MSNBC sucked in by Sarah Palin Africa hoax
p2pnet news view | P2P | Politics:- It’s definitely one of those days today.
And it’s only just begun!
What with Google going down and the brilliant New York Times the Iraq War is Over spoof, MSNBC has admitted it was totally sucked in when it reported Sarah Palin had, “mistakenly believed Africa was a country instead of a continent”.
Among other things.
Now, an adviser to John McCain, “identified himself as the source of an embarrassing story about former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin,” says the Associated Press.
David Shuster, an anchor for the cable news network, admitted on air that Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, “had come forth and identified himself as the source” of the Fox News Channel story.
Now, “Eisenstadt the source for Sarah Palin Africa leak … and proud of it,” says Eisenstadt on his blog, going on »»»
MSNBC did a nice ‘Breaking News’ piece on me with David Schuster interviewing my fellow pundits, ‘Republican strategist’ Todd Boulanger and ‘Democratic strategist’ David Goodfriend about my difficult decision to come clean as the source of the Africa story. MSNBC tried to reach me today for an on-camera interview as well, but I was traveling between DC and New York when the story aired. I certainly have my issues with NBC, and even Keith Olbermann’s used me as a source on several occasions, so at least it was nice that this time they gave me full attribution.
So what about the Palin Thinks Africa is a Country farce?
Adds Eisenstadt:
“As you know, I was one of the foreign policy advisers on the McCain campaign who worked with Randy Scheunemann to help prep Sarah on her debate with Joe Biden. Did we outright give her a geography quiz when we started the prep? No, of course not. But yes, in the context of the prep, it slowly became apparent that her grasp of basic geo-political knowledge had major gaps. Could she have passed a multiple choice test about South Africa or NAFTA. Probably. But it was clear that she simply didn`t have the ease of knowledge that we come to expect from a major party political candidate. Other slights came up, too: Not knowing the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas. Or the difference between the Shiites and Suni. Or when it came to international terrorist organizations, knowing that the IRA was in Northern Ireland, and ETA in Spain.
“The real thing we had to constantly remind her was to never, ever compare herself in any way to Hillary Clinton, as she had at her announcement speech. We had it on good authority that Biden was prepping to unleash the inevitable line, I know Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton is a friend of mine. And Sarah, you`re no Hillary Clinton. Alas, Biden would have been right.”
Could Palin have been correct when she said, “Those bloggers in their pajamas sittin’ in their parents’ basements, just writin’ garbage“?
Jon Newton – p2pnet
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November 13th, 2008 at 11:02 am
and hundreds of millions seem to think that “America” is a country and not … 2 continents.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Biden would have been spot on!
Hillary Cinton is a smart, strong, well informed woman who can talk with ease on any foriegn or domestic issue.
Sara Palin is an uninformed hoax unleashed by an irresponsible John McCain.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:42 am
You know John McCain would have made a good President, but Sara Palin scares the crap out of me.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
You’re twisting the facts. What has been debunked is that Eisenstadt was that source of the Africa quote, not that the quote was made. Fox still maintains that the Africa story is accurate. It’s just that MSNBC was wrong about who the source was.
November 13th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Agree with Mike. Wrong interpretation Jon.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
America *is* a country. Name one country on the continents of North and South America that has the word “America” in its name. You can’t. That’s why we shorten “The United States of America” to just “America.” Besides, we were the first to be freed, while all you other folks were still colonies (and thus not an American nation), so we get first dibs.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
McCain staffers CLAIM it is TRUE, the story is A STORY. THEY, the rebuke McCain people that SHE WORKED with, called the MEDIA and snitched on her! Palin didn´t win any hearts or minds with her new STAFF.
Whether an Eisenstadt exists or doesn´t exist makes no difference, it´s not where the stories came from originally.
Of course, the McCain staffers are the same people who told the USA that the ditzy dolt goddes, Palin, was ready for prime time in the first place.
As time goes on and see MORE AND MORE OF HER, it is apparant that she does not know much, IT COULD BE TRUE, if that isn´t true then other things are. It´s a few months now, REALLY, she is quite lucky to have the governors job,m and she may just talk her way out of THAT!
I mean, I don´t need a McCain staffer to tell me things I can see for myself becuase she is showing the world.I guess she wants to show us, I guess she doesn´t grasp just what she IS showing us. She thinks evertyone can be manipulated. HA!
She has a photgraphic memory, but I doubt she understands what she memorizes. I think it´s hit or miss.
If asked about GAZA and she starts spouting about IRAN, well, she just never memorized anything about GAZA and MUST substitute her Iran speil, complete with her signiture buzz words and phrases that excite the ignorant, EVIL, DO US HARM…the usual. She knows how to do it.
An opportunist she is, a Rhodes Scholar she ain´t.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
electpalin.com
November 14th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Part of the reason the USA is always in a conflict with some other country is that american politicians keep meddling in other nation’s business. Palin would be better off learning about the US first.
November 16th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Ha ha! Martin Eisenstadt pwned the news media! A simple Google search would have shown that the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy is fake. Everyone knows that the dinosaur news media will never change. This isn’t the first hoax that the news media fell for due its lack of any kind of research and this won’t be the last hoax. The dinosaur news media is just going to keep getting pwned by people like Martin until no one can trust their reporting anymore and they go extinct.