WHO EVER ASKED B.WILLIAMS TO STOP SAYING "AS ALWAYS" should get a life. he is sweet and warm, we love him and miss hearing "AS ALWAYS"  those words make him special. the person or persons objecting can change the chanel.M.DIBENEDITTO, FL.

BRIAN WILLIAMS, WE MISS "AS ALWAYS" THAT WAS PART OF YOUR SWEET PERSONALITY. M DIBENEDITTO

Brian,

It pains us as well that you are not joining in on the boisterous debate on the blog these days, and we hope that time will permit you to soon! I, personally, would love to hear your response to these questions?

Whose decision was it to hire McCaffrey and Downing as "consultants'?

When you were employing them, did you know that McCaffrey and Downing were both on the advisory board of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, a Washington-based lobbying group formed to bolster public support for the Iraq war?  If not, why not? Isn't this a clear conflict of interest?

Did you know that  McCaffrey is on the board of Mitretek, Veritas Capital and two Veritas companies, Raytheon Aerospace and Integrated Defense Technologies--all of which have multimillion-dollar government defense contracts? If not, why not? Again a clear conflict of interest, especially when he pushes his companies' products (tanks, armored vehicles) during his Nightly News commentaries.

Do you have any regrets that the Nightly News helped promote the Iraq War in its early days and helped to get the US deeply entrenched in a quagmire that has now lasted longer than World War II and is killing men, women and children on a daily basis?

Do you feel any guilt at all?

Brian,

The answer to all this is more media consolidation and an end to net neutrality. The big 4 or 5 entertainment/defense conglomerates need to buy out the rest of the market and control internet access the same way they control the content on cable and the airwaves.

With 100% consolidation, all Americans will be on the same page, without any of these unhelpful distractions.  Karl Rove, Matt Drudge, the 3 major network anchors and our corporate boardrooms represent the finest America has to offer, and it's only fair that they determine what gets said and what gets heard.

Facts are a stubborn thing.  Obama cannot close his 20 year old relationship with Wright because there is so much video evidence against it.  On the TV program THE VIEW, Obama declared that Reverend Wright accepted that his view were inappropriate and mischaracterized.   That it had offended many people.  Then weeks later Wright goes on a national Hate America Press Tour?  This was a blatant lie.  Or worse, Obama was fooled by Wright which is kind of scary.  That a possible next president can be played by a character such as Wright.  Check the video evidence yourselves.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6J7yJ9R5p0

Glenn Greenwald writes:
<blockquote>UPDATE: Yesterday, I sent an email to Williams' representative requesting an interview with him and/or an NBC News spokesperson about the issues raised here or, at the very least, a comment from them. I've received no response.</blockquote>
You're buried today, fair enough.  IMHO it's more important to be accurate and responsive than timely.  But I hope that you do respond to Greenwald and also address the Generals issue on the air.  I appreciate that you posted on one portion of this, but I think you also need to address:
1. the financial conflicts part,
2. the why now part (while the Times fleshed out new details this was first reported years ago) and
3. the pre-war boosterism (while the Generals were at times critical of specifics of the war effort after it was well under way, where was the skeptical commentary before we invaded when it could have done most good?)

Source for quote:
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/30/williams/index.html

Expose Brian Williams for what he is. Remember Mission Accomplished? Here is ol' Brian, the prescient pundit:Brian Williams: "And two immutable truths about the president that the Democrats can't change: "He's a youthful guy. He looked terrific and full of energy in a flight suit. He is a former pilot, so it's not a foreign art form to him. Not all presidents could have pulled this scene off today."

There go the last shreds of this person's credibility.

I agree.  Greenwald is a polemicist.  His tone is not measured.  But he's dead-right about the state of the modern media.

I thought the recent ABC "debate" was bad enough but as the original NYT article (and the years old 'The Nation' exploration of this same story) reveals, ALL media has entered a Faustian bargain of selling their journalistic souls to gain "access."

Mr. Williams, you seriously need to rethink everything about the nature of your profession and how you go about it.  I don't need you to be antagonistic to the powers-that-be for the sake of being antagonistic, but I do need you to question the basis of their claims more closely and force them to answer uncomfortable questions.  I also need to focus on "boring" stories - the ones that actually matter at the end of the day.

More on the generals: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/28/8560/

How can we post a comment not related to the blog?

Brian:

Here is the current reality you might want to deal with - that you actually might be part of the reason we find ourselves in the mess we are in.  Like so many who have posted, here, I am old enough to remember when news held the government to account.  Go back and look at the risks that guys went through to get us the news in Vietnam.  They were not embedded, they had to get in and try not to get in the way without the offer of protection from the military.  You see, their obligation was to get the actual facts to the American People.  They took that job seriously to the point of risking their lives to get some film back to the newscast who questioned our government by informing the public.  This simple fact seems to be lost on you.  Tell me, how can a man making millions of dollars a year relate to the overwhelming majority of Americans that must make tough choices each day.  Not about whether they will attend a concert, but do they allow their son or daughter to join the millitary because college is no longer a financial option.  How do they keep health insurance after losing a job?  How will they deal with increasing costs for fuel and food?  You will never know what it is like to make these decisions.  Because of that, I would offer that you are the wrong type of person, as a result of your very elite status, to be deciding what issues are important to the American People at large.  It would seem the closest you could feel to those American People is through reading a ridiculous piece about the people at gate 24 in an airport.  Is that your read on the American People, Brian?  Do you really think we are all talking about whether Obama loves the right people in American History?  Are you that out of touch?  Guys like you and Russert have but one alligiance - to keep your high salaries by not rocking the boat and maintaining your access to the people you are supposed to hold to account. Jefferson would probably be disgusted with the likes of the type of news you select to cover in the manner in which you cover it.  You attend parties and events and laugh it up while the rest of the country deals with the afformentioned problems. You take money from a large corporation that generates most of it's success from contracts with the government.  Of course you claim that GE never would restrict your coverage.  But why don't you do a series on Eisenhower's concerns about the large amount of military spending and see how long it takes before you get some feedback.  You probably would not do it because it is implied that you would be treading in dangerous territory.  Isn't that ironic.  Newsmen and women that we have held in high regard frequently went into dangerous territory to get the truth to the people.  The dangerous territory of wars and oppressive governments.  Dangers that put their lives in the balance.  You would probably consider danger the loss of your paycheck - now that putting it on the line.  Perhaps, when you are looking back on your career, you will find some regret on the way you did your job.  You will perhaps see how more forceful reporting on the important issues of war and peace  might have prevented the consequences we are now faced with.  Perhaps I give you too much credit....your life decorated with farm houses, fast cars, concerts, expensive suits, white teeth and a tan seem to be your superficial concerns.  The only thing remaining is for the American People to continue to tune you out and tune in to the people that are going through the same pain they all experience every day.  

Mr. Williams, I believe it was predicted in these comments yesterday that you would stop blogging as a result of being called to account for not reporting the Pentagon Pundit story and for your role in breaking covert propaganda laws.

The role of NBC, as well as the other cable and network outlets, in perpetrating covert propaganda on American citizens needs to be thoroughly investigated.  Your defense of such unethical and illegal activity, Mr. Williams, has utterly and completely undermined your credibility.

Mr. Williams:

One thing that bears noting in this Generals dispute that it isn't simply a matter of whether NBC was sincere in thinking that it was serving the public by bringing these men on the air.  That actually doesn't matter.  Nor does it matter if you think they are good guys.

If the Pentagon was expending funds on a program to brief these men in order to coordinate getting pro-war advocacy on the air, the people who were running that program committed a federal crime.

This would mean that your network was either wittingly or unwittingly involved in the commission of a federal crime.

The fact that you blithely wash your hands of the matter because you personally trust McCaffrey is morally absurd.  Do you feel absolutely no responsibility to determine if your network has been played for suckers?  No responsibility to see if you have been the tool of men who committed a crime?

It's shameful.

Please Brian, grow a pair and address Generalgate on-air. However bad it is (or, more likely, isn't), people will imagine it's worse if you stay silent.

Now that Brian has established that his journalistic standing is feeble at best (given his analysis of the NYT generals story) I think we should give him another chance to get off his butt and have some actual investigative reporting done (note we are not ssking the impossible for him to actually do the reporting himself).  Let's see if Brain can find out (1) why the major networks are not showing highly inflammatory Hagee videotaped rants.  They must exist beyond the few seconds that have appeared and they must be really angry.  Are the networks saving the tapes for the general election? (2) Where did all the videos of Wright come from?  Who did the videotaping and what was the motivation for getting them on air?  Good luck, Brian, we know you can do it.

ladytechie,I'm glad you joined the discussion. I would like to address some of the points you made.

First, yes Glenn Greenwald is a liberal blogger. That does not change the facts here. If you have some evidence to suggest that anything he has written is not true, I would welcome it, but to refute his extremely thorough work (throughout which, for the record, he provides links to the sources he used) simply by saying he is liberal is not very convincing. Facts are facts, and Glenn's political leanings do not change the facts here.

You say that it was "unamerican" not to support the war in 2003. This is just false. I know many proud Americans who were against the war from the beginning. They are no less patriotic than you are. It is just that some of us believed from the beginning that the war would be a bad thing for our country, and since we want what is best for America, we opposed it.

It is not that I personally feel duped by the mainstream media. The problem is, that a huge number of Americans get their news from the MSM, and take what they report at face value. It is extremely irresponsible for these outlets, from which so many people get their information, to only present one side of the issue. It has a huge effect on public opinion, and when the media becomes a propoganda organ of the state, it begins to erode the checks and balances that make our democracy so great.

I am curious as to why you are not willing to concede that there was a conflict of interest. I would be interested to hear your thinking on this issue.

As to why we are only holding Mr. Williams responsible, I do not believe that this is the case. This is Mr. Williams' blog, so we are addressing him specifically. I hold the others you mentioned just as responsible.

Finally, you can dismiss us as "trolls" who are posting our "party line," but again, this is not a valid argument, as it does not change the facts at hand. I think that if you stepped back for a moment and tried to look at what is happening here objectively, you might have a different opinion. I really hope that you'll do this. I welcome your response, and hope that you will continue to engage in this discussion.

Stories worthy of play today MAY DAY but probably wont make a cut at the afternoon pressure cooker: Longshoreman impromtu west coast operations halt, trucking industry along with airlines dissappearing, four female suicide bombers in Iraq - whats really going on. Afghanistan - Somalia and so much more to explore, lets hope that some good journalisim makes the cut this afternoon.

Hey, Brian:

Why not just be a polite guy and return Glenn Greenwald's phone call? It would be good to have some dialog on the military analyst scandal.

And, I do thank you for addressing the issue, which is better than most in your profession have done. I still think heads should roll at every network. But accountability is so passe.

Brian,
Where’s your influence…this is a charade to continue the assault on Obama instead of real news…Highest Casualties this Year…Iraq War!!!! I thought the surge was to prop up the Iraqi’s while we stand down?...   Why isn’t this the debate of the day?  Bush/McCain failed policy.
Hillary Clinton and McCain pandering to the electorate with a failed policy…Gas Tax Holiday?   What a joke.  It didn’t work before and won’t today…Again, here is Obama’s good judgment…  making the hard choice and telling us the truth.  What is the media saying?  Why aren't you all over McCain and Hillary?  Are you just making money from this Obama bashing?  Are you less than ABC and that deplorable debate?  Listen how much you all say, Obama vs. Wright…, his judgment…, Is it Over?  Did he do enough?  

How often are you saying …Hillary Clinton the fighter?   John McCain the…Straight Talker, Maverick?  

  Also who is out of touch…Hillary who can’t pump gas or pour coffee…McCain who has no clue on the Economy or Health Care or the War?  Brian, give us a break….

Brian,

Your dismisal of the Pentagon's successful efforts to influence your "newscast" was pitiful. Your puffed-up ego and total disregard for the truth are very apparent to me. You should be ashamed.

Why won't you cover the Pentagon's now defunct program that used retired Generals as propogandists?  Why do you not think this is newsworthy?    

Brian, this is a first for me.  Never bloged before, imagine that.  You sometimes read e-mails from viewers during your broadcast.  My question:  How much money has each candidate paid for each person that has voted?  It boggles my mind that Obama and Clinton has spent millions and millions of dollars campaigning.  It would be sweet if all of that money went toward paying down the deficit OR donating it to a charity.  

I really like your style and approach to the news.  It's nice to see someone enjoy their career.

mr.williams

i have to object to your dismissive and ignorant response to the NYT expose on the Pentagon’s domestic propaganda program. you are absolutely not credible and in fact abetting the misinformation of the american people by refusing to acnowledge, on air, the obvious conflict of interest of your military "analysts" regarding the war in iraq. moreover, your analysts benefit FINANCIALLY by the war and, thus, the death of iraqis and americans. as glen greenwald notes, "The core credibility of war reporting by Brian Williams and NBC News has been severely undermined by a major NYT expose. That story involves likely illegal behavior by the Pentagon, in which NBC News appears to have been complicit, resulting in the deceitful presentation of highly biased and conflicted individuals as “independent” news analysts. Yet they refuse to tell their viewers about any of this, and refuse to address any of the questions that have been raised." <http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/30/williams/index.html>    

Wow, it's hard work, isn't it! Please talk about the important stories! Not another week of Wright! What happened to the media!  Oh, I forgot, they have to earn their multimillion dollar salaries.

To Binx, Boston, MA:
You inadvertently made my point. Greenwald post is indeed an aggregate, snippets he had chosen to reflect a point of view in order to sell books. I grant you that there have been some thoughtful posts, but the fact remains that most, and the rudest I might add, of the posters here have simply linked from Greenwald's post, taking him at his word, and while he cites other sources, few if any of the posters have bothered to check them out for themselves. It is the tone I most strongly object to. This blog has always been civil, those who post regularly considering themselves friends, and yes, fans of the Nightly News. So be it.
Personal attacks, such as both Brian and several of  the regulars have been subjected to in the last few days serve no purpose. They are the very definition of a troll.

Good Evening Mr.Williams,Somebody forgot me. I posted again at around 8:00pm last evening and nothing showed up. I wanted to say that I always enjoy seeing Richard on the broadcast! And wearing a BLUE SHIRT TOO!! Richard's report was heartwrenching to hear. Then to hear he had not survived was terrible. Prime Minister Maliki will not compromise with the militias because they are causing all the violence. I hope there is a peaceful resolution soon! Stay Safe Richard as Always! Thank you for the great braodcast last evening Mr.Williams. Peace to you and to all!
Lots of Love to Laurel, Jackie and Stephanie!

Dave, Boston, MA Good for you , at least that was a thoughtful response to my post. So much of what has me riled up is the tone of so many of the posts.

First and foremost, and most of you will be shocked to hear this, I consider myself a liberal, who opposed the war from the beginning. Nor is the Nightly News my only source of news. And I grant you that Mr Greenwald has several citations in both his posts, It just that after following them I'm still not totally convinced that a major crime has taken place here. As I've stated else where, my own critical thinking skills allowed me to figure out that if someone is being introduced on a Newscast as an instructor at West Point and a retired general, my first impression is that he will be pro-war, therefore all of the other information, the committee for the liberation Iraq ,  even whatever defense companies that the General might serve on naturally follow from the original fact that this is indeed a military man, sworn to obey orders.
Do I consider Pentgon briefings conflicts? In any other Administration at a time of war they would be considered normal. The outrage here, blaming The nightly news and it's anchor is misplaced. The nature of broadcast news is that it is of the moment,and you and I have both got to admit that anti-war stance in 2002 and 2003 was not the most popular opinion to have. I personally lost friends over it, as you may have.  

Many posters here blame the news for not reporting opposition back then, yet I remember a great deal of coverage of the world wide protests leading up to this war, and some very concerned commentary's at the time about what the war was doing to our standing in the world.  

I will concede that the troll comment may have stooped to the level of the name-calling I was deriding, if you will concede that name-calling behavior is what the term troll was meant to describe.

I will concede that in using the term troll I stooped to the level of the name callers, and if you've read through all of these posts you would have to concede that many of the posts have been less than civil.

It's all Wright all the time.

too busy to find your lost integrity

that's BUSY dude

or maybe you never had any integrity to lose

either way, please stop insulting journalism by implying or infering that what you do is "journalism"

Why cant a journalist ask this to Obama.

"Do you expect the american public to believe that in 20 years you never heard of Wright anti-american stands?"

Mr. Williams - I just saw a video clip of your referenced to Barack Obama's "bizarre life story".

Uh, unlike you Mr. Williams, I don't have a luxury apartment in Manhattan, an estate in Connecticut, and a Porsche...there's alot of us who might consider your circumstances "bizarre"

To visit the past, I particularly find strange your hosting "force multipliers" on your news programs - "experts" who were employed by a secret Pentagon program to promote falsely positive views of Iraq - while US servicemen and servicewomen died attempting to advance the botched policies of Donald Rumsfeld and  Ambassador Bremer.

Before you comment about others, perhaps you should examine your own conduct.  Perhaps we all should.

Respectfully

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