Thank you, Mr Grieve, for posting this and the link to that stupendously unprofessional attack by Katie Couric. What an unprepared, unprofessional excuse for a "journalist."

I found the phone numbers and email for the Today Show and NBC News and immediately phoned and sent emails. I spoke to Katie Couric's assistant and left a message on NBC News President Steve Capus's phonemail. I did not use "hate speech" as Jim Brady at the Washington Post characterized the angry emails Deborah Howell received after her second deliberate falsification of information in her ombudsman column. I did not want NBC to dodge the issue by placing the blame on angry viewers instead of on the poor journalism exhibited by Ms Couric. I very calmly stated that I was horrified by Ms Couric's uninformed and false remarks (why hadn't she prepared better for her interview and sought confirmation of "Democrats receiving money from Abramoff" from more than one source?) and I said she behaved rudely to Dr Dean by repeatedly interrupting him and repeating her false information instead of saying "maybe we should check this again" the first time Dr Dean told her she was wrong. When she finally huffed "WELL, we'll have to check this out and get back to our viewers at a later date!", I asked why would it have to take so long to confirm or repudiate her information? She has a staff, they have access to the internet; government agencies post this information on the internet. Her staff should have been online IMMEDIATELY checking this information as soon as Dr Dean repudiated it.

I asked when could I expect Katie Couric to retract and correct her misstatement and when I could expect an apology from Ms Couric to Dr Dean, to Democratic candidates and to Democratic Party members. I assured them I would be waiting to see this.

Here are the contacts

The Today Show - 1-212-664-4602

NBC Nightly News 1-212-664-4971

Pres. NBC News 1-212-664-3228

steve.capus@nbc.com

You know, news organizations get away with portraying Dean as a wild-eyed maniac because people don't go after them when they do this. I don't always agree with Dr Dean -- I disagree with him a lot, as a matter of fact - but you don't see them characterizing Ken Mehlman as a lying, immoral political operative. Oh no-- THAT would be "opinion." Well, I'm going to hit back at the news organizations for their false statements and their mischaracterizations from now on. It's what the vast rightwing conspracy did for years, and look where it's gotten them. We need to do the same. Stand up and say "OUCH! Stop that!" each time they stamp on our foot instead of keeping quiet.

The Bin Laden family were business associates of George W Bush. What does that say about GW Bush and his associates and their involvement in 9/11? I mean, come on. This adding "and associates" crap can let people get away with all kinds of assertions.

Deborah Howell, Jim Brady, Wolf Blitzer and Katie Couric have all publicly lied. They all claimed that Jack Abramoff gave money to Democrats. When caught in their lies, they not only didn't fess up to them, they tried to blame the people who pointed out their lies to them. Deborah Howell and Jim Brady still refuse to admit that Howell merely repeated GOP spin without fact-checking. Wolf Blitzer, when told by Howard Dean that he is wrong, continues to insist he is right. Katie Couric, when told by Dr Dean that she is wrong, takes off her glasses and insists she is right.

They're all wrong and they're deliberately wrong. In trying to paint Abramoff as a bipartisan scandal, they're all lying and they know it.

Let's see them put on a panel and verbally pummeled by truthseekers like Richard Cohen, Frank Rich and Oprah, 'kay? Truth in book publishing is so damned important. Let's make truth in media as important.

why did he go on the show?

So he can write another memoir of redemption. This time the really TRUE true story of an addict's recovery. REALLY really true. Frey will go back into rehab saying that his appearance with Oprah was a "wakeup call." He is still exhibiting addictive behaviors! He is "in denial"! He must go back into rehab, have a redemptive experience and go into therapy with Dr Phil to cure himself of "stinkin' thinkin'"....and all that other self-help industry psychobabble. He will truly reform this time and we can read all about the hell he lived through - a spankin' on Oprah, a groveling apology to Hazelden, a stint in rehab again, and more redemption - in his next book.

The ending was very funny too, with Colbert screening a copy of "The Godfather" for Pascrell edited to exclude Italian stereotypes. I won't give away what the film looked like or how long it lasted, but Diane Keaton was at the height of her beauty in that film, was she not?

No. It won't. What's the alternative? When conservatives abandoned Bush The First, they got 8 years of Clinton, whom they hated and baited. They know which side their bread is buttered on. It's with Bush and the GOP and you're fooling yourself if you think otherwise.