NBC reporter David Gregory uses a smart hypothetical scenario to challenge Bush on his interrogation policy; Bush ducks it and keeps to his talking points—as usual, but Gregory keeps up.
The USA show “The 4400” featured this dramatized depiction of “waterboarding,” in which victims are made to feel as though they are drowning. Andrew Sullivan says it’s time to look at what our government is doing and call it by its proper name.
Stephen Colbert offered this riff on racial tribalism in America, after learning that whites tend to live amongst other whites. Heres a taste: ғIm colorblind. I donҒt see race, folks, and I always thought my gated community was incredibly diverse. But, uh, today I asked around and it turns out that everyone at last weeks ґsmooth jazz and mayonnaise block party was in fact white.Ҕ
On Monday, Stephen Colbert went after Bushs proposed re-imagining of the Geneva Convention by inviting the president to come on the Report and demonstrate his preferred interrogation techniques. Mocking the presidents assertion that the treaty banning torture lacks clarity, Colbert observed: I personally think the image of the president saying specifically what, to him, is not an outrage on human dignity will make everyone see his position very clearly….
Bill Clinton made an appearance on The Daily Show Monday to share the heartwarming work of his Clinton Global Initiative, but the climax of the interview was much more fun. Jon Stewart put the former president on the seat of heat and asked: Mr. President, Hillary Clinton may be running for president. If so, what is the key to defeating her?
The man challenging Sen. George “Macaca” Allen in the Virginia Senate race gave one of the most concise and well-put descriptions of the supposed Iraq-terror connection that we’ve ever heard. Watch it.
This new documentary affords an inside look at an evangelical camp for kids in North Dakota in which campers praise a photo of the president, among other things. Watch an ABC News report on the film. (h/t: Huff Po)
Join Truthdig’s Robert Scheer, along with Arianna Huffington, Tony Blankley and Matt Miller, for a lively discussion on the week in politics, policy and culture. This week: Terrorist Interrogations; The Pope and the Muslims; Primary Roundup.
This week, our selection of the best Truthdig-flavored videos contains Keith Olbermann’s iconic Ground Zero diatribe against President Bush; Matt Lauer’s harsh questioning of the president on torture and secret CIA prisons; and George Clooney’s impassioned plea to the U.N. to act against the looming threat of genocide in Darfur.
Stephen Colbert spoofs George Allen’s latest attempt at damage control, following the senator’s racist gaffe. After showing photos from Allen’s ethnic rally, Colbert offered the senator tips on how to appear more tolerant.
The “Daily Shows” foreigner correspondent, John Oliver, reports from the front lines of the immigration debate, sharing his own harrowing experience: Jon, like billions of other unfortunate people in the world, I was tragically born not American.
Join Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer for a conversation related to his Dig “Gaping Holes in the 9/11 Narrative,” in which he addresses conspiracy theories, Iraq, and the folly of the Bush administration. Watch it.
GOP Sen. Lindsay Graham is telling reporters that White House officials effectively forced military lawyers to sign a letter supporting President Bush’s new legislation on harsh interrogation tactics—after the lawyers previously testified publicly against those measures.
George Clooney warned the United Nations on Thursday that millions would die in Darfur if the U.N. Security Council does not send in a peacekeeping force to replace departing African Union troops at the end of this month. “After Sept. 30, you won’t need the U.N.,” Clooney said. “You will simply need men with shovels and bleached white linen and headstones.”
The Huffington Post doyenne took a hard line with Bill O’Reilly on progressives’ plans for fighting terrorism, and slammed a Kurdistan ad running on Fox News.
We’ve had some readers asking for us at Truthdig to dig between the lines of Bush’s 9/11 speech. Turns out Jon Stewart & Co. were already all over that. Watch as Little Richard explicates our prez.
Stephen Colbert sat down with Richard Sexton on Tuesday to discuss his congressional candidacy against the confusingly named incumbent, James Saxton. As can be expected, hijinks ensue, including Colbert’s generous offer to smear Sexton’s opponent for him and a mock concession call not to be missed.
Former presidential candidate and national security expert Gary Hart appeared on “The Daily Show” Tuesday to pitch his new book, “The Courage of Our Convictions: A Manifesto for Democrats.” Evoking giants like Roosevelt and Kennedy, Hart challenged the wisdom of playing it safe and took a stab at the centrism so popular among Democrats in recent years.
Asked whether Bush still thinks there was a relationship between Hussein and Al Qaeda honcho Al Zarqawi, White House spokesman Tony Snow nearly admitted the absence of such a relationship, but then said one existed because Zarqawi “operated” in Iraq. But as ThinkProgress points out, that’s like saying America had a “relationship” with the Unabomber because he was operating in the United States.
George Bush recently said “America is safer than it has been, but it’s not yet safe.” Attempting to make sense of this seemingly contradictory statement in a post-9/11, post-“mission accomplished,” post-Katrina world, “The Daily Show” came up with this rationale: “George W. Bush is the right man to lead us in the era post whatever horrible calamity he leads us into next.”
Stephen Colbert sank his teeth into the “Path to 9/11” controversy on Monday, shaming ABC’s truth-challenged drama: “What better way to commemorate a national tragedy than turning it into a miniseries?”
NBC host Matt Lauer confronts President Bush on a fundamental apparent inconsistency in his interrogation policy: If it’s legal, why are we doing it in secret CIA prisons abroad? Cornered, Bush doesn’t answer straight. Watch the fireworks.
In perhaps his most powerful monologue ever, MSNBC host Keith Olbermann savagely harangued Bush for using 9/11 as a wedge to pit Americans against Americans. “Who has left this hole in the ground? We have not forgotten, Mr. President. You have. May this country forgive you.”
Maher, along with guests Rob Thomas, P.J. O’Rourke and Joan Walsh, ripped into ABC’s undocu-drama, which pins the blame for 9/11 on Bill Clinton. Maher reminds us: As president, Clinton had a meeting a week about bin Laden; George W. Bush, before 9/11, had zero. Watch it on the jump.
A satire of ABC’s “The Path to 9/11” has popped up on YouTube. It envisions how ABC would dramatize Vietnam, the San Francisco Earthquake and the Revolutionary War. Not gut-bustingly hilarious, but significant in terms of how quickly these kinds of things appear nowadays. (h/t: AMERICAblog)
The Copenhagen Conundrum
