Disturbing Developments for Democracy Wind Up Year
- 23
- December
- 2012
- By Andrew Kreig
- Uncategorized
- Comments Off on Disturbing Developments for Democracy Wind Up Year
Revelations during recent days of dramatic political intrigue and harsh police tactics serve as reminders that the New Year must bring renewed vigilance by the public to preserve hard-won freedoms.
Scant media follow up occurred following the revelation this month that Fox News attempted in 2011 to recruit Gen. David Petraeus, left, the nation's war commander in Afghanistan, to fight President Obama for the 2012 presidency as the GOP's candidate. Even though Petraeus declined the invitation, the long, friendly discussion constitutes an astounding breach of law requiring loyalty by uniformed officers to the commander-in-chief and also the supposed independence of the media from picking sides in political contests.
Also receiving slender news coverage were reports of police state tactics in Texas and Arkansas, and planning for a private system of drone surveillance across the United States.
Most in the public are understandably preoccupied with holiday planning, the horror of the Newtown shootings, and the kabuki theater of “fiscal cliff” maneuvers on budget cuts and taxes increases.
These news reports and commentaries, however, are worth noting — not just today, but again in the New Year.
To recap: Roger Ailes, right, founder and chairman of Fox News, tried to recruit Petraeus to become the GOP's 2012 nominee in a race against President Obama, as Washington Post editor Bob Woodward reported early this month. Woodward's story was based on a tape recording of a 90-minute discussion between Petraeus and Fox emissary Kathleen McFarland, a Fox analyst and former high-ranking GOP national security aide. The transcript is here.
Carl Bernstein, Woodward's former colleague at the Post in the Watergate investigation, published a column last week, Why the US media ignored Murdoch's brazen bid to hijack the presidency.
Jonathan Cook followed up with an even more provocative column, OpEd News, Why the Washington Post killed the story of Murdoch's bid to buy the US presidency. Cook, based in Israel, wrote,”Murdoch's goal seems to have been nothing less than using his media empire – notably Fox News – to stealthily recruit, bankroll and support the presidential candidacy of General David Petraeus in the 2012 election.” Cook argued that the effort represented not only a danger to democracy, but that the scant coverage illustrated media complicity by organizations in addition to Fox News.
Recent Posts
- Shedding Light On DC Elites, Democracy Disruptors, Reformers
- How To Understand Political Sex Scandal Allegations
- DC Madam Attorney: Public Could Learn VIP Client Jobsites Next Week
- Autocratic Turkish President Fosters Global Crises
- Readers Guide To JFK Assassination: Justice Integrity Project
Recent Comments
Archives
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- September 2012