Media Matters, as part of its new “get Fox News” agenda, is spinning a tape of Bill Sammons of Fox News made in 2009 as reflecting dishonesty as to “mischievous speculation” in 2008 as to whether Obama had socialist tendencies. Needless to say, the left-blogsphere has reacted with glee.
But listen to the actual audio, and two things are clear.
First, the word “mischievous” was related to Sammons’ use of the word just moments before related to James Carville. And it is not clear what was the “mischievous speculation” to which Sammons was referring. Sammons statement that he thought it was “far-fetched” is not a confession of lying, which is the Media Matters Spin. Sammons describes the language as “inartful” and that he was dealing with the issue because it was in the news.
Second, and this is the part Media Matters doesn’t highlight, Sammons made a case for why he feels those concerns about Obama — whether mischievous or not — actually had come true.
“Now imagine my surprise when this year, I witness President Barack Obama standing in the cross hall of the White House and having taken over the American car industry, look into the camera, and announce to the nation essentially, that he would personally vouch for the warranty on your car’s muffler. All of a sudden, the debate over whether America was heading for socialism seemed anything but far-fetched…The debate over whether America is headed for socialism seems all too real, especially to those who still believe in capitalism.”
Listen, and you decide.
http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/flash/pl55.swf
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