Not quite. Hitchens looks at the transcript.
Posted by Ben Brumfield at September 13, 2006 09:07 AMSorry, still reads like a veiled warning to Bill Maher.
Did you see MSNBC has fired Alterman?
Posted by: Martha Bridegam at September 13, 2006 04:44 PMTim Noah was right on this:
"It's true Fleischer had earlier been asked about Cooksey's outburst. He'd answered that President Bush "was very disturbed by those remarks." And as you can see, Fleischer did group Maher's comment with Cooksey's ("there was an earlier question about has the President said anything to people in his own party") when he warned ominously that people "need to watch what they say." But Fleischer's argument to Times readers isn't that he paired criticism of Maher's swipe at Bush with criticism of Cooksey's bigotry. Rather, his argument is that he was responding only to Cooksey's bigotry. "My remarks urged tolerance and openness and were addressed to those who made statements and threatened actions against Muslims or Sikhs in America," he concludes. Although he acknowledges there was a question about Maher, he won't acknowledge that his answer had anything to do with Maher.Posted by: Alan Allport at September 13, 2006 05:24 PMFleischer's haughty command that people should "watch what they say" isn't even an especially good response to Rep. Cooksey's bigotry. In fact, democracy works better when politicians don't disguise their true nature. Cooksey's example is a case in point. He gave up his House seat to challenge Sen. Mary Landrieu. He lost, partly, Chatterbox assumes, because voters had learned from his diaper crack that he was stupid and mean. Cooksey is now reportedly considering a run for his old seat, and if he does his opponents will make sure to remind voters about his post-9/11 outburst. If Cooksey had watched what he said, he'd enjoy greater but undeserved political stature today. Aren't you glad he didn't?"