Air America Radio 'ceases operations'

First, Scott Brown's stunning upset victory for Senate in Massachusetts, now this -- Air America Radio is filing for bankruptcy, according to CBS News. Gee, what a pity.

Implosion at libtalk radio Nova M

All hell breaking loose over at Nova M Radio, as described in a startling post by Brian Maloney at The Radio Equalizer -- Nova M boss and Air America co-founder Sheldon Drobny attempting suicide, guttersnipe host Randi Rhodes off the air, the ever-unhinged Mike Malloy left hanging.

Nice try, Thom

Subtle revisionism by Air America's Thom Hartmann on Friday in observing the anniversary of FDR's birth in 1882. Here is what Hartmann said before playing two audio clips from speeches by Roosevelt --

HARTMANN: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, speaking of what he saw when he became president ...

ROOSEVELT: I see one third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished ...

HARTMANN: ... And what he proposed to do about that, he said we have, that generation, and I would say again ...

ROOSEVELT: There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations, much is given. Of other generations, much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny.

HARTMANN: There you go.

What Hartmann neglects to mention is that Roosevelt made the first remarks cited above in his second inaugural in January 1937, fully four years after he took office, and not "when he became president" as Hartmann claims. That four year time span, not incidentally, dovetails with the time it took for FDR's predecessor, Herbert Hoover, to allegedly cause the Great Depression.

Nor did Hartmann mention that Roosevelt's famous "Rendezvous With Destiny" speech was delivered at the Democratic National Convention in June 1936, in the last year of FDR's first term.

Add to that the rampant hyberbole ...

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a rare lefty who doesn't disavow the socialist foundation of his beliefs, gets a bit carried away Friday in telling Air America's Thom Hartmann about challenges facing Obama --

Then you have just the overall collapse or disintegration of our health care system with 46 million Americans uninsured.

And is it my imagination or is that figure of 46 million marginally larger than it was in the early '90s, when the Clintons sought to nationalize health care, while our population has increased by tens of millions?

Buy now before we give it all away!

Dubious plug in commercial for skin care product Hydroxatone as heard on Air America Radio --

The results are so impressive, Hydroxatone was given away in the VIP gift bags at the Sundance Film Festival!

Maddow glibly disparages countries that prefer McCain

.... as I describe in a blog post today at NewsBusters ...

Rachel Maddow refuses to accept that US is withdrawing troops from Iraq

Maybe Air America Radio and MSNBC pontificator Rachel Maddow just can't help herself.

Here's what Maddow said on her radio show Monday about Defense Secretary Robert Gates visiting Baghdad and talking about a "shrinking" role for US combat troops in Iraq.

Maddow -- "That, of course, is slightly undercut by the fact that the president gave a speech last week in which he said there aren't any troops leaving Iraq, at least until after he's no longer president any more."

That "of course" is demonstrably untrue, as anyone who saw Bush's speech or read about it is aware. Here is what the president actually said on Sept. 9 about the alleged non-withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, as posted at C-SPAN --

"Today, I am pleased to announce the next step forward in our policy of "return on success." General Petraeus has just completed a review of the situation in Iraq - and he and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended that we move forward with additional force reductions. Over the next several months, we will bring home about 3,400 combat support forces (emphasis added)- including aviation personnel, explosive ordnance teams, combat and construction engineers, military police, and logistical support forces. By November, we will bring home a Marine battalion that is now serving in Anbar province. And in February of 2009, another Army combat brigade will come home. This amounts to about 8,000 additional American troops returning home without replacement. And if the progress in Iraq continues to hold, General Petraeus and our military leaders believe additional reductions will be possible in the first half of 2009."

Maddow also said something Monday that was unintentionally amusing -- "I think lying makes you look bad, I don't know. Maybe that's controversial."

"Maybe" only to Maddow.

Rachel Maddow, slippery as usual

Classic example of Air America Radio host Rachel Maddow's twisted logic - on Tuesday, MSNBC's "Race for the White House" host David Gregory asked whether Barack Obama's lack of experience was fair game for criticism if Democrats disparaged Sarah Palin for the same.

Maddow's response:

If you have an inexperienced vice president, that means that the country could be in their hands. With Barack Obama, if they experience worries about him, if something happens to him, the country will be in good hands with Joe Biden. It doesn't go both directions.

Actually it does, and in a way that undercuts Maddow's argument. If you have an inexperienced president - Obama, for example - that means the country will be in his hands.