Online: | |
Visits: | |
Stories: |
Story Views | |
Now: | |
Last Hour: | |
Last 24 Hours: | |
Total: |
Acting as a stenographer on Wednesday’s NBC Today, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd parroted the Obama administration’s new attack against critics of the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner exchange: “They did not expect this backlash on Bergdahl himself. I’ve had a few aides describe it to me as, ‘We didn’t know that they were going to swift boat Bergdahl’….a reference to that political fight back in 2004 over John Kerry’s military service that became so controversial in that campaign. So there’s some fighting words there.” [Listen to the audio]
The outrageous talking point was prompted by co-host Matt Lauer wondering: “Did the White House truly think this was just going to be a celebratory moment, the release of Sergeant Bergdahl? Did they not see any of this backlash coming? Were they caught flat-footed?”
MSNBC quickly seized on the “swift boat” line, with Last Word fill-in host Ari Melber declaring Tuesday night: “We’re gonna look at the right-wing play book for the newly released American POW, a wounded man who isn’t even out of the hospital yet. Swift boat first, ask questions later.” MOREHERE