Mike Gravel
Did you see Mike Gravel on the O'Reilly show tonight? Boy, is this guy an arrogant, abrasive jerk? Aside from that, I think he is a pretty good egg. The reason he appeared on the show is due to his current support of former University of South Florida Professor and associate of some pretty questionable Middle East charities, Sami Al-Arian, who sits in prison because he won't testify before a federal grand jury on all those "charities" that we are afraid might be sending "charitable contributions" to terrorists. Now, Mike Gravel, former Alaska senator and former Democratic Party candidate for president is Al-Arian's new-found best friend. Why not? They are both abrasive and arrogant.
On the O'Reilly show, Gravel showed his "human side" by calling O'Reilly a liar twice. He pimped his new book. He did everything he could to convince me that he would be a perfect running mate for Barack Obama-especially now that Obama's designated guy for Muslim outreach has stepped down because it has been revealed that he was associated with some other Muslim guy tied to... well, you get the point.
But here is what really sets former Democratic Party presidential candidate Mike Gravel apart. During the O'Reilly show, Bill put up the following quote from Gravel in connection to the Al-Arian case:
"Find out where he (the Al-Arian case prosecutor) lives...Find out where his kids go to school...They can't take the heat. Deliver it to them."
Boy, am I glad Gravel didn't win the Democratic Primary. Can you imagine President Gravel knowing where you live and where your kids go to school?
Rather than deny or apologize for the remarks, Gravel launched into an attack on the prosecutor and the case against Al-Arian, interspersed with insults directed at O'Reilly. As I sat there listening to this bozo, I kept asking myself how the Democrats could let this guy stand on a stage with all the other candidates in televised debates.
Then I remembered Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Question answered.
From what I've read, Gravel is no longer a Democrat and is now a Libertarian.
ReplyDeleteAlso, criticizing him for calling O'Reilly a liar twice? Uhh, O'Reilly has called many guests much worse things MANY times.
Gravel has always come across as a kook to me though.
An arrogant kook.
ReplyDeleteUnrelated issue, Bryan. Check out the National Enquirer site. They have something you may be interested in.
Checked out the National Enquirer site. All I saw was a terribly blurry photo. Not very good "proof" if you ask me. I don't get it. If the accounts are true, the photographers must've taken DOZENS of pictures when they confronted him. Yet THAT is the ONE picture they choose to publish? Gary I am totally willing to believe that Edwards was/is having an affair and has a love child, but I need PROOF, not gossip and one very suspicious picture.
ReplyDeleteI still want to know what you think about Fox News ignoring the story. What do you think it says about Fox or about the story?
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteStand by. It is obvious that NE is dripping the photos out. The photos of when they confronted him are obviously coming.
Fox News has semi-ignored the story. They did interview the guard, and O'Reilly has referred to it without going into detail. They are also being cautious probably because they don't want to be compared to NE by the other msm outlets-but I am speculating.
That's because even Fox News, for all their lack of journalistic integrity, realizes that a story like this needs rock solid proof to back it up. And right now the proof is about as solid as Jell-O.
ReplyDeleteOK Bryan, I respect your insistence on waiting for the smoking gun, proof beyond a reasonable doubt and all that. As a former law enforcement officer, I always respected that as well. Of course, this is not a criminal matter, so that standard of proof doesn't apply-but, here is my prediction for what it's worth.
ReplyDeleteThe NE will continue to drip, drip more photos of Edwards at the Hilton. Sometime between now and the convention, Edwards has to clear this up one way or another-before they let him give a big prime time speech in Denver.
Edwards has to make a choice-none of them are good.
I don't know, Gary. This doesn't seem to be passing the logic test. If they had some absolutely damning photos, I can't see any reason why they wouldn't splash them on page one right now. They want to sell papers, and that's the kind of thing that does the trick.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to concede that maybe there's something that I'm not considering, but I can't imagine what.
Lance,
ReplyDeleteMy guess is the NE is waiting for Edwards or his defenders to make some blanket denials that can be rebutted by more photos. It would not be the first time, this tactic has been used.
I know the NE is a tabloid, and I am no fan, but to doubt this story, you have to believe that the whole thing has been made up. That would be easily refuted if Edwards could show he was somewhere else that night. The fact that he and the woman and the baby were there, the furtive actions of Edwards going in and out of the hotel and his panicky flight from reporters is all well, rather damning.
The charge that the baby is his could be argued. But if Edwards wanted to refute that charge, all he needs to do is ask for dna testing.
Of course, you might still argue that the story is irrelevant. But I would argue that it is- he has, at least until now, been a vp possibility and a prominant AG possibility.
If the NE was able to shoot pics of him through the window of the room, you can bet they have pics of him trying to flee and being escorted out of the hotel. They are coming.