Bloomberg News is ideologically an extension of CNN propaganda and their latest exploit is a case study in remarkable bias.


obama-bushGeorge Bush attends a private, closed-door, fundraiser and gives a speech. Part of that speech is Bush giving his opinion on the state of current world events from his perspective as a former President. The headline chosen by Josh Rogin, to set the tone, reads: “George W. Bush Bashes Obama on Middle East“.
Immediately shades of motives and secret recordings, similar to Mitt Romney’s 47% hidden camera expose’, jump out. Rogin’s article claims a single “attendee” as his source for the entire article, and thus begins his narrative:

One attendee at the Republican Jewish Coalition session, held at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas with owner Sheldon Adelson in attendance, transcribed large portions of Bush’s remarks. (link)

“transcribed large portions of Bush’s remarks”? Transcribed how? Was the “attendee” live-typing into his laptop while in the audience, of course not. Recorded and “large portions” transcribed, most likely.
So why didn’t Rogin just take the recording and produce the article from his own interpretations? Probably because that would have exposed him to the sunlight of readers better understanding the bias. Requesting a transcription of the recording offers the Journalist a measure of plausible deniability. Decide for yourself (emphasis mine):

George W Bush Bashes Obama On Middle East

(Bloomberg) In a closed-door meeting with Jewish donors on Saturday night, former President George W. Bush delivered his harshest public criticisms to date against his successor on foreign policy, saying that President Barack Obama is being naïve about Iran and the pending nuclear deal and losing the war against the Islamic State.

One attendee at the Republican Jewish Coalition session, held at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas with owner Sheldon Adelson in attendance, transcribed large portions of Bush’s remarks. The former president, who rarely ever criticizes Obama in public, at first remarked that the idea of re-entering the political arena was something he didn’t want to do. He then proceeded to explain why Obama, in his view, was placing the U.S. in “retreat” around the world. He also said Obama was misreading Iran’s intentions while relaxing sanctions on Tehran too easily.

According to the attendee’s transcription, Bush noted that Iran has a new president, Hassan Rouhani. “He’s smooth,” Bush said. “And you’ve got to ask yourself, is there a new policy or did they just change the spokesman?”

Bush said that Obama’s plan to lift sanctions on Iran with a promise that they could snap back in place at any time was not plausible. He also said the deal would be bad for American national security in the long term: “You think the Middle East is chaotic now? Imagine what it looks like for our grandchildren. That’s how Americans should view the deal.”

Bush then went into a detailed criticism of Obama’s policies in fighting the Islamic State and dealing with the chaos in Iraq. On Obama’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops in Iraq at the end of 2011, he quoted Senator Lindsey Graham calling it a “strategic blunder.” Bush signed an agreement with the Iraqi government to withdraw those troops, but the idea had been to negotiate a new status of forces agreement to keep U.S. forces there past 2011. The Obama administration tried and failed to negotiate such an agreement.  (keep reading)

Posted in 1st Amendment, media bias, Uncategorized
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