"The behavior of our media and political institution toward Ahamdinejad demonstrates that nothing really has changed since 2002". You can sure say that again! The MSM with the exception of Diane Rehm, Chris Matthews, Amy Goodman and Keith Olberman, the press has rolled over once again to the "cakewalk in Iraq" zealots in regard to Iran. Micheal Ledeen, Reuel Marc Gerecht, Senator Lieberman, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, Bill Kristol, etc have been given plenty of room to repeat unsubstantiated claims about Iran and the majority of time these claims go "unchallenged".

Today I heard Barbara Slavin on the Diane Rehm show repeat these claims, Iran and Ied's. Irans alleged interference in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. She repeated these claims in absolute language. she went unchallenged by the host of the Diane Rehm show.

All the while IAEA's director Mr. El Baradei (who we know was right when he called the Niger Documents and other WMD intelligence as false) continues to ask that all sides turn down the inflammatory rhetoric. The "cakewalk" crazies are not co-operating. In fact they have turned up the heat.

The war train left the station years ago and millions of innocent Iranian lives are on the warmongers train tracks.

And we wonder why "they hate us"

Senator Feinstein's war profiteering and her conflict of interest by being on the MILCON Committee should be investigated.

The negative response by the majority of Columbia's students to Iranian President Ahmadinejad's address and their positive reaction to Columbia's President Bollingers diatribe before the Iranian President even spoke a word is a clear example of why we have few Journalist in this country who write about Iran, and the Israeli Palestinian conflict in a fair and balanced way.

I'm not sure where Mr. Koppelman and Tracee Herbaugh were sitting during the address? To call the students and the University Presidents response "respectful and attentive" is utter hogwash. The students booed and jeered, the questions were mostly about Israel, and the Presidents attack of the Iranian President before he even said a word was shameful.

Do not have to wonder why most students educated or brainwashed at Columbia will be more than likely unable to report fairly on Iran or the I/P issue. The charade yesterday confirmed that.

Sidney what a great article about the "new forms of expression" in the media. One thing I have become very clear about is that the so called "progressive" blogs such as Firedoglake should be monitored by media watch groups as much as the MSM. I have experienced knee jerk reactions when the Israeli Palestinian conflict on the Firedoglake blog as much as in the MSM (actually more). I have also noticed that the bloggers (Jane Hamsher and other bloggers) have no problem ripping up the Bush administration, Congress individuals that they are not fond of with language that is both angry, aggressive and sometimes outrageous. yYet when the Palestinian Israeli conflict is brought up some people (Jane Hamsher does not do this but Firedoglake moderators do)attack the person and not the message. Go check out Christy Hardin Smith's piece on Oct 24th "We the people" and follow the comments section. RBG the moderator makes inappropriate and unnecessary comments when he is supposed to be moderating not attacking. This is progressive?

The point I am getting at is the "progressive" blogosphere can be as rigid and narrow minded as the MSM. While many of the bloggers have great intentions thinking that they are focused on justice while at their own blogs people are being attacked by moderators and commentors for bringing up critical issues. They need to be monitored.

Yes there is a media revolution going on, but this media revolution could devour itself with out of control hubris and arrogance.

If US telecoms were asked by the Bush administration to conduct these illegal wiretaps then the Telecoms should sacrifice the Bush administration. I think the bigger issue is that "alleged" wiretapping and datamining by Israeli based companies is also a huge issue, and that Comverse Insofys and Amdocs and several others are hiding behind US telecoms,

Via direct interaction with John Dean when asked about Senator Rockefeller's efforts to pass "retroactive immunity" for the telecoms Mr. Dean mentioned that he did not think that Senator Rockefeller's efforts to enforce congressional oversight were much different from Republican Senator Pat Roberts who we know delayed diverted and diluted the investigations into false pre-war intelligence.

Hello Senator Rockefeller where is the complete Phase II of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Why is it that not one person has been held accountable for the false pre-war intelligence. Why is it that those operating out of the Office of Special Plans the other groups that created and dessiminated false pre-war intelligence have not been held accountable?