Untitled Document
This is how Neil Cavuto opened his show today (June 27, 2005): "Remember
how much we fussed over this guy? [Video of Saddam Hussein shown while the banner
at the bottom of the screen read: Forget Saddam?] Now what if I told you we might
be facing a bigger threat from this guy? [Video of Iran's President-elect, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad while the banner below read: A Bigger Threat?] Why Iran's newly elected
President had oil prices jumping and no less than our President talking. [Video
of men working on an oil derrick over a banner reading: Fear Factor?]" And
that was just the teaser.
Fox then went to a full fledged FOX NEWS ALERT and Cavuto told the audience
that oil prices closed above $60.00 per barrel for the first time ever today,
"all on fears this guy [Ahmadinejad] could soon have us all over a barrel."
Cavuto then went to Wendell Goler at the White House who told the audience
about recent remarks made by Bush, Rumsfeld and Scott McClellen and then Cavuto
introduced two guests, John Loftus and Tim Timmerman, the author of a book called
"Countdown to Crisis," the crisis being Iran.
Timmerman said that a "showdown is "absolutely" more likely
after the election of Admadinejad, and that Admadinejad's "first statement
was that he was going to go toward a nuclear showdown." Loftus said he
"has almost no popular support but that "in the long run it would
be safer" to have "an uprising." He said the "Japanese are
telling us now that Iran is sending advanced cruise missiles to North Korea
that can be used to attack Japan," and that "the more time you give
Admadinejad the more danger to the US and our allies."
Advocating for an invasion himself, Cavuto said, "I just don't know gentlemen
what you do here short of a military invasion or quarantine or any of that stuff."
Timmerman said the Pentagon is spending $3 million on "pilot programs,"
but "we should be spending 100 times that amount."
Cavuto, again advocating for something stronger said, "But pro-democracy
efforts need to turn over the Constitution and the regularity of these elections
and that ain't going to happen any time soon."
Timmerman said "this is something people are ready to do," when Cavuto
interrupted to again advocate on behalf of military action: "A thousand
names were just wiped off the ballot here to make it all go away," so this
is a country "that can just sorta laugh in the face of that, right?"
Loftus said the newly elected Iranian president is "opposed to elections.
Reform is not going to work, boycotts are not going to work." He said we
have to go to the UN and blockade Iran's oil.
Cavuto, again advocating for the hardliners said, "Well, John, I love
you dearly, the UN's not going to do anything." He said he thought part
of today's run-up in oil prices was addressing the fear of a blockade, but wondered
if "this guy gets tough with us on oil," it could boomerang.
Loftus, in what sounded like pre-Iraq rhetoric, implied that any action we
took would be easy, and over in six months: We have a six month oil supply,
"so we can outlast an Iranian regime." If we "shut the oil off,
the regime might collapse in an unemployment riot."
Timmerman said "there are going to be massive protests" and we need
to be "ready to assist the pro-democracy" forces.
Cavuto pointed out that Ahmadinejad "got a lot of votes," but, Timmerman
interjected (for a second I thought he was talking about our recent presidential
elections): "You better watch who is counting those votes. We don't know
how those ballot boxes were stuffed." He said some people were forced to
vote, and that he "would not count on major support for this man."
Cavuto wondered whether the US could stand "higher oil prices if it means
pushing this guy out of office." Timmerman said yes, but not definitely
and Loftus again implied it would be a cakewalk: we can last six months but
"we've gotta drop a lotta money on the revolution."
Cavuto ended by saying he suspects a lot of Americans "don't even know
what happened in Iran over the weekend or why it's important," so to say
they "might be willing to swallow higher oil prices might be a leap of
faith." Timmerman told the audience to read books (like his, no doubt)
and read the news, and Cavuto chimed in: "And listen to shows like this.
Leading off with it."
Comment: Doesn't this all sound sickeningly familiar? And isn't it fightening
when supposedly neutral journalists propagandize for the government?