bullshit.
What the hell do you call Virginia Tech 2007?
What was going on in Washington DC, October 2002?
The list really goes on and on.
before you decide some words you may need to know: coerce and terrorism
ImNotBlue says: fkd_up_world says:
November 28, 2009 at 4:17 am
International terrorism… duuuuuuh. Do you really think it’s the President’s job to protect a university from the White House? Yikes! How much power do you think they have?!
Jim R says:
November 25, 2009 at 5:20 pm
It’s funny to me how anytime someone talks about the economy, we’re met with, “It’s only been XYZ months, give Obama a chance.” Of course, the same is not given to Bush and terrorism… which, as you remember (try as you will to forget), happened under CLINTON’S watch as well! Why didn’t HE try to capture or kill Bin Laden (reports say his administration let him go). What happened after the first WTC attack? What about the USS Cole? But by all means, blame Bush for EVERYTHING, to cover your own footprints.
fkd_up_world says: ” ImNotBlue says:
November 29, 2009 at 10:00 pm
tional terrorism… duuuuuuh. Do you really think it’s the President’s job to protect a university from the White House? Yikes! How much power do you think they have?!”
My point is Bush didnt keep the country safe. Duuuuuh.
- » Jon Stewart's Epic Parody Of Glenn Beck
- » Another CNN Anchor Fails At Celebrity Jeopardy
- » This Exists: Doggie Butt Covers
- » Joe Biden At The Radio & Television Dinner: As Entertaining As You'd Hope
- » Oh It's On! Miley Cyrus Calls Out Mika For Pole-Dance Criticism
Job hunting?
Use our proprietary jobs tool to access the largest pool of jobs aggregated from around the country.
Democrats Announce They Won’t Use “Deem And Pass”
After a week of debate over the process behind passing the potentially historic health care legislation before them, it appears that the Democrats in the House will now not be using the "deem and pass" method to move the bill through the house. Representatives Steny Hoyer and Tom Clyburn just announced to the press on Capital Hill that they expect to have the votes to pass the Senate bill deeming the "deem and pass" tactic unnecessary to pass the bill.
Rep. John Boehner: “This Health Care Bill Will Ruin Our Country”
As news of the Democrats dropping the "deem and pass" in favor of separate votes in the Senate, the hours are inching closer to a time when we might have a conclusive health care reform bill passed in this country. At this point it's hard not to have an opinion about a bill that will require Americans to either buy health insurance (at government subsidized-prices) or pay for it on their taxes, but few have stronger words than Rep. John Boehner who has called the passing of the reform bill "Armageddon."
More TV headlines:
»Rahm Emanuel On 60 Minutes: ‘Fringe Group Has Taken Control Of GOP” »8
»Jon Voight At Tea Party Rally: “Founders Were Envisioning A Very Small Government” »4
»BBC’s Sian Williams Would Read News Naked, If Allowed »3
»David Shuster On Media Bias, Drudge, Andrew Breitbart, And James O’Keefe »20
»Rosie O’Donnell Signs New Television Syndication Deal »5
-
Coming soon...
© 2010 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives
| Dan Abrams, Founder
| Hosting by Datagram
| 
RSS
