Remember, conservative activists are convinced that CNN is unfriendly territory for Republicans. That is, except for all the ones the network keeps hiring. (via TP)
Frances Fragos Townsend will be announced tomorrow as a CNN contributor, joining former colleague Tony Snow. Townsend was assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism and is a Yankee fan.
I’m almost surprised it’s taken this long. Townsend, Bush’s former chief terrorism adviser, joins Tony Snow (conservative), J.C. Watts (conservative), and William Bennett (conservative) on the news network that conservatives believe is biased against them.
The last we heard from Townsend, she was complaining that the Bush administration had been “crippled” because its officials are “worried about getting subpoenaed.” (Apparently, Townsend believes that Congress should go back to ignoring the administration’s scandalous, sometimes criminal, behavior, so that way the president and his aides would find it much easier to go about their business without the fear of accountability.)
Indeed, Townsend has quite a history of offering insightful comments. Last fall, Townsend defended the Bush administration’s “harsh interrogation techniques” during an interview on CNN. She assured Americans that the abuse of detainees stops “if someone becomes cooperative.” (In other words, “We stop torturing when we get what we want out of the suspect.”)
In July, Townsend appeared on NPR to talk about terrorist activities in Iraq. When the host asked if al Qaeda had any capabilities in Iraq before Bush launched his 2003 invasion, Townsend said, “I don’t know — I wasn’t at that briefing.”
Around the same time, Townsend couldn’t explain why the war in Iraq had become a boon for al Qaeda recruitment and fundraising.
And December 2006, Townsend was on CNN when she delivered one of my favorite lines of all time. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry noted that, despite Bush’s promises, Osama bin Laden remains a free man. Henry suggested that this should probably be considered a “failure” in the war on terror. Townsend responded, “I’m not sure — it’s a success that hasn’t occurred yet.”
Now CNN is going to pay her to offer similar insights. Great.
I’d just add that this is the latest part of a strange phenomenon of rewarding the Bush gang in general with high-profile opportunities at major media outlets. The Bush White House has been, for lack of a better word, a disaster for the country. From a journalistic perspective, these guys have been a nightmare — embracing almost comical levels of secrecy, propaganda, and media manipulation. (Or, in Townsend’s case, just bizarre and incomprehensible analysis.)
And yet, the moment presidential aides leave the West Wing, media outlets jump at the chance to put them on the payroll.
Michael Gerson was picked up as a columnist for the Washington Post.
Sara Taylor, who was integrally involved in the U.S. Attorney Purge scandal and the politicization of federal agencies, became a pundit for MSNBC.
Karl Rove became a Fox News “analyst,” a columnist for Newsweek, and a columnist for the Wall Street Journal.
Tony Snow has parlayed his mendacity into a gig on CNN.
And now Frances Fragos Townsend will go from the White House to CNN, as well.
[Update: And let’s also not forget that Nicole Wallace was part of CBS News before leaving to join the McCain campaign.]
Why would a “liberal” media keep giving jobs to members of the Bush gang? Because “working the refs” works.