September 08, 2005

Why No Press Outrage?

When Pat Robertson suggested the US government might consider assassinating Hugo Chavez, there was an uproar in the media. Why is there no outcry from the press over this statement from a German official, Andreas Renner, Social Minister in Germany's southern state of Baden-Wuertemberg?

During a visit to a local company on Tuesday, Renner said of Bush: "He ought to be shot down."

He later retracted the remark, saying he meant Bush should be shot down "in a political sense", according to the Reutlinger General-Anzeiger newspaper.

Yeah, like anyone could have intended the words “shot down” to mean anything other than an act of violence. Imagine the uproar if someone suggested that Ted Kennedy needed to be “shot down.” How long would it take for the Secret Service to reach your door if the phrase were directed at Hillary Clinton?

But the press is strangely silent.

I guess it is acceptable for a foreign official to suggest the murder of the President of the United States.

Posted by: Greg at 01:38 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 He's a bureaucrat in a foreign country. Yeah, what he said was wrong, but the attempt to excuse Pat Robertson's behavior by comparing it to this guy is weak. If it were an American of any stature, he'd be in the press and in jail. Don't go acting like it's a double standard. It wouldn't be reported if the comment were made about Hillary, either. And I suspect you know that.

Posted by: Dan at Thu Sep 8 16:39:21 2005 (aSKj6)

2 I'm not excusing Pat Robertson -- I spoke out rather forcefully against him.

And since Robertson is a private citizen, not a government official, his comments shuld arguably be seen as carrying less weight than those of a government official.

Posted by: Rhymes With Right at Thu Sep 8 22:46:27 2005 (I9kpx)

3 Agreed. But he's an American celebrity. This bozo in Germany probably can't even get his local bartender to remember his name.

Posted by: Dan at Fri Sep 9 00:47:49 2005 (aSKj6)

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