Brit Hume Exposes ABC’s Terry Moran

I was traveling yesterday to Topeka, Kansas for a speech to Kansas’ version of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, the Kansas Republican Assembly. Senator Sam Brownback made an appearance as well, and was very impressive, and the group was on fire. All around great event. In the meantime I was unable to read much news, much less post. This morning I came across a little blurb from Brit Hume on his Political Grapevine, wherein he relates a failed attempt by ABC’s Terry Moran to embarrass President Bush at his press conference this week. According to Brit:

Activist’s Arrest

At President Bush’s press conference yesterday, ABC News (search) reporter Terry Moran (search) described the case of a Jordanian activist, Ali Hattar, who Moran said had been arrested and charged with slander for promoting a boycott of U.S. goods. Moran called it an “abuse of human rights,” and invited the President to condemn it, saying, “If you won’t, sir, then what … do your fine words [about freedom] mean?”

President Bush said he was unaware of the case. He was in good company. The Hattar case appears never to have been mentioned by any news outlet in the U.S., including Moran’s own network, that is, until Moran asked his question.

Oh, and one more thing. Jordanian officials claim Hattar was not arrested for encouraging a boycott of U.S. goods, but for claiming that Jordan was buying weapons from the U.S. and using them against the Jordanian people.

These facts speak for themselves so I won’t attempt to add much, except to ask the obvious question: Can there be any doubt anymore which side these Old Media hecklers are on? The smarmy Moran was obviously so anxious to expose President Bush as a tyrannical thief of American freedoms that he didn’t even bother to confirm his most basic facts. I think the president ought to consider giving these Old Media boys a dose of their own medicine, just passing their questions at the press conference until they can demonstrate that their sole goal in life is not to be disrupters. “Next question from Fox News? Next? Next? No, Mr. Moran, you’ll have to sit in the corner and wait until the next press conference where I’ll give you another try at civility. The First Amendment doesn’t require me to be a masochist.” Yes, I’m being facetious, but I can always fantasize. I just wish someone, besides Donald Rumsfeld, would show these people they aren’t unaccountable gods.