Usually when the Banner-Herald publishes one of columnist Dick Yarbrough's folksy conservative takes on life and politics, it'll garner a few comments, about evenly distributed between his true-believer fans and folks he'd almost certainly call "liberal weenies."
Not so with his latest offering, a kidding look at Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton blaming sleep deprivation for her recent misstatement that she and daughter Chelsea were subjected to sniper fire when they landed at a Bosnian airfield in an American military aircraft during a 1996 trip to the region.
Yarbrough's column got dozens of comments on our Web site, most of them suppportive of Clinton and expressing shock that we'd run the column. In addition, I received a number of e-mails from similarly irate folks, from all around the country.
Here's a sampling, including the state from which the e-mail was sent, if that was included:
"... I would like to ask those who are so eager to point a collective finger at Senator Clinton while blithely labeling her as untruthful to take just a minute to examine others on the campaign trail just as closely."
--Florida
"Any psychologist could tell you that the combination of sleep deprivation, a memory of a trip taken 12 years ago, the likelihood that the people in charge of her trip told her about their concerns about sniper fire, etc, is likely to distort anyone's memories."
"Dick Yarbrough's gratuitous insult concerning Hillary Clinton's lack of sleep and Bosnia comments are completely irrelevant to her qualifications of leadership or her plans to bring peace and prosperity to our country."
-- Texas
"I can imagine the Secret Service over protecting her as they could, probably more than once she has been told exaggerated things just for her protection."
-- Florida
"Please tell Mr. Yarbrough that the space you give him is too valuable to waste on trivialities like his column on "sleep deprivation" and Hillary Clinton. So she remembered wrongly about one incident a decade ago."
-- California
I'm not quite sure what to make of all this; until Yarbrough's column, the newspaper has received comparatively few letters, e-mails or other comments either pro or con regarding Clinton and her presidential run. With that in mind, it's interesting -- to me, anyway -- that the e-mails I received appear to be individual thoughts, and not some orchestrated plan by the Clinton campaign urging supporters to send mass e-mails to any media outlet that carries opinion pieces critical of her.
Could it be that Clinton's supporters are thinking, individually -- and hence, collectively -- that they've got to do something, anything, to get their candidate some traction?
- Jim Thompson's blog
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Who is The Liar? Tactic to take away Wright controversy
Isn't there anything more interesting to talk about....Why all the 'spin' on this? She made at least 5 trips to Bosnia to support the troops. How many has Obama made?///Get a grip on reality..Want to talk about lies....I sat in that church for 20 years and didn't know....I accepted over $250,000 dollars from Rezko and didn't really know him.....I spoke with the Canadian officials about Nafta, but I really didn't know...I said that JFK sponsored my father when he came to America, but I really didn't know...who's the LIAR???? On important issues?
"Hillary's hell-raisers out in force"
"Could it be that Clinton's supporters are thinking, individually -- and hence, collectively -- that they've got to do something, anything, to get their candidate some traction?"
No, Jim.
It is that the coverage of Senator Clinton has been egregiously slanted, sly, sarcastic and often scatological. The coverage of Senator Obama has been consistently approving, adoring, anointing, and absent any critical thinking.
And so supporters of Senator Clinton have had to take up cudgels and keyboards, and try, wherever possible, to take reporters and bloggers to task.
Obama has had some problems recently: they are either unreported (the stupid Bataan comment, Randi Rhodes' vile comments at an official Obama fundraiser, Obama's disingenuous appeals to Pennsylvania gun owners), or are reported in such indulgent terms to be worthless as news items (Obama forgave Reverend Wright because he was retiring, Obama had little contact with Rezko, Obama showed sound judgment).
A 2 point primary win by Obama over Clinton is reported as "devasting." A 15 point win by Clinton over Obama is reported as "edged out" and then immediately trivialized by claiming that women voted for her, or that Obama still leads in delegates.
The media reported over and over ad nauseam, the calls for Clinton to quit (ironically, from Democratic leaders in states which Clinton had won). The Clinton gaffes are reported with glee. Headline news. Follow-up stories, which prove her to have been correct (e.g. the recent hospital story) are stashed on the Auto Sales page, or not mentioned at all.
Obama gaffes are not reported. Obama's distance from the truth is either excused or unreported. JFK did not sponsor Obama Senior. That is OK, Obama was not born yet. No mention that he most certainly was born and adult, when he wrote the book. The Selma story, the goatherder story, the 'law professor,' the 'civil rights attorney,' the 'poor single mom on food stamps' story --- as a matter of fact damned near every story in his autobiography is a fib, an exaggeration, an avoidance of truth. But dutifully repeated by media types.
We have already had seven plus years of incompetence and lies as the result of a media which failed to report, which failed to investigate, which failed to question. We do not need another day of it.
Hillary Support
navyvet48: Hillary Supporters are very capable of thinking for themselves. They are educated, intelligent and passionate in their support. They tend to back up their support with facts that are researched ahead of time. They can discuss Hillary's positions on issues. They know their candidate.
When an Obama supporter in Texas was asked what some of Obama's issue stances were, he was unable to discuss one of them. This is true with many of his supporters.
The MSM has been involved with gender bashing and sexism for months now. This began most recently when a man held up a sign in NH that said "iron my shirts". This seems to be a gathering storm. And news outlets like MSNBC, CNN and even Cavuto on FOX News have carried the message that a woman is just not fit to be president because she is a woman.
It is time to stop it. It is time for the MSM to really vet Obama. It is time to call him on his gaffes and inaccurate statements To date he has made 61 inaccurate statements and out right lies.
Dick Yarborough's smear of Hillary
As you should know, FOX and the Republican 527s are gearing up to subject Obama to the same withering fire you and other pro-Obama journalists have aimed at Hillary. To prepare yourself, investigate: (1) Obama's associations with Louis Farrakhan, Farrakhan's "Nation of Islam," and their 1995 "Million Man March" on DC -- how many busloads did "Community Organizer" Obama (salaried by Wright's church) arrange to send to this decidedly non-Zionist event, and why?; (2) Why did Obama announce his candidacy for the Illinois Senate at the Hyde Park, IL, home of Weatherman bombers William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn? Ayers bombed the Pentagon (for which he does not apologize even today), and Dohrn was involved in the shooting-robbery of a Brinks truck which resulted in the death of a Brinks deliveryman and two cops. Germans would never consider as a candidate for chancellor anyone who sought and obtained the accolade of people associated with their 70s terrorists, the Bader-Meinhoff Gang, nor would Italians elect as Prime Minister anyone involved with their domestic terrorists, the Red Brigade, so do you really expect Americans to go for someone whose formative years were so radical? Just as it was relevant to know Bill Clinton was educated by the Jesuits, it is important to know who Obama admired. For a start, check out the YouTube video paralleling his rhetoric (exact phrases) lifted from the speeches of Malcolm X.
So, in essence, Hillary
So, in essence, Hillary Clinton has now become the victim of a vast left-wing conspiracy? Just asking ...
Hillary
Just give up Hillary