Karl Rove, Of All People, Worries That ABC And The White House Are Too Close

Fox News has been full of complaints over ABC's plan to air a news special entitled "Questions for the President: Prescription for America," during which President Barack Obama will field questions on his plans for health care reform. Various Fox personalities have complained that the access ABC is getting is "unprecedented" and that "journalism is dead." But yesterday, objectively demonstrating the fatuousness and hypocrisy of Fox's claims was done so effortlessly and completely, that they'd have been well-advised to reconsider whining about it.

But no! Last night, on On The Record with Greta Van Susteren, no less a figure than Karl Rove was giving the old piss and moan about this ABC special. Here's video, courtesy of ThinkProgress:

[WATCH]

ROVE: If it's not crossing a line, it's getting comfortably too close to a line of where a news network becomes a cooperating partner of and an adjacency to the White House communications shop. And I think the presence of a former ABC reporter as the communicator-in-chief inside the White House on this issue also raises questions about how it ended up in the hands of ABC.

Am I missing something here? Wasn't Tony Snow, former Fox reporter, a presence at the White House as President George W. Bush's press secretary? I can't imagine that concerns over potential "cooperating partnerships" where Snow was concerned would have been met by Rove with anything other than pooh-poohing. And you know why I imagine that? Because Rove, himself, was never too upfront about disclosing his own "cooperating partnerships," like, for example, the fact that as he set off on his own pundit career, he was an adviser to the McCain campaign -- a fact he furtively avoided disclosing. In fact, one of my favorite Fox moments from the campaign was when Chris Wallace asked Rove a question with the setup, "If you were advising McCain..." If? He was advising McCain!

Back then, the New York Times thought Rove's role was merely "another step in the evolution of mainstream journalism, where opinion, 'straight news' reporting and unmistakable spin increasingly mingle." Now, Rove thinks the same situation is a worrisome "cooperating partnership." I guess some things are only okay when the people Kark Rove likes are doing them!

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Comments

[corte33]

There is no shortage of blow hards in this country.

[PrimusElijah]

I don't remember Karl being upset at the soft wet kiss to the Bush administration called "Path to 9/11" that ABC aired a few years back, so I don't know why he would open his mouth about this. Oh yeah, he's a bitter and evil man who represents all of the worst parts of American politics. Well that was easy.

[slim1921]

The weekend is owned by Fox News -- oh yeah, and CNN which doesn't count. MSNBC needs to have news shows on Saturday and Sunday instead of these ridiculous "Lockup" shows. I want to watch the news on Saturday and Sunday, but I'm forced to depend on CNN and occasionally turn on Fox just to see what kind of insanity they're spewing.

Can't MSNBC partner with somebody (Time, Newsweek, NPR, ThinkProgress, Huffington Post) to provide even a second-tier news source? I realize that the die-hard Fox crowd won't turn it on, but independents need somewhere to find progressive news, otherwise they may choose to go to Fox and will get hefty doses of Coulter, Beck, Hannity, Geraldo and other right-wing slants on the news.

PLEASE, please for the sake of the country, PLEASE provide an alternative to Fox News on the weekend.

Here's the link to my Newsvine post "Where's the Liberal Media on the Weekend?" Please go to Newsvine and make this a new issue. Don't give up the weekend news to Fox anymore!!

http://slim1921.newsvine.com/_news/2009/06/20/2952237-wheres-the-liberal-media-on-the-weekend

I have also emailed it to MSNBC anchors and several other websites. Please go to my Newsvine post and move this up the "Vine." Make MSNBC a weekend news channel, too.

[jeweltyme]

If you call Fox News "insanity" and want MSNBC to offer more on the weekend as if they are the "elite" I'd like to ask if you have ever actually looked up the definition of "insanity". Let's see we get REAL news from Rachel Maddow, Keith Obermann, Chris Matthews with the tingle up his leg...hahahahaha. Thank God we get a break with "Lockup"

[cjger]

Rove and those in the republic party are using a clever strategy here. Their protests in public forums are heard in corporate offices like ABC's. The response will be that a larger fraction of the Tuesday discussion will be given over to criticisms of the health proposals. Those in the republic party play the game of influencing information sources as well as anybody since Joseph Goebels. Meanwhile the corporate office will say that they always intended to ask tough questions and present a balanced picture. Minefield for Obama's team.

[KYlawyer]

Projection and hypocrisy are the new GOP values. Rove whines about ABC, yet F0x was actively promoting Bush Whitehouse talking points all during the past 8 years. Faux is an outfit that promotes itself as "fair and balanced" but of course is run by a Roger Ailes, a long time GOP political hack.

[justthomas]

I REMEMBER THE DAYS OF BUSH ADMINISTRATION THAT PROVIDING TALKING POINTS TO FOX NEWS CHANNEL .

[ChiGuy]

The sad part is, that as the volume of whining continues to increase from conservatives, ABC will likely overreact and begin finding programming with one intent: To criticize the President. For no other reason than to appease the very vocal right-wing and silence the din of their shrillness.

[MarianneEvans11]

No, ABC is impartial and professional. They were cordial and polite with the President last night as well anyone should be since they were in the White House.

[Kalitipo]

HE IS JEALOUS IT WAS NOT FAKE NOISE..DIMINISH THE WHITE HOUSE>?,GUESS WHOSE TALKING FROM HIS BACKSIDE

[madisonhack]

Great comments by the guy that left Jeff Gannon's skid marks all over the White House. Or was it the other way around, Karl?

[ChiGuy]

I think it was a mutually satisfactory relationship.

[Vere15]

I can't think of too many other democracies where a man who has committed the political sins of Karl Rove would be allowed to be anywhere within a 50 foot radius of mainstream media mike

[AtlasV]

Only in America...

[Jaxy]

Excuse Me, but aren't these the same vicious hacks that mainlined daily talking points to the Cheney White House?

Oh Hypocrisy, thy name is Faux Noose ...

[AtlasV]

Karl Rove, how dare you, HOW DARE YOU accuse Obama of "devaluing the White House" when the administration you were a part of did so much to harm the image and integrity of the United States, both at home and abroad. You should be ashamed of yourself...

[Bude]

Now that's a chin. Both of them!

[ShinjiIkari]

Karl, did you ever see "Animal House"? Think of yourself as Flounder and remember the line Otter told him, imagining that Dubbya is speaking to you:

"You f***ed up; you trusted us."

Repeat daily as needed until the swelling in your brain goes away.

[loki]

There is a documentary of the future of America if it was under Republican rule called "Idiocracy."
If you havent seen it, you should. I hear Republicans show this at their rallies and fund raisers to promote their ideology. It does appear to be fairly accurate and has some kind of big stars who enthusiastically agreed to be in it. I think the more people who see this, will really get a better idea of just what the Republican party is all about.