Like most of Bush’s conservative allies, Fox News Channel is anxious to do its part to undermine Richard Clarke’s credibility. But for an outlet that claims to provide “news,” Fox News’ desperation to help Bush has led to some pretty blatant dishonesty.
A reader named Gregory S. alerted me to an FNC report yesterday that wrenches a quote from context in a ridiculous effort to deceive the network’s viewers and discredit Clarke. It didn’t work.
FNC, in a report on Clarke’s testimony yesterday, reported the following:
“You’ve got a real credibility problem,” John Lehman, former Navy secretary under President Reagan, told Clarke, calling the witness “an active partisan selling a book.”
Clarke responded: “I don’t think it’s a question of morality at all, I think it’s a question of politics.”
Notice the details here. There are no ellipses. The report includes the phrase “Clarke responded” to suggest that Clarke’s comment immediately followed Lehman’s attack.
From reading this, one is supposed to get the impression that Lehman accused Clarke of having a “credibility problem,” while Clarke was effectively admitting a partisan agenda, saying in response that this is a “question of politics.”
There’s only one problem with this FNC report: It’s a total fabrication.
In reading the transcript, the exchange between Lehman and Clarke was entirely different from what Fox News would have its viewers believe.
Lehman: And similarly, when you add to it the inconsistency between what your promoters are putting out and what you yourself said as late as August ’05, you’ve got a real credibility problem.
And because of my real genuine long-term admiration for you, I hope you’ll resolve that credibility problem, because I’d hate to see you become totally shoved to one side during a presidential campaign as an active partisan selling a book.
Clarke: Thank you, John. (Laughter) Let me talk about partisanship here, since you raise it. I’ve been accused of being a member of John Kerry’s campaign team several times this week, including by the White House. So let’s just lay that one to bed. I’m not working for the Kerry campaign. Last time I had to declare my party loyalty, it was to vote in the Virginia primary for president of the United States in the year 2000. And I asked for a Republican ballot. I worked for Ronald Reagan with you. I worked for the first President Bush. And he nominated me to the Senate as an assistant secretary of state, and I worked in his White House, and I’ve worked for this President Bush. And I’m not working for Senator Kerry.
FNC said Clarke “responded” to the credibility charge by saying, “I don’t think it’s a question of morality at all, I think it’s a question of politics.” Clearly, Fox News is once again not telling the truth.
The actual context for that sentence was far different, and paints Clarke in a far better light.
Thompson: Well, what it suggests to me is that there is one standard of candor and morality for White House special assistants and another standard of candor and morality for the rest of America.
Clarke: I don’t get that. I don’t think it’s a question of morality at all. I think it’s a question of politics.
FNC, of course, didn’t report that the audience, including many 9/11 family members, applauded Clarke’s remark.
(Note: An earlier version of this post included text from an incorrect transcript. This is the corrected version. Thanks to the readers who pointed this out.)