The "Menacing" Calls

I have tried to stick to my moratorium on responding to outrages resulting from the Iraq war, and so far I'm holding firm. However, I have to respond to an interview with Chris Matthews that I read online at TV Guide. Salon's "War Room" provided a link that didn't work, but I found the interview with a Google search. That interview followed up on some comments that Matthews made at the 10th anniversary party for Hardball. Matthews revealed that the Bush administration tried to silence discussion that was critical of the war in Iraq. He compares the treatment he received from the Clinton administration while he covered the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal with the treatment he has received from the Bush administration while covering the war in Iraq: "And the difference in these two cases was that although I was extremely tough on Clinton, there was never any attempt to silence me — whereas there was a concerted effort by [Vice President Cheney's office] to silence me. It came in the form of three different people calling trying to quiet me."

Matthews describes how it's now normal to receive "an almost menacing call" when he plans to air views the administration or some of the presidential campaigners do not like: "[T]heir people call up and threaten, or challenge, and get very nasty."

That folks in the Bush administration try to quiet people who are critical of the administration or who hold views contrary to the purposes and goals of the administration is not news. What's news to me is that Matthews describes these menacing calls as "the norm." Successful bullying has a cumulative effect--no matter who is doing the bullying. This administration's disregard for the First Amendment makes it easier for others in power to disregard the First Amendment.

Katie Couric also says she received corporate pressure from NBC to be less critical of the Iraq war and the administration in interviews on the Today show: "I think there was a lot of undercurrent of pressure not to rock the boat for a variety of reasons, where it was corporate reasons or other considerations."