RUSH: We love Liz Cheney on this program, the way she handles herself on television. She was on with Bob Schieffer yesterday on Slay the Nation, and they were discussing the Republican primary. And Schieffer says, “Okay, so what do you think of what’s going on out there, Liz?”
CHENEY: I find this all pretty frustrating. This country faces huge, huge challenges — and, frankly, watching a morning show like this one where first we’re talking about Herman Cain allegations and then we’re showing a YouTube mash-up of —
SCHIEFFER: We’re covering the campaign, Liz!
CHENEY: Well, the issues are what matters, Bob, and with all due respect, you know, the American people are out there afraid. They’re afraid that the economy is going off a cliff. They’re afraid that this president wants higher taxes and more spending and bigger government.
RUSH: And then Schieffer said…
SCHIEFFER: Well, I mean I take your point, but I would also make the point that we, in the media, it is not our job to make the campaign. That is up to the candidates. The candidates determine what the campaign is gonna be about —
CHENEY: But you guys choose what you’re gonna cover, Bob.
SCHIEFFER: — and we —
RUSH: “You guys choose what you’re going to cover, Bob.” She’s right. She’s right. A little defensive there, Bob Schieffer.
Okay, so did Conrad Murray do it or didn’t? Do you think…? Is he guilty of manslaughter, first or second-degree manslaughter, whatever it is? Michael Jackson’s doctor, Snerdley. Do you think he did or didn’t do it? They’re saying Jackson shot himself up with the stuff. (interruption) Okay, so, you think the doctor’s had it? The doctor’s going down? Keep a sharp eye. AP says they’ve reached a verdict. NBC hasn’t confirmed. The Politico says, what’s the story again? Uh…
Moving on, audio sound bite number 21. This is funny. This is Mark Whitaker. This is yesterday morning on Reliable Sources. The guest is CNN executive vice president and former Newsweek magazine editor Mark Whitaker, and during a discussion about Newsweek’s decision not to publish the Monica Lewinsky story, host Howard Kurtz says, “You know, one of the most famous or infamous decisions — you were filling in as editor at the time — was in the Monica Lewinsky story. Mike Isikoff basically had the goods or at least it looked that way later. The thing I never understood about the decision to hold the story — then of course Drudge got hold of it and the Washington Post broke it — is that you had confirmed that Ken Starr was investigating it.”
WHITAKER: Frankly, we didn’t feel by — from Thursday to that Saturday that we were on firm enough ground to report a story that wouldn’t just be a story about Ken Starr, that ultimately would be about accusing the president of having sex in the Oval Office with an intern, which was — if we had gotten that wrong — could have been, you know, a mortal blow to Newsweek’s reputation.
RUSH: What turned out to be “a mortal blow to Newsweek’s reputation” was spiking the story. So Mr. Whitaker says that he killed the Lewinsky story to protect Newsweek. When, in fact, killing the story killed Newsweek but protected Clinton.