Rove: I’m Horrified That A News Network Would Be A ‘Cooperating Partner’

[Sandy Eggo]

Karl Rove apparently has has no sense of irony or truth, for that matter.

It seems his memory is somewhat selective when it comes to the relationship between television networks and the White House. In an interview on Faux News (surprised?) he claims that he is  "shocked!!!" that ABC is "partnering" with the White House in some upcoming broadcasts. According to the spinmeister, this is "unheard of" and "unprecedented" and seems to "forget" that Faux did it during the failed Bush years.

Think Progress calls him on it here.

[LOsborne]

Prior to airing the Bush special, Baier hosted a special on the famously-reclusive vice president entitled “Dick Cheney: No Retreat.” Fox billed it as “a rare glimpse into the life of the vice president” and aired the program Oct. 13, 2007. Similarly, on Oct. 30, 2007, Fox’s Greta Van Susteren was granted what she called “unprecedented access” to First Lady Laura Bush’s tour of the Middle East.

As Media Matters first noted, when Fox News’ Bret Baier was granted “unprecedented access” to the White House in Feb. 2008, the network billed it as a “documentary,” not an “infomercial.” Further, Fox was not only welcomed into the White House, but aboard Air Force One, to Bush’s ranch in Texas, and into the Oval Office. Baier introduced the “documentary” saying, “Fox News has been granted unprecedented access inside the President’s world. … It’s a President Bush you’ve never seen before.”

That's three examples of "unprecedented access" (two of them actually using the words) granted to Faux News during the Bush years.

It always amuses me that Rove thinks nobody remembers this stuff.