AP's Ron Fournier To Karl Rove: "Keep Up The Fight"

Via Talking Points Memo: the House Oversight Committee has unearthed a key quote from the 50-page report on Pat Tillman - the former Arizona Cardinals star killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan under circumstances that the military labored to conceal from Tillman's family - and Jessica Lynch, who was caught up in some Iraq War mythmaking of her own.

On page 21 of the report, the committee reprints an email exchange between Ron Fournier - then a reporter for the Associated Press, now the head of the AP's Washington bureau - and Bush's chief adviser Karl Rove:

Rove exchanged e-mails about Pat Tillman with Associated Press reporter Ron Fournier, under the subject line "H-E-R-O." In response to Mr. Fournier's e-mail, Mr. Rove asked, "How does our country continue to produce men and women like this," to which Mr. Fournier replied, "The Lord creates men and women like this all over the world. But only the great and free countries allow them to flourish. Keep up the fight."

An email to Fournier, seeking clarification on what "fight" he thought Rove was engaged in at the time, was not returned.

***UPDATE 8:24pm ET, July 14, 2008***

In a story that crossed on the AP wires, Fournier is quoted as saying he was simply interacting with a source in the course of his duties as a political reporter, and regrets the "breezy nature of the correspondence."

From the AP story:

The committee cited one exchange between White House political chief Karl Rove and Ron Fournier, then a political reporter for The Associated Press.

In a chain under the subject line "H-E-R-O," Rove replied to an e-mail from Fournier by saying, "How does our country continue to produce men and women like this?"

Fournier replied, "The Lord creates men and women like this all over the world. But only the great and free countries allow them to flourish. Keep up the fight."

Fournier, now the AP's acting Washington bureau chief, said Monday: "I was an AP political reporter at the time of the 2004 e-mail exchange, and was interacting with a source, a top aide to the president, in the course of following an important and compelling story. I regret the breezy nature of the correspondence."

Comments

[JailNeoconVicts]

Breezy nature comes from having a wide stance. To let it out, nice and slow.

[sufi66]

BREEZY? TRY SLEAZY.

[hope]

Well, that's odd.

All this 'breezy' back and forth, yet neither of these 'gentlemen' seem to have a hair out of place.

[ThunderclapNewman]

That would require that they actually have some hair. :-}

[alaintex]

HuffyPoo's Breaking News!


"A reporter at the AP had an e-mail exchange with a political consultant 4 years ago which included the phrase "keep up the fight"!!!!!!!


Shocking!

[SCG]

it was breezy.

[kay]

"A political consultant". hah!

He was running the place.

[gifu]

All us little folk sure "regret the breezy nature" in which these corporate thugs have joined hands with the AP puppets to screw us over on an hour after hour, daily basis w/ their propaganda machine. Thanks, guys!

[iburl]

So shooting people in the head at point blank range is "allow(ing) them to flourish"? Geez, how much sicker can you get?

[blueinannarbor]

Yeah, that's downright weird.

[StopTheBark]

Ron Fournier is just one of several AP reporters who, in recent years, have betrayed a right-wing bias with an "innocent" little sentence in their reporting. The AP, I noticed, was rather tolerant about this early in the Bush administration; seemed to back off for awhile, but are slowing returning to their earlier (late 20th/early 21st century) style. What a shame; the AP and UPI were two stalwarts of the business for years. Is there something wrong with simply reporting a news item without trying to manipulate naive readers, Mr. and Ms. AP ?

[LaFeminazi]

Good news!

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http://biz.yahoo.com/indie/080714/1304_id.html

Invest now!

[hope]

Heya baby.

I'd proffer we're all pawns, been 'fenced' by a buncha crooks.

[LaFeminazi]

Fraid so.

[SCG]

I'm sure if Greedspan was around, he'd count that as an income increase.

[Ariadne]

My father helps people with bankruptcy paperwork and he is very busy these days.

[karma13612]

Well

this just brings it out into the open. I've known for awhile that the AP has been spinning against Obama. So now it's been confirmed that AP is ANOTHER news organization that can't be trusted. I realize that reporters need to 'make nice' with their sources, but the problem is, they have trouble knowing where to draw the line and keep professional. Professional in both seeking and reporting the news in an unbiased way. Fournier obviously was feeling a certain level of friendship with Karl Rove (eeeeewwwwww).

I stick with MSNBC (Keith and Rachel only), and c-span.

Hard to believe that in a country like the United States of America, you can't trust 90% of the media, in any form.

[LaFeminazi]

Where is Dewreck

His American Buttweisters are now owned by a pack of waffle eating Belgians.

[ThunderclapNewman]

I'm sure he's drowning his sorrows in Buttsweisters and Cheetoons as we type.

[Flagal]

I'll drink to that

[Ariadne]

Time to change to some good American microbreweries. I recommend New Belgium from Fort Collins, CO.

[TruEngineHearing]

If I ever buy a sixpack of ALLTWERP, shoot me.

[OgreDaddy]

In the game of Spin and Counter-Spin we've seen a blatant and disturbing
campaign by the corporate right wing media to turn the truth around.

When responsible journalists began reporting that the Bush administration was turning into
a fascist regime, we were suddenly bombarded with the term "Islamo-fascism"

When true investigative reporting revealed corruption, waste, fraud and abuse
of power by this administration, we were again bombarded with right winger propaganda using the term " Liberal Media"

If we look back to our founding fathers, they called this " The Free Press"

The right wing corporate media has also extensively twisted the terms "Liberal" and "Conservative"
when it suites them.

They are not alone though.

Those of us protecting the Constitution, demanding fiscal responsibility and the rule of law are being bombarded with Counter-Spin attacks calling us "Liberals"

The self proclaimed "Conservative" talk show hosts are pandering to the "Social Conservatives"
completely avoiding the fact that they are promoting fascist propaganda .

It is clear that Associated Press has disgraced everything that our founding fathers fought for.

They have clearly shown all of us the difference between truthful and unbiased journalism and
a right wing fascist propaganda outlet.

[sassafra]

helluvva job there Fournier!

[BushBites]

AP = All Propaganda.

[LaFeminazi]

The MSM are all f***ing liars.

(How dare huffyP call me a foul mouthed b*****?)

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Because to be a foul-mothed c-word, your spouse would have to be running for President on the Repuke ticket.

[wmbear]

"BREEZY NATURE?"

As in "breaking wind" aka ripping a fart?

[watcher269]

The biggest laugh I had a few years back was hearing about how "W" treats interns in HIS White House - he Farts in front of them to see their reactions. Just for a Texas Laugh! Our President.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Because that restores honor and integrity to the oval orifice.

[boing007]

watcher269

The biggest laugh I had a few years back was hearing about how "W" treats interns in HIS White House - he Farts in front of them to see their reactions. Just for a Texas Laugh! Our President.

That's Dubya! Just farting around as the world burns. Nero fiddled, Dubya farts.