UPDATE:  See the video below.  In it Michelle notes one interesting fact previously unknown:  CNN disclosed the political affiliation of one of the questioners who had a republican agenda.

Good for the goose, but not for the gander, apparently….

Debacle is the best word I can come up with, as farce is overused.

But before I detail that dreadful event, I have some thoughts.

As my title suggest, politics is war.  As in a conventional war, there are opposing forces that wield force to secure advantages in territory, power and control.

There are armies, generals, tactics and battles which range from near meaningless skirmishes to full blown earth shattering engagements.

There are weapons.  Not the traditional slings and arrows, or guns and bullets, the weapons of the political war are ideas and promises.  Truth and disclosure.  Lies and innuendo.  Deception and misdirection.

And most important:  Money.

And there are spies, the operatives who seek the information to destroy the enemy.  There is secrecy and security to keep information secure.  There is deceptions and misdirection and even betrayal.

All of this exists because the modern politician operates from a position of moral authority that justifies any means necessary to win, because his or her ideals and ideologies are the best for the nation.  So what might be dismissed as dishonest or dishonorable is rationalized as necessary and crucial.

Because winning is everything.

I first became politically aware in the 70s, around the end of the Nixon years.  Through Ford, Carter and part of Reagan I had little interest and understanding of politics, and frankly the world was not as transparent then as now.

But now, since the Clinton years, I have watched and paid attention, and very little surprises me about the playbooks of dirty tricks.

So when i read about the Republican CNN You Tube debate, I should have not been horribly surprised, what with Hillary having already been shown to be guilty of planting questions in her own campaign.

What surprised me was how bold it was, how blatant.  I was astonished at how many of the “undecided voters“  were either staffers, activists or previously declared democrat supporters.

Here is a quick run down, and I will list my sources and links at the bottom.

• Retired general Keith Kerr who was listed as a Hillary endorser and a member of  Hillary’s LGBT steering committee, as well as a former member of the steering committee of Veterans for Kerry..  He was apparently well known to CNN having appeared there previously as an activist against DADT.  He is also a member of the Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network’s advisory council.  CNN Cut his question from the rebroadcast.
• Ted Faturos, a former intern for Rep Jane Harman (d)
• Concerned Young Undecided Person “Journey” (a.k.a. “Paperserenade“) whose youtube site and Live Journal declare hers an open Edwards supporter. 
• Concerned Undecided Log Cabin Republican supporter David Cercone is an open Obama supporter.
• Concerned Undecided Mom LeeAnn Anderson is not just a John Edwards endorser, she is also an Activist for the United Steelworkers Union and an aide the Union’s president Leo Gerard.
• Adam Florzak worked with Dick Durbin on Social Security reform
• Mark Strauss (who pleaded with Ron Paul to run as an Independent) is a Richardson supporter.  Strauss was also known to CNN, he was part of the Democrat CNN YouTube Debate.
• David McMillan, an aspiring TV writer in California, AND, a Bush and Rove hatin’, John Edwards fan.
• Finally, one of the questioners is a former CAIR intern.

Ok, that is all as of this moment.  So…should we care?  These people are all potential voters, why is this a big issue?

And to be honest, most of their questions are fair questions.

Well, first of all, this is not the election debate this is the primary debate, when the republicans should chose their candidate of choice.  Had the parties any honor, they would respect the obvious boundaries of party.

But this is war, so disregard that.

This is also a big deal because all the above disclosures were easily discovered, but NONE were disclosed by CNN, and almost all were passed off as everyday people asking questions.  In other words, it was deceptive, not on the politicians part, but on CNN’s.

Have they any journalistic integrity left at all?

This upsets me because the media, in this instance CNN, continually passes itself off as impartial and non partisan,  But there is absolutely no way to see such blatant disregard as anything but deliberate sandbagging, not by the campaigns where I expect it, but by the people who are supported to just present the facts, not sway the results.

The politicians who sacrifice truth and integrity for power and influence i expect to use any means necessary.

You would think CNN would be alert to that and try to take reasonable steps to safeguard impartiality and integrity.

Nope.

In a war there are combatants, and non combatants.  The non Combatants are afforded protection in return for their neutrality and non participation.  When they participate, however, they become a party to the war, a combatant.

CNN, are you going to declare yourself a shill of the democrats, or retreat to actual neutrality? 

Is it any wonder so many conservatives call CNN the Clinton News Network…

But hey…all’s fair in love and war…right?

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