I love listening to Seymour Hersh.  His voice is calm and reasonable.  But the things he says, and the people who clearly are talking to him, make him absolutely riveting, just like Al Gore at his most involving (I learn things from him when he talks).  

He is talking today about his article in the New Yorker about the US covert operations in Iran.  His implication is the US Congress has rolled over and played dead (or almost dead) to allow Cheney (whom someone in Congress -- don't know if he gave the name or not) called "Out of Control."

On my way to work this morning, I heard an interview on NPR in which a man in New Hampshire claimed that he supported John McCain because

John McCain was a POW, so he'll be better on foreign policy than Obama.

I'm not exactly sure how one follows the other, to be honest.  There are a lot of things about McCain that I will criticize, but his service in Vietnam as well as the decisions he made and the treatment he endured while in captivity are not among them.  That said, what the fuck is it about being held captive in a cage and tortured that gives you foreign policy cred?  

NPR has been airing some very weird stuff lately, such as just handing the mike to crazy anti-Obama racists for unedited racist rants. Notice that they never talk to a nice middle class Obama supporter, no, like every other media outlet they find some guy on probation with a restraining order from his girlfriend and a grudge against blacks, and they treat him like he's William F. Buckley.

But first on Sunday Scott Simon went on a tear blaming Obama for injecting "race" into the election, and thus somehow smearing the sterling reputation of Saint McCain. His little snit could have been written by Rush Limbaugh.

Well don't worry, Scott! NPR has provided "balance" by handing the mike to raving crazy racist crackers!

Listening to NPR this morning, I heard a piece on the opinions of supposed "independent" voters who were allegedly Clinton supporters.

What a crock.

I just heard Mara Liasson's report on NPR at 6:15 central time. She had a focus group of 12 swing voters. Seven of them said they voted for Clinton, five had not. She asked them about the race.

This is going to be a very short diary.  I was listening to "Weekend Edition" on NPR this morning, and Scott Simon had an editorial commentary that bordered on the ridiculous.  First of all, he lambasted Obama for opting out of public financing - calling it a reversal of his pledge - , ignoring the issues of 527s, and had the nerve to use the line "we had to burn the village to save it" to describe Obama on that issue.  And then, worst of all, Simon accused Obama of playing the race card against McCain - twisting Obama's recent words as an attack on McCain, again ignoring the issue of 527s and what they were already rolling out against Barack and Michelle, and painting McCain as some kind of saint who would never engage in any kind of racial divisiveness (Gook-talk Express, anyone?).

I've been an Obama supporter for a long time. As much as I admired Kucinich's courage and integrity, and Edwards' commitment to fighting poverty and taking on big business, Obama struck me as an important and inspirational figure, one that can unite this nation, and I believe that his presidency will move the country into a great new direction. His candidacy has fueled a grass-roots movement that is getting Americans from all walks of life involved in politics in a fundamental way, one that is necessary for a democracy to thrive.

However, despite all of his positives, I have had misgivings about Barack Obama that I was afraid would not be addressed. Ralph Nader's very presence in the debate, however, might just bring of few of these issues to the surface.

NPR jumped into a very hot issue doing multiple segments on Gay Rights advocates conflicts with private businesses and religious groups.  

This issue could really energize/polarize voters in Novemeber.

It's very much an up-in-the-air thing right now between Obama and McCain for me.  --Mike Butler, Southern Baptist Convention Delegate

The Southern Baptists held their annual convention in Indianapolis this week and some strange noises have been heard from that quarter. Some of the Republican base are actually considering voting for Obama this year.

Even the evangelicals who are sticking with McCain lack enthusiasm.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, is striking at the heart of the GOP by reaching out to people that past Democratic presidential candidates conceded without a second thought.

Read more.

I really don't know why i continue to torment myself with Morning Edition.  Every day it's a new hit piece on Obama.  Every day it's free advertising, first for Hillary, now for McCain.

Today's hit piece comes courtesy of Fox News' own Mara Liasson.  Which might explain why the whole thing reads like a Fox News chyron - only without the question mark.

I was listening to Morning Edition on NPR this morning.  They did a brief bit on the economy and the potential effects of continuing high energy prices on it.

The guest for the segment was David Wessel from the Wall Street Journal.  The gist of the interview centered on how high energy prices mean consumers pay more for gas, heat, and electricity.  This drop in disposable income available reduces spending and sours consumer confidence, etc.

One line struck me though, after the jump.

Gone are the days when i could work up a good froth of righteous indignation at the latest nonsense to come out of NPR.  Now I just shake my head and thank myself for not donating to them.

And write diaries.

"Day to Day" today featured one Barbara Lebey.  Author of family self-help books, Atlanta resident, lifelong (alleged) Democrat.  And - surprise! - she's going to vote for McCain in the fall!  Transcript of her interview (with rude interruptions by your truly) after the jump.

(note: since the text of the interview was never published, and I transcribed it myself, I'm hoping i'm not technically in violation of the DK copyright policy.)

  I wanted to throw something in the van, but it's hard to throw something while traveling 65 m.p.h. Needless to say listening to NPR's Day to Day program didn't help the fact that I am utterly befuddled by how ANY Clinton supporter would even consider giving their vote to John McCain come November.

Listen to these interviews from the weekend edition of All Things Considered. Andrea Seabrook asks Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) about McCain's and Obama's potential effects on the congressional elections.

The trouble is (aside from repeating the "maverick" label for McCain) that her second question to Cole consisted of 1). playing back an anti-Travis Childers advertisement, 2). stating "it didn't work," and 3). allowing Cole to respond however he wished.

Her second question to Van Hollen was actually repeating the Republican attack of "Obama's too liberal and out of the mainstream" and asking Van Hollen to respond specifically to this attack. My wife put it very well: "they talked about Obama's drawbacks with the Republican, and they talked about Obama's drawbacks with the Democrat." Are we too sensitive, or is there something to the idea that Seabrook was asking biased questions in this segment?

What do you think of Harry Potter?  I ask this of you, class of '08, not because I care, but because I want to prepare you for your next job interview. . . and the one after that. . . and the one after that.  In fact, you have entered yourselves into the annals of history as one of the dumbest aggregates to come out of any institution of higher education, ever.

Today, NPR's Morning Edition reported the outcry made by members of the Harvard Class of '08 over their commencement speaker, one J.K. Rowling. In the report, the students themselves used phrases like "she is unworthy" of performing such a hallowed task as commencement speaker. That she has been invited to such a thing is a black mark upon our class.  If you read further, I will show you the black mark on your class and exactly who put it there.

While driving to work today, I caught the tail end of a report on Lobbyist financing by Peter Overby.

Are Republican Operatives Packing the Airwaves?

I've been listening to "Talk of the Nation" on NPR this afternoon and listeners have been calling in claiming to be Clinton supporters who will vote for McCain instead of Obama.  What strikes me so odd about this is that they were spouting Republican talking points.  They're voting for McCain because he has more experience and Obama doesn't.  Paraphrasing they're comments:  "We need the leadership and experience that McCain can provide."  "McCain has the experience in Washington to get through the gridlock that Obama doesn't have."  And they both said, "I didn't vote for Hillary Clinton because she was a woman, but because she was tough enough to get things done."  Or, "I listen to Obama's speeches and the rhetoric sounds great, but later there's nothing there.  It's just words."    Or a Hispanic woman claiming to be from Florida, "He has beautiful rhetoric, but he doesn't have the experience to get things done.  I'm looking at the bigger picture, and McCain has the experience to get things done.  And we're really mad about having our votes taken away in Florida.  Most of my friends feel the same way."    

more after the break.

In July, 2008, National Public Radio's "Justice Talking" program will go off the air, apparently due to lack of funding.  This is a loss for public discourse in America.