Lynne Cheney let the Clinton News Network have it on Friday. Here's John Eggerton's report from Broadcasting & Cable:
"In an interview with Situation Room anchor Wolf Blitzer, Cheney said the network's Vote 2006 specials contained 'terrible distortions of the president's and vice president's positions on many issues.'
"She suggested CNN was working from Democratic talking points, and took issue with the negative tone of the title 'Broken Government,' suggesting it betrayed CNN's bias and countering that the administration had inherited a recession, been through some tough times like 9/11 and Katrina, but that the economy was healthy. 'That's not broken,' she said, 'this government has acted very well... I shouldn't let media bias surprise me.'"
Eggerton's story continues, "Blitzer said the series was 'probably' meant to be provocative, 'to get people to think, to get people to discuss these issues.'" (One might note that it is not the proper mission of a news network to be "provocative," at least unless the segment is labeled "provocation.")
Then the wife of the Vice President zeroed in CNN's biggest single vulnerability these days: "Cheney turned the tables on Blitzer, becoming the questioner: 'what is CNN doing running tapes of terrorists shooting Americans,' she asked more than once, repeating a question CNN had been asked: 'Do you want us to win?'"
Blitzer answered yes, CNN does want America to win (maybe we should take a poll to see whether most Americans agree with Blitzer's self-assessment), but then volunteered of the video, "We make no apologies for showing it."
Ladies and gentlemen, CNN stands by its airing of the sniper video. So now the American people rest their case against CNN.
