Attorney General Eric Holder Can't Get A Word In Edgewise

You would think that when the Attorney General of the United States holds a press conference, informing  the Nation that as soon as the Republicans gained a majority in Congress, they foiled the President's plan to prosecute terrorist in civil courts, by defunding it, and making it illegal — the media would rush to inform us.  But they didn’t.

Instead, the headlines inferred that Attorney General Eric Holder simply changed his mind.  This deception was built with words like: In Reversal, Obama Orders Guantanamo Military Trial; Obama Administration Retreats (Again); Eric Holder Flip Flops Again; Administration Learns Lesson On Terrorism Trials; The Capitulation Is Complete . . . 

Responsive to Holder's declaration that “they . . . tied our hands,” media applied a reasoning to the meaning of obstruction which, if applied to rape, would allow a man who is refused sex, to tie the woman up, and that would constitute a change of mind . . .

While almost none of the reporting told us what the Attorney General said, and without a supporting fact in sight, his displeasure was characterized as whining, in fact, one reporter said that he “whined like a baby . . .”

American media offered the world, a weak and ineffective image of America’s top cop, based on a presentation that was, in truth, a dignified, no-nonsense account of the status of a case, including the Attorney General's disapproval of the sabotage of his work, which he said put to waste, years of hard work, that went into producing a prosecution case that is, “one of the best he’s seen in his career.”

Even the reports that included the transcript of Eric Holder's words, edited them, so that we only got what they wanted us to see, or they crowded in words of their own, as if it was a dialogue, instead of a monologue, in their determination to guide our interpretation.

A few reporters gave us the facts, but they didn’t encourage us to read them.  The New York Times and CNN used the pointless title, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, without even hinting that they were reporting on Eric Holder's press conference, respecting the status of a terrorist prosecution.

Then, as a response to the Attorney General's press conference, Republicans lined up to apply words to the President that reinforce their "lacking in leadership" theme, that Republicans are building by repetition, as they conscientiously apply the phrase "lacks leadership," every time they mention the President’s name.  Mitt Romney took part in that lineup, calling his President “inexperienced and naive, with flawed policies," and John Cornyn called the President's approach  “irresponsible.”  But just like the reporting on the press conference, there were no supporting facts.

As if demeaning public officials, misleading the public, and acting shamefaced about telling the truth weren’t enough, a platform was given to former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, to pretend that Congress’ interference with President Obama's strategy for prosecuting terrorist, "vindicates" the Bush Administration, when the Bush Administration brought more than 190 terrorism prosecutions, in American Courts!!! 

Political competition is good, but when our enemies recognize that our legislature will change the rules, to interfere with our President’s agenda, and the press encourages and supports it — that's a division that invites exploitation.