Russert’s Love Fest with Rightwing Liars (More on the Libby Lobby)

I decided to head out to the gym this morning and while warming up I seemed to have seen Russert interviewing two writers for the National Review. Christy Hardin Smith confirms that I wasn’t losing it:

What pissed me off this morning is this: O’Beirne and York are clearly partisan writers, both working for the conservative National Review. I’ve met Byron a few times and I think it is safe to say that he considers himself not only conservative, but also that he has vested a lot of interest in pushing the Libby end of the case whenever possible in media appearances and in his columns. I don’t know O’Beirne, but the words “partisan hackery, whatever the cost to the facts” come to mind every time she is mentioned, for good reason.

But I decided to check out the MTP transcript to see what kind of garbage was tolerated by Timmeh on the latest embarrassment to what used to be a fine Sunday talk show (well, it was good before Russert took over).

For the Libby Lobby, O’Beirne started the spin:

MS. O’BEIRNE: It certainly would help with his conservative supporters who had, who had long objected to what they see as politicized prosecution and I think they would give President Bush credit for being a stand-up guy who stood by a loyal White House staffer.

They see as politicized prosecution? Who is they, Kate? Oh yea, your dishonest colleagues at the National Review. Poor Byron York had to wait his turn as Russert turned to E.J. Dionne for a rare bit of honest discourse from Meet the Press. All that was left for York to whine about is that the Judge decided to put Libby in jail well in advance of the November 2008 election, which gives Bush a tough choice between what Dionne has called:

“The Republican presidential candidates have two time frames to think about: their need to win conservative support in the nomination battle now and the general election imperative to break with what is looking like a discredited presidency. Taking a stand on a pardon [for]” Scooter “[Libby] forces an awkward and immediate choice between those objectives.”

I do feel bad for the Libby Lobby – not!