The Maddow Movement: Maddow vs Scotty McClellan?

As per Keith’s explicit instructions and broad wink indicating that The Maddow Movement had already succeeded before we even started it. (are we powerful or what???)

The Maddow Movement is pretty much over/redundant. I plan on making one last little push in the next few days for signatures on the petition, and then sending it to the PTB at NBC, just to make sure they know how much we support them in giving Rachel her own show. Thanks for all your help, that was fun! And now we can move on to the next steps of the Free The Press campaign.

Which got a big boost today (as brobin posts about here) from none other than former Bush Press Deceiver little Scotty McClellan! The Pillsbury Lie Boy has a new book out and the Politico has excerpts, wherein the star of the Scotty Show comes right out and says what we all know. That the WH Pess Corps was “too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.” (as Politico phrased it) Greenwald has another devastating semi-quote “deferential, complicit enablers” of Bush administration “propaganda.” Btw, if you haven’t yet, read Greenwald!

In other words…the WH Press Corp are not much more (with the exception of St Helen Of Thomas) than lap dog stenographers without the necessary brains or gumption to really challenge the daily damburst of lies, evasions, and spun half truths spewing forth from the halls of tyranny.

Part of them not doing there jobs…which constitutes both a betrayal of the American people and journalism itself….  is no doubt the pernicious “respect for authority” that seems to keep people in general from challenging bullshit when they see it….but part of it HAS to be either not having the brains to see through the veil or not having the brains to construct a line of inquiry that would penetrate the veil.

I think we can do better.

Though it is “not her line,” she is an analysts not a journalist…would it not be delicious fun to have seen Maddow go up against Scotty? Or even better to pit her against the current Spinderella (h/t to whoever came up with that one!) Dana Perino? To see someone who is quick and intelligent take these spinmeisters on?

Of course our best hope for the future are the other less visible up and comers like Rachel. Journalists and analysts who have been inspired to sharpen their wit and technique by the perfidy of Bushco. People in the mold of the young Woodward and Bernstein…instead of the spokesmodels that were installed as journalists in the post-post Watergate era. I think these people will come from the web, (like say, emptywheel) once the lines of prejudice and war between the traditional media and the Net have bee blurred a bit more.

Until then, it is part of our duty to hold those who currently have positions in the Press accountable…and if possible, shame them into actually doing their job. To that end, who do y’all think is the worst of the WH Press Corp? Perhaps the next front for the Free The Press campaign is there. Let’s write them a few mails highlighting Scotty’s damning accusation and asking them for an explanation!

Now at DK