Duke, Don, & Fred: The Omnibus Post
Let's take a moment to update three stories from today after the major developments that occurred in all three. First, the Attorney General of North Carolina dropped all charges against the Duke lacrosse players as expected, but he went much farther than that. Roy Cooper did everything but confirm that Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong committed prosecutorial misconduct:
We believe that these cases were the result of a tragic rush to accuse and a failure to verify serious allegations. Based on the significant inconsistencies between the evidence and the various accounts given by the accusing witness, we believe these three individuals are innocent of these charges.We approached this case with the understanding that rape and sexual assault victims often have some inconsistencies in their accounts of a traumatic event. However, in this case, the inconsistencies were so significant and so contrary to the evidence that we have no credible evidence that an attack occurred in that house that night. ...
The eyewitness identification procedures were faulty and unreliable. No DNA confirms the accuser's story. No other witness confirms her story. Other evidence contradicts her story. She contradicts herself. Next week, we'll be providing a written summary of the important factual findings and some of the specific contradictions that have led us to the conclusion that no attack occurred.
In this case, with the weight of the state behind him, the Durham district attorney pushed forward unchecked. There were many points in the case where caution would have served justice better than bravado. And in the rush to condemn, a community and a state lost the ability to see clearly. Regardless of the reasons this case was pushed forward, the result was wrong. Today, we need to learn from this and keep it from happening again to anybody.
Obviously, Cooper wants to correct a terrible wrong done to these three young men, but Reade Seligmann made a better point in his reaction. He noted that the DA and the police had felt comfortable enough to smear three men with enough resources to defend themselves -- and wondered what they do to those who cannot. The North Carolina Bar will be asking the same question. One has to believe that Cooper's public excoriation of Mike Nifong will put enormous pressure on them to act severely towards Nifong in his upcoming hearing.
Don Imus had a bad day, too. Sponsors of his radio show and televised simulcast spent today running away from him and his insulting remarks towards the Rutgers women's basketball team, and MS-NBC just reacted by cancelling the simulcast:
MSNBC said Wednesday it will drop its simulcast of the “Imus in the Morning” radio program, responding to growing outrage over the radio host’s racial slur against the Rutgers women’s basketball team.In a statement, NBC News announced "this decision comes as a result of an ongoing review process, which initially included the announcement of a suspension. It also takes into account many conversations with our own employees. What matters to us most is that the men and women of NBC Universal have confidence in the values we have set for this company. This is the only decision that makes that possible." ...
The network’s decision came after a growing list of sponsors — including American Express Co., Staples Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., and General Motors Corp. — said they were pulling ads from Imus’ show for the indefinite future.
Did he deserve to get cancelled? Entertainers have lost their jobs for less. If this starts impressing on shock jocks that their audiences have had enough of their vitriol, then so much the better. CBS has not announced whether it will keep Imus on the radio waves, but says they are "closely monitoring" the situation. Translation -- stay tuned.
Finally, Fred Thompson appeared on Sean Hannity's show earlier today to discuss his illness and his presidential aspirations. Hannity asked him if he reads the blogs, and Power Line has the answer:
Thompson just made favorable mention of several blogs, including Power Line. He says he's reading PL and others (Red State, Captain's Quarters, and Instapundit -- apologies if I missed anyone) as he considers whether to run for president. Hannity told him not to read blogs because "sooner or later you will be attacked." What blogs has Hannity been reading?FURTHER UPDATE: Thompson's appearance with Hannity is over now. He went on to say that his announcement about his medical issue is part of the process of deciding whether to run for president. He doesn't think it should affect any such bid, but wants to see what the reaction of others is. He also is still trying to determine whether he's "the guy for these times." I get the impression he thinks he probably is.
Fred, if you're reading this, stay healthy -- and jump in whenever you're ready. We'd love to see what you can offer.
Comments (13)
Posted by Keemo | April 11, 2007 6:49 PM
Duke players;
Go after Nifong with a vengeance; & don't forget those 80 or so professors that preached your guilt... In my world, this is called "contempt prior to investigation." Nifong must go down in flames over this; the man is nothing short of human garbage.
Don Imus;
If this story results in Americans having a conversation about the "direction of our culture", then something good will come of this.
Fred Thompson;
May God keep you healthy & happy... I'm hoping you will jump into the Presidential race Fred. I look forward to hearing much more from you...
Posted by Carol_Herman | April 11, 2007 7:34 PM
3 news stories with "Betty Grable legs." They'll keep on giving. Because people are paying attention.
At Duke? How can Brodhead stay on? He's just repeating behaviors he dealt out at Yale. Same way. "Get the White Guy," who gets unfairly charged.
Here? Oh, there will be civil litigation. This one, where the blah, blah, will be news organizations who can claim they did it "without malice," won't be totally free of having to pay lawyers.
Eventually, that's what our law does. It brings cases. So lawyers can be paid. Like painting cars yellow. And, putting in meters. It's not about the riders. It's about the income.
TO: FRED THOMPSON
If you're serious about being IN; and you know Guliani is your compettion; what will count, ahead, is the TEAM you're gonna hire to pull your engine.
In other words? I think most Americans are giving up on the idea that they put a person in the White House. And, that's business. NOPE.
Some people will bring in dogs. McCain, a whole wagon train full. With people like Feingold getting more bites of the apple. The last thing we need is "another senator."
Plus, you've got to fix your senate term record; where you didn't quite capture the thieves brought into the dock.
What does a great team look like?
Just using Guilini's management style, I think he has it. He works as the GO TO guy. Things in cities and states are forever breaking down. Guiliani used to have the mayor's car pulling up at every big event. From terrible fires. To terrible tragedies. He didn't let the skullduggery behind the scenes, gyp New Yorkers of better government.
It was at those meetings in Gracie Mansion! First, you couldn't go to your hairdressers; when the mayor took his seet promptly at 7:00 AM. Or 8:00 AM. And, the business of button-holing the mayor; to flag him about your special problems in your agency; hoping he'd keep them secret. All you'd feel is Guiliani's shoe. Doing a Godfather kick.
I think he's the guy to beat. Because he knows how to fix the things that are broken. Do we have broken windows, here? Nope.
But Tony Blair's left the house.
Pelosi isn't wise enough to sit in the house.
And, the pork business needs to be stopped. It's so bad, I'd recommend you go get a very Orthodox Jewish Rabbi. He knows what to do with pork. When he's through? You can't eat it.
We've got to make it unhealthy for the press to keep doing their run-arounds; that they get away with, when there's a Bush HIDING in the Oval Office. Of course, there are no moments with Monica! Bush is hiding under his desk.
Time to come out.
Time to know that the truth needs to be spoken out loud. No more shifty games.
And, make sure you have a team. Not just a lot of people handing you money, so all you'll do is take care of "their special interests." They certainly won't be taking care of yours!
And, do notice that watching people doing Hari-Kari for Bush is the worst thing in America; where people who go to work for their jobs. Beause their jobs feed their families and pays the rent. Then get called into "jail bait status" to feed the really crazy affirmative action hires who seem to be running DC.
Speak the TRUTH. What have you got to lose?
Posted by Daryl Herbert | April 11, 2007 8:01 PM
"Hannity told him not to read blogs because "sooner or later you will be attacked." What blogs has Hannity been reading?"
Why is Hannity so thin-skinned?
Why would it be a bad thing for a politician to see some criticism?
Posted by Doc Neaves | April 11, 2007 8:01 PM
Let me just add my two cents....
RUN FRED RUN!!!
Posted by Anthony (Los Angeles) | April 11, 2007 9:39 PM
Regarding the Duke case: I hope these guys sue the county, the investigating officers, and Mike Nifong for everything they can get. This has been a travesty from beginning to end.
Too bad they can't sue the news media, too. Especially Nancy Grace.
On Imus: Now that we've established that public figures can be pilloried for racist comments, will Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson be next? (Queue: sound of crickets)
Hannity: Hannity told him not to read blogs because "sooner or later you will be attacked." What blogs has Hannity been reading?
Maybe mine? :) I can't help it: Hannity may be a conservative, but I still think he's a blowhard and a fool.
Posted by The Friendly Grizzly | April 11, 2007 9:42 PM
One probably does not have to tune too far one way or the other in Imus' home market to find the exact language he used. But he said it, and did not chant it over a drum machine track. He also has the wrong skin color. Therefore, he must be punished.
/Snoop Dog, Eminem, and 50-Cent were not available for comment.
Posted by trapeze | April 11, 2007 11:01 PM
1. Nifong - (v) to act in a deceptive and self-serving way. (n) an incompetent, corrupt and wretched public "servant."
2. Imus...stick a fork in him.
3. Hannity knows how to read? Seriously, Sean is fabulously over-rated and it is a mystery to me how he is #2 in talk radio. If there were any justice in the world Hugh Hewitt or Laura Ingraham would rank higher than Sean.
Posted by thoughttheater | April 11, 2007 11:58 PM
Frankly, we are fast becoming the epitome of a Jerry Springer society. It seems to have become more important to have an audience and notoriety when confronting conflict than it is to attain resolve and mutual respect. That model seems to serve the needs of the exploited and those who seek to exploit; reinforcing all that relegates objectivity to the outhouse while making the frailty and imperfection of the human condition a spectacle that harkens back to the Coliseum.
Issues shouldn’t be about whether liberals or conservatives, this race or that race, hip hop or honky-tonk, one group or another, are more offensive and therefore more responsible for all that is wrong with America. I am not capable of judging the whole of Don Imus nor am I capable of crafting a recipe to fix all of America…and neither are the countless pundits and partisans who have sought to frame it so.
I’m not a religious person…but I often find kinship with the imagery surrounding the portrayal of one called Jesus and his teachings of understanding and forgiveness. For all the banter I hear about the Bible and Christian values, it certainly seems to me that we are fast abandoning what many view as the sacred “tablets” in favor of the sacrosanct tabloids. If I’m right, all I can say is heaven help us.
Read more about the dynamics that lead a situation to become larger than the sum of its parts…here:
www.thoughttheater.com
Posted by Rose | April 12, 2007 12:11 AM
Sean also told Fred Thompson that if he gets in, he'll have to answer to the Conservatives for his vote for McCain Feingold, and his vote against impeachment (is that the impeachment of Clinton?), to which Fred responded that he felt he did the right thing, considering the information he had, he felt he did the most Conservative thing he could do.
He really considers himself solidly Conservative.
It sounded like he stands behind his decisions, to me.
Posted by Adjoran | April 12, 2007 1:31 AM
Snoop Dogg DID comment on the Imus flap - something to the effect of people shouldn't equate (he may not have used that word) his use of "nappy-headed 'ho's" to Imus', since his refers to actual 'ho's in the 'hood who do what they do, not to sistahs playing college ball.
Now, I have to admit that the Rutgers women do look sort of rough and mean - but who was going to approach them for sex, anyway, unless your thing is being beat up? Imus might have survived had he made his point by calling them "like East German swimmers with tattoos and a tan" but he falls to political correctness when he uses ghetto language, being of the wrong hue to get the pass.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of the wrong hue, how unlucky would you have to be to have been Duke's lacrosse players and coach? These kids were persecuted relentlessly by a DA looking for "minority" support in his reelection campaign, a Duke faculty quick to condemn their own students (who, ultimately, pay their salaries), and a media anxious to fill in the blanks of historical stereotypical victimhood.
Why wouldn't we accept the word of a drunken black whore over that of rich white boys with photographic evidence and ironclad alibis? Come on, folks: we all know if the whore - er, I mean "stripper," or "adult entertainment worker" - had been white and the "offenders" been black members of Duke's basketball team, the whole thing would have been regarded with simple distaste, and the players directly involved, if any, might have faced a suspension for a game or two.
The Duke boys were "Tawana Brawleyed" big time, and it is evident we have learned nothing since that case. And, while their coach faced no criminal charges or lawyers' fees, I do feel for the guy: he had a team which would contend for the national title until some drunken whore mouths off to keep her pimp from beating her up because she came home with less cash than he expected. As a result, with NO investigation, he loses his job, his chance for a national title, and his reputation.
Too bad Ray Donovan is dead - he might have offered the chap a sympathetic ear, if no solutions.
Naturally, no one will collect a penny from Nifong or the city, county, or state.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thompson's announcement could mean he is very close to jumping in the race. My prayers go out to him and his family for his continued good health.
It seems to me that such a disclosure would be among the last "trial balloons" floated before declaring candidacy. There is nothing to be gained otherwise, and it cannot be entirely comfortable to have millions of people discussing the intimate details of your cancer treatment.
Posted by Mark | April 12, 2007 10:03 AM
Anthony,
I gave up listening to Hannity years ago. His idea of winning a debate seems to involve yelling louder than his opponent. He also seems to think that if he repeats a trite point enough times, it will start looking better.
Posted by Karen | April 12, 2007 1:10 PM
Run Fred Run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Carol_Herman | April 12, 2007 6:02 PM
Anyone thinks Don Imus "hangs up his microphone," could be proved wrong, ya know?
It's a competitive world out thee. C-BS is hoping no one else wants to hire "shock-jock" Don Imus.
I guess their "experience" is that no one wanted to hire Dan Rather.
So, they just extrapolated what they want to see happen, from events that don't compare.
Nifong? He just wanted to get elected.
So if you looked at the community that followed his game plan, what would you learn?
Heck, I did not know "nappy" was the name of a hair style. I always thought it was a British way of saying "baby diaper."
And, then, I've heard moms use it. Talking to their toddlers. Asking them if they wanted to "take a nappy."
Oy. Now the word police have arrived. And, added a new one to the forbidden list. Like saying take shorter breaths out, because you don't want to contaminate our atmosphere with your CO-2.
And, GAY. Once the word to describe a happy moment. ON THE LIST! Don't you dare!
Of course, Imus will be heard again. And, at good pay.
To be a shock jock means he can say what he wants. And, C-BS is no longer just a choice between 3 channels.
Of course, the elites have a "code."
Imus broke the "code," I guess.
What was his surprise? Rutger's female basketball team LOST. And, nappy, snappy, pappy. A bunch of white girls from another school could jump higher?
What was the problems with the coaching?