RUSH: Peter Baker is a reporter for the New York Times. He was on Charlie Rose last night on PBS. We’re moving on now to Oklahoma and the tornado. Of course, since we’ve got somebody from the New York Times and Charlie Rose talking about the tornado in Oklahoma, what do you think we’re talking about? The politics of it! We’re talking about the impact of this on Obama. We’re talking about, “What does this mean for Obama?”
Charlie Rose says, “Remember for me what Clinton did in Oklahoma City that changed the perception of him?” See, Oklahoma City, the Murrah Building blowing up, that was a grand event as far as the media and Charlie Rose are concerned. That was a crisis that allowed Clinton to display profound empathy and leadership. That was a crisis and that was a national disaster that had benefits for Bill Clinton. So Charlie Rose is sitting here asking, “Remember for me what Clinton did in Oklahoma City…”
Charlie, you remember it.
You don’t need this reporter from the New York Times to tell you. You can tell your audience what it was. That’s why these guys… I didn’t see the show, but I can just see this. Charlie leans forward and he’s got this serious, almost grimace on his face (deep breath), and he’s stroking his chin, and he says to Peter Baker of the New York Times (impression), “Peter, remember for me, if you will — remember for me — what Clinton did in Oklahoma City that changed the perception of him. Tell me, Peter! Tell us all. What — what happened? Remember for us, Peter.”
BAKER: He was so down politically at that time. It was 1995. Republicans had taken care of both houses of Congress, and President Clinton was just very publicly, even, sort of flailing around, trying to figure out what his place in this new order really was and jousting with Newt Gingrich. And then, instead, he — he shows up in — in — in Oklahoma City a few days later to comfort, not just the people there, but the country. And his — his natural gifts for that kind of an event, uhhh, really transformed the way people saw him. Here you’ve got President Obama in a very tough moment politically because he’s being, you know, scrutinized for his handling of various, uhh, controversies. Uh, so to be able to project this presidential image at this moment as a matter of his own situation, obviously, is a useful one for him.
RUSH: Speaking of this, have you heard that the vice president, Joe Bite Me, said that Barack is taking lessons in not using a teleprompter? Have you heard that? No, no. That’s true. Obama is taking lessons on how to speak without a teleprompter. He went out and he made his impassioned, heartfelt, post-tornado speech from three-by-five cards. The review was, “Well, you know, he tried it without the prompter, but we could tell he was consulting the cards. He just doesn’t have what Clinton has.
“He can’t just go out there and speak extemporaneously. You know, some presidents are better than at that than others,” in the words of Peter Jennings. “Some presidents are just good at that, just better at that than others, and Obama just can’t do it.” If you happen to be in Oklahoma or if you happen to know people that were affected by the tornado, and you happened to turn on PBS last night, you were treated to a discussion of what all this means for Barack Obama. I mean, you talk about detached?
And then we get this in-depth, intellectual exchange about the magnificent possibilities that exist here for President Obama. (impression) “He could maybe replicate exactly the wonderful job Bill Clinton did in putting his career back together following the 1994 elections. He was so good at it, you know? Maybe Obama…” If you’re in Oklahoma and you’re watching this, what must you be thinking? That the coverage of what happened to you and your friends and family is really all about what Obama can make of it. So that’s that. That’s Peter Baker and Charlie Rose.
Shepard Smith yesterday afternoon on Fox News Studio B with Shepard Smith was a little amazed at something.
SMITH: It is impressive that literally 24 hours after this storm hit there are cleanup crews and tear-down people, and they are working on every corner. It’s astounding how quickly they got started.
RUSH: He can’t believe it. A tornado hit and then 24 hours later, my golly, they’re already starting to rebuild. Can you believe that? Why, they’re not sitting around feeling sorry for themselves and sucking on straws and stuff. Why, these people are actually tearing down stuff and starting to rebuild already. Who woulda thought, I mean, the government’s not even there yet. FEMA’s not even there yet. They haven’t even gotten their disaster money yet, Mabel, look at those people. They’re already starting to rebuild.
Well, let’s go back to September 2nd, 2005, Hannity and Colmes. Remember when Colmes was on Hannity? Eight years ago. Wow. Anyway, Hannity and Colmes, and Shepard Smith was reporting live from the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And listen to this.
SMITH: Tonight, with their babies and their elderlies [sic], they need help that they’re not getting. That’s the fact in New Orleans tonight. People don’t know where to go now. They’re not being told where to go.
RUSH: They don’t know what to do. They got nowhere to go. They’re elderlies [sic] and their babies need help that they’re not getting. Now, Mister Broadcast Engineer, I want you to play sound bite 14 first and then sound bite 13 next, and I want you to play them back-to-back, with no interruption by me. The first will be Shepard Smith eight years ago in the Superdome, and then Shepard Smith yesterday in Moore, Oklahoma. Are you ready? Okay. Here it goes.
SMITH: Tonight, with their babies and their elderlies [sic], they need help that they’re not getting. That’s the fact in New Orleans tonight. People don’t know where to go now. They’re not being told where to go.
SMITH: It is impressive that literally 24 hours after this storm hit there are cleanup crews and teardown people, and they are working on every corner. It’s astounding how quickly they got started.
RUSH: What did he expect? The helplessness in New Orleans and the chaos of Sandy? This is the backbone of America where this happened. I know, I saw Wolf Blitzer. I’m watching Wolf Blitzer down there on CNN and he’s wearing his T-shirt underneath his dress shirt. You know, you do that when you go in a foreign country. You wear layers. You take your tie off, and you wear your checkered buttoned down button collar shirt and you open the collar and you have your white T-shirt visible in case you need to go in and ask for a hunting license you kind of look like a local.
So Shepard’s down there, and looking at him, and I’m wondering if he knows where he is, really, and if he had to get a visa or if he applied for one. Speaking of which, we got a Wolf sound bite here. Wolf must have heard we put together a montage yesterday of Oklahoma residents talking about prayer and giving thanks to God and all this. That was their immediate reaction. The media couldn’t believe it. So here’s Wolf. We’ve got a montage — let me take a break. I’m sorry. The first bite is the montage, and then Wolf’s reaction is next. I gotta take a break here, otherwise I’m gonna run out of time to do all this.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: All right, here’s the montage that we played yesterday. Oklahoma residents in Moore, Oklahoma, talking about what had happened to them.
MAN: My security isn’t in the things I own. My security is in the Lord.
WOMAN: The last thing we lose in a situation like this is faith. We have to hold onto faith and trust God every moment.
MAN: You salvage what you can salvage. You thank God that he has another plan for you.
MAN: I’m a believer in Jesus, and by the grace of God, me and my children are alive, and our house is — we can repair it.
WOMAN: We prayed that God would save our house. We also prayed that if God didn’t, he would get us through, and he will.
MAN: By the grace of God, it’s just amazing.
WOMAN: We know that God is good, and we know that there’s people out there who are still alive, and we’re gonna find ’em.
RUSH: Now it’s a good bet, folks, that the Drive-Bys listen to this program. Never admit it. They’ll get a rehash from Media Matters or what happens. But they listen to the program. They do. We know this. So Wolf must have heard this or heard about this, a bunch of religious people in Oklahoma, man, I mean everywhere you go, they’re thanking God and praying. That’s what they’re telling each other in the media, run into a bunch of God people there, you know, Christians, pro-lifers. You’re gonna run into ’em wherever you go. So Wolf, now, he gets down there and it’s time to start interviewing people. And he’s on the Situation Room last night, and he found a survivor, Rebecca Vitsmun, and during the interview they had this little exchange.
BLITZER: I guess you gotta thank the Lord, right? Do you thank the Lord for that split second decision?
VITSMUN: I’m actually an atheist.
BLITZER: Oh, you are? All right, don’t thank the Lord. (laughing)
VITSMUN: (laughing)
BLITZER: But you made the right call?
VITSMUN: Yeah, yeah, we are here and, you know, I don’t blame anybody for thanking the Lord.
BLITZER: Of course not.
RUSH: Look, folks, let me tell you, this is just too rich. So Wolf says, “I guess you gotta thank the Lord, right? You thank the Lord for that split second decision?”
Why would he say that? When is the last time Wolf’s asked anybody that? He had to have known that a lot of people in Oklahoma are thanking God. (imitating Wolf) “So you gotta thank the Lord, right? I mean, you gotta thank him.” He found the only atheist in Oklahoma, and he didn’t know it. “You gotta thank the Lord, right? I mean, you gotta thank the Lord for that split second –” “Well, actually I’m an atheist.” “Oh, you are? Oh. Oh. Cool. Okay. But you still made the right call.” “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we’re here, you know, I don’t blame anybody for thanking the Lord.” And Wolf: “No, of course not.” That’s just too rich.
He thinks everybody he talks to is all God, all the time. “Gotta thank the Lord, right?” “Well, actually, Wolf, I don’t believe in the Lord. I’m an atheist.” “Oh. Wow. Okay, cool. Well, still, you lucked out, right?”
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