Rachel Maddow Pushes Back On Bush's Taliban Claim

Yesterday, I talked about how President George W. Bush had made the extraordinary utterance that he had never before said that "the Taliban was eliminated," when in fact, he had done so personally a BUNCH of times. So much so, that the notion of an eliminated Taliban was an enduring myth for the myth-besotted throughout the aughts. Well, last night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow put a nice little button on this attempt at revising the historical record. "Why is that ringing the big 'YOU'RE TELLING A LIE' bell in my head?" Maddow wondered, before pulling out a pair of statements straight from Bush's mouth:

2003: "In the battle of Afghanistan, we destroyed the Taliban."

2004: "As a result of the United States military, the Taliban is no longer in existence."

As figures in the mainstream media go, Maddow does a pretty fine job in batting back Bush's contentions. Additionally, as figures in the mainstream media go, Maddow is one of the few doing that job at all.

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Comments

[Bitsko]

I watch and enjoy Ms. Maddow's show, but I wish she'd stop speaking in that way young people do where a statement is addressed as a question. And she could tone down on trying to be so funny. We're living in hard times and I for one ain't always in the mood for laughing.

[mjeffn]

I'm in love with two women; Rachel Maddow and janis Joplin. One is gay and the other is dead. Oh, well. Go Rachel. You are beautiful and awesome.

[chulanow]

I don't like her program either.....her sense of humor is dry and she comes across as a know it all.

[lykitis]

she probably "knows a lot" since she's an accomplished rhodes scholar. maybe you're more of a "palinista", a "chula the plumber", probably some programs are "FOX" news you might like. maddow calls it like it is.

[ggm68]

"her sense of humor is dry and she comes across as a know it all."

Funny, those are two of the reasons I like her! Honestly, she is my new favorite for current events on TV (I still love Amy, but

[brklynivn]

She's a Rhodes scholar, compared to the rethuglicans of the past, she does know it all.

[honeydiva]

I don't like her. I have decided.

she never liked obama either and if she starts making her program a cause...

[ideasmatter]

The issue is not whether she is likable, but whether she is telling the truth -- and she obviously is. And if she is going to be equally critical of the Obama administration: fine with me, that is what the press is supposed to be doing.

[KarateKid]

I wish she wouldn't be so goofy when she makes a sarcastic point. It's starting to turn me off.

[Space Walker]

I think Rachael is extremely beautiful, i have a crush on her.

[RealityBaseCamp]

I mean, hey, she's really no more unattainable than any OTHER woman on TV.

[Lerk4]

I'm a woman, and not gay, but I LOVE RACHEL MADDOW.

[MossyOak]

I'm a woman, and I'm not gay either, but I LOVE RACHEL MADDOW!

[BryantG]

I'm a straight guy and she makes my day.

[Bingolong]

Yay Rachel !

I just wish she could have had her show a few years earlier, because she is sharp and not afraid to hold
theirs hooves to the fire.

Dang, I wish I had that network on my cable system.

[RealityBaseCamp]

You can stream (listening live is free) or subscribe to ($) her radio show. It's great, too.

[engineerndng]

Is Maddow shaving her chin in that picture? Just curious....

[MadOzbo]

Time to make that eye-exam appointment, bucko. You're in BAD shape when a pen looks like a razor...

[Caymus77]

NO,I believe she was commenting on the intellect of homophobes who try to stereotype Gays.

[alfrede]

Hi,

Do u think President Bush and Vice President Cheney care??

They have less than thirty days until they are out, back to the good life.

What do U think?

[pearl89]

Cheney response, "So?".
Bush response, "So what?".

[ebanks84]

Again, you are so correct. Most of the MSM is still in the back room with Bush. They refuse to talk about him or Cheney's admittance of truth about water boarding and continue to slam Obama about nothing. The "scourgeborough" morning lie fest has a field day dissing Obama and Rahm. All the others like FOX and CNN still are not up to snuff like most Americans and at times, I wonder who are they are reporting to? Maybe it's their families and friends.

[SonicGuppy]

Funny did anyone catch how Ms. Maddow was treated by Mr. Gregory during election night coverage?
I bet nbc spends a ton just on his hair.

[Skeptiqone]

He was not lying...he merely can not remember anything from one day to the next. Like,,uh Mr. President, New Orleans has been under water for 2 years...uh Mr. President,,,the economy is getting worse.

You see, he is not lying, he is just incompetent!

Or,,,,he could be lying...I forget.

[democracy7]

Incompetence has been his trademark. Lying is just greasing the rhetoric. No one will miss him.

[logic63]

SO why aren't reporters calling Bush & Cheney on the lies they are telling instead of harping on the politics in Chicago? Morning Joe says Obama is getting a "by" from the press but really it's Bush who is getting away with his own version of history.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

Because the joke we call a press is infatuated with Illinois politics and it's connection to Obama. Bush's fiasco of a Administration is just so much old news

[Snwbnny9]

Yea I don't understand the GOP harping on Obama. The AG asked him not to comment because it was an ongoing investigation. If he DID comment they would be all over him for disregarding the AG's request and endangering the investigation. I don't think anyone is buying this except their base. The tape clearly has Blago saying F Obama and Obama wouldln't give me anything.

[SouthernBlueBelle]

Morning Joe can go fork himself. The MSM has totalling caved to the Bush/Cheney gang. I am so sad at what our country has become under these low-lifes. The media is LARGELY responsible, because they never pressured them at all. Our rights have been disappearing right and left, and our position in the world has sunk to an all time low, and for that I blame the media. They did NOT do their job, but aided and abetted in these endeavors. What do they see when they look in the mirror? No Edward R Murrows there.

[WoodyCPM]

It's near jaw dropping the extent to which the mainstream media in the U.S. has coddled the Bush Admnistration. They continue to do so. The U.S. Senate released a report just this week about the extent to which our country has engaged in torture, along with it placing the blame on the Bush Administration for those policies. The mainstream media has totally ignored it. The report has gone essentially unaired. They're too busy asking Chicagoans about their governor's hair.

[BethA]

I could not agree more! This country is falling apart and all the MSM can do is pour fuel on their tabloid trash hoping to start a fire.

Maddow is a breath of fresh air.

[sparafucilli]

It's infotainment and calling Laurel and Hardy on their lies leaves out the 'tainment' and inserts 'formation'. And we all know that these media guys care little about form and even less about substance

[kustom]

Another one of Bush's famous quotes" More people own there own homes than ever before".

[Snwbnny9]

More banks own homes than ever before.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

More people out of there homes than ever before.

[1099]

"More people own there own homes than ever before".

What's your point? At the time Bush made that statment it was true and it is still true now.
Don't let pesky facts get in the way of your agenda.

[WoodyCPM]

Even if it is true at this moment, give it a few more months, then it won't be true any longer. Don't let reality get in the way of your agenda.