They Should At Least TRY To Make It Difficult!

From today's Dateline DC, we read a sordid warning story of a politically connected mega-millionaire who buys up a weekly news magazine - and who may be (just may be) planning on using his connections to a political think tank to skew the news.

Yes, it's in the pages of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review but no it's not about Richard Mellon Scaife, the mega-millionaire (billionaire?) who owns the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and who uses his connections to right wing political think tanks to skew the news.

No, it's about Sidney Harman and his ties to the Institute for Policy Studies, his millions, his wife California Representative Jane Harman and his purchase of Newsweek Magazine.

The funniest line in the whole piece is found when the Dateline DC writer (who writes anonymously) says this of the Washington Post's coverage of the story:

As usual, The Post gave us all the news it thought we should know.

As usual, the Trib gives us all the news it thinks we should know in this column. For instance, did you know that there were other prospective buyers for Newsweek?

Chris Potter had the story a few weeks ago, so you should. In that story, after linking back to this blog (thanks Chris, for that you can have my Soros check this week), he quotes this piece in the Wall Street Journal:

A private-equity firm and a publisher of a right-wing magazine are among prospective buyers expected to enter the first round of bidding for Newsweek magazine.

OpenGate Capital, the investment firm that owns TV Guide, plans to formally declare its interest in acquiring Newsweek before Wednesday's deadline for nonbinding bids, according to managing partner Andrew Nikou. Christopher Ruddy, publisher of the conservative monthly magazine Newsmax, said he also plans to bid.

Wasn't it only a few days ago when I pointed out how Richard Mellon Scaife owns 40% of Newsmax?

So Newsmax was in the running (whatever that means) for the purchase of Newsweek and Newsmax is 40% owned by his/her boss at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and yet the writer of Dateline DC sought fit to omit that part from her/his piece on the sale.

All while accusing the Washington Post of omitting salient facts about a story about Representative Jane Harman.

Here's Dateline DC continuing:

As usual, The Post gave us all the news it thought we should know. So we turned to the Los Angeles Times.

It's not as if the Dateline DC writer couldn't have known about Newsmax as it's in the LATimes:

Other bidders included Fred Drasner, a former executive at U.S. News & World Report and the New York Daily News, and investment firm Avenue Capital Group, people familiar with the matter said. Private-equity firm OpenGate Capital and publisher Newsmax Media Inc. also considered buying the magazine.

Do yourself a favor. Go read Dateline DC. See if you can spot the details for the conspiracy theory:

Sidney Harman married to Representative Jane Harman. Jane Harman caught on an NSA wiretap colluding with an "Israeli operative" concerning some Israeli spies.

If you can't spot the conspiracy, here it is:

And now this very well-matured millionaire owns Newsweek. Every sign is screaming that he will continue to let the magazine serve as a conduit for those American policies that match the best policies advanced by Israel.

Nothing like a good Israeli conspiracy to boost Monday's caffeine.

In case you were wondering...

Yes, it was sexist of Newsweek to use this out-of-context photo and headline (there's worse inside) for their Sarah Palin cover:


And yes, this is a totally awesome photo of Hillary Clinton by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue:


.

Crazie: Obama as Anti-Christ

But this "story" isn't from the wingnut right, it's from NEWSWEEK, for God's sake!

The author, Lisa Miller, is careful enough with her prose so that it doesn't exactly look like she's wondering whether President-elect Obama is the Anti-Christ - it's only those Millennialist Christians who do.

There's little doubt as to what she believes, however, when she writes:

Ever since Jesus Christ was crucified and, according to the Gospels, rose again in glory, his followers have been anticipating the end of history—the time when their Lord will return to earth and reign for a thousand years.

And:

Before Christ comes again, those who are saved will ascend to heaven, according to this end-times theology, in a huge, upward whoosh called the Rapture.

I don't normally pounce on the religiously minded as most of the faithful I know are rational and caring people, but this is not just crazy, but Alan Keyes crazy.

Some other reactions.

Media Matters:

In a Newsweek article headlined "Is Obama the Antichrist?" senior editor Lisa Miller treated as newsworthy purported debate among some "conservative Christians" over whether President-elect Barack Obama is "the Antichrist." In doing so, she gave credibility to the views of RaptureReady.com editor and founder Todd Strandberg, who has, among other things, smeared gays and lesbians, Islam, progressives, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

American Prospect:

Newsweek is giving some real space to the cranks this time around, with Lisa Miller seriously considering the evidence that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ. Miller notes that Raptureready website founder Todd Strindberg has been getting a lot of emails lately, including one that notes that "one of the winning lottery numbers in the president-elect's home state was 666."

And:

These people have been using the same kind of "evidence" to predict an imminent rapture for centuries, and always to great disappointment, something Miller forgets to mention. How exactly will gay people having the right to marry and women having the right to choose "threaten the freedom" of religious conservatives? And how exactly do these positions -- which are shared by millions, not to mention the other likely Democratic candidates, provide a compelling case that Obama is the anti-Christ?

I wouldn't normally apply such a gross generalization ever, but in this case for the crazies who believe Obama's the anti-Christ (and those irresponsible in the media who push the story) Abu'l-Ala al Maarri may in deed have been right:

The world is divided into two sects, Those with religion but no brains. And those with brains but no religion.

Crazie: Obama as anti-Christ

Poll Data

Newsweek has another poll out. Another season of tough sledding for dubya and company.

Some highlights.

When asked whether they were "satisfied or dissatisfied the way things are going in the United States at this time" those polled answered 28 % satisfied to 64% dissatiesfied.

These findings closely echo a similar question as to whether those polled approved or disapproved of the way George Bush is handling his job: 30% approval to 60% disapproval.

Poor George.

His handling of Iraq? 27 to 69 percent approval/disapproval.
Terrorism/Homeland Security? Slightly better at 41 to 53% approval/disapproval.
The GOP's "strong point" - the economy? 37 to 57% approval/disapproval.

Things aren't going well. And while it looks as though this week things are only going to get worse:

On Monday, the Justice Department plans to turn over to Congress more documents that could provide more details of the role agency officials -- including Gonzales -- and top White House officials played in planning the prosecutors' dismissals.

On Tuesday, the White House is expected to announce whether it will let former White House counsel Harriet Miers, political strategist Karl Rove and other presidential advisers testify before Congress -- and whether it will release more documents to lawmakers, including additional e-mails and other items. That decision was to be made on Friday, but the White House asked for more time.

I can't see how dubya's numbers can get much worse.

On the troop "surge" those polled oppose it 64 to 32 percent. Those polled favor Congressional legislation requiring troop withdrawal, 59 to 34%.

It can't be much fun to be a wingnut these days.