Some Thoughts On "Buying the War"

My interpretation of what Moyers did to Washington journalists.

Bill Moyers' PBS documentary - for which most of the prominent war hawks refused to sit for an interview (are they not proud of all they have accomplished?) - has, apparently driven most of the infotainment establishment a bit over the edge. That someone would question their integrity, their practices, their courage - and use actual clippings to make his point - is, apparently, stepping over some phony line. While Moyers is only a "journalist" in the same way Chris Matthews, Tim Russert, and Tony Blankley are journalists - he was press secretary to Lyndon Johns, and the others were aides to various members of Congress (I forget who Matthews worked for; Russert worked for Sen Daniel Patrick Moynihan of NY; Blankley worked for Newt) - he displayed a remarkable grasp of the distinction between what journalists are supposed to do, as evidenced by the work of Knight-Ridder, and what the bigger, mainstream journalists did, as evidenced by propaganda whore Judith Miller. The K-R reporters got it all right, Miller got it all wrong; who was listened to more, quoted more, and used more by their won sources to bolster claims they had leaked in the first place? In the most telling part - most telling because it shows what an abysmal failure as a "journalist" he is - Moyers was trying to lead Tim Russert to reflect on the circular nature of this enterprise.

Step 1 - somebody in the Administration leaks something to Miller, who writes a piece destined for the front page of the Times.

Step 2 - an Administration flak - Cheney, or whomever - goes on MTP and sites the story he or those close to him planted as evidence for the seriousness of the situation in which the nation finds itself in.

Step 3 - this is the part Moyers was trying to get Russert to discuss. His failure shows his utter lack of credibility. Moyers wanted Russert to discuss the research his show did before this kind of circle-jerk of self-reinforcing misinformation. Russert sat there and said, essentially, his show does no such research. Along with his testimony in the Libby trial that all his discussions with sources are off the record unless otherwise specified, and his admission on the Moyers special that he felt bad that his sources didn't contact him to counter Administration propaganda (apparently Russert is too dysfunctional to dial a phone, even press the speed-dial function on his cell), he should simply be removed from MTP and be replaced by, I don't know, my nine-year-old daughter, who has both more ability to use a phone and detect nonsense than does, apparently, Russert.

While not surprised Kristol, Perle, Krauthammer, Judith Miller and the other war hawks didn't appear, it does make one wonder exactly why not. On their other appearances (well, not Miller, whom I haven't seen in a long while, and should probably be barred from using a laptop anyway) they just seem inordinately proud of the destruction they have wrought, and just want more, MORE, MORE. After all, there's Iran and Syria and who knows where else, right, we can drop our bombs and kill and wreak havoc, am I not correct? Their failure to defend themselves before a critic like Moyers shows that they are no better than Rush or Hannity, who also refuse to appear where they do not utterly control all aspects of their appearance, not the least of which are upsetting questions over veracity and credibility. While one could argue that they are so arrogant they actually believe they are above criticism, and there may be some truth to that, deep down inside, I think they are cowards. Moyers would have bitch-slapped them up one side of the screen and down the other until they were crying out like the little boy-men they are, and they just knew it. So, they sat back, and no doubt will dismiss his program as so much liberal propaganda. Cowards.

Of course, Moyers' charge is unanswerable, and Russert's and Beinart's appearances only showed how intellectually and professionally shallow both men are; the fact that Russert continues to allow himself to be used like the nerdy kid in school whom all the jocks keep around to fetch their lunches and wash out their cups should be an embarrassment, but he is apparently incapable of self-consciousness as to his real position in the Washington Media scheme of things. Beinart came across as just . . . plain . . . stupid. The sorry tatters of his reputation should never be glued together, but Russert is still a favorite because he is eager to be used like a wet dishrag.

The reaction of the journalist class should tell us all we really need to know about Moyers' program. They are howling because he took them behind the barn and gave them a whupping, with a rod they had fetched four-and-a-half years ago. There is nothing worst than being hoist on the petard of one's own words and work.