What Obey Tried To Pull Off

We know all about Nancy Pelosi’s admonition and promise to be an open government.  Well today, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) decided this morning to pull television cameras out of today’s Iraq Supplemental Appropriations conference meeting.

Ultimately Obey relented and C-Span was back in.  The fact that he would attempt such a move is one of those red flags.  We should pay attention to red flags and take them for what they are. Gross incompetence or power-drunk. Is Obey the best they could do to chair this committee?

>UPDATE 2:15PM: From a source, “it is official…they’re letting c-span provide pool coverage of the whole meeting….”

>UPDATE 2:12 PM: FishbowlDC has learned that Obey has relented and will allow cameras…developing…

One red flag.

ref: FishbowlDC, Radio-TV Correspondents’ Association Warns Of “Troubling Situation”

Putin's Russia, AINO, Ally In Name Only

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to squash freedom, yearning for those good old communist days.  This time it is the press and he gives them his template.  Portray the United States as an enemy.

MOSCOW, April 21 At their first meeting with journalists since taking over Russia’s largest independent radio news network, the managers had startling news of their own: from now on, they said, at least 50 percent of the reports about Russia must be positive.

In addition, opposition leaders could not be mentioned on the air and the United States was to be portrayed as an enemy, journalists employed by the network, Russian News Service, say they were told by the new managers, who are allies of the Kremlin.