Who is in charge at MSNBC?

There is a stench in the air emanating from the headquarters of MSNBC, the far left cable news network who proclaim themselves "The Place for Politics". While they fail to qualify this claim with the bent of their politics, their cacophonous cries, narrow-minded and blatantly biased, for prosecution of former Bush administration officials for what MSNBC proclaims war crimes related to the torture of terrorists captured in the current war exceeds what, by any stretch, could be considered objective journalism.

MSNBC´s concerted and unrelenting approach to the controversy is apparent on every news segment by every commentator of that segment. The likes of Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, and Keith Olbermann have seemingly made it a crusade rather than a news item subject to analysis. Fairness and objectivity has taken a back seat to simple, vapid and patently partisan reporting and commentary with the ultimate goal of goading the American public to support their crusade and bring pressure to bear on the current administration and the Democratic Congress to pursue a witch hunt and eventually imprison their former ´enemies´.

Even lightweights such as Nora O´Donnell, a midday pretty-face news talker with little of substance to offer viewers, on April 23rd hosted Dick Cheney´s daughter as an explainer of the terror memos and against the argument for prosecution of senior officials of the former administration for war crimes. The segment was nothing short of a setup, a trap set for the former VP´s daughter as a spokesperson for the Republican Party as Nora frequently talked over her guest and was rudely argumentative, disruptive and biased in conducting a so-called interview. Liz Cheney was more than a match for the obviously predetermined efforts to discredit her by the vacuous O´Donnell.

Much of this nefarious approach to journalism is not new to inarguably the most liberal of television cable news networks. They are long time haters of George Bush and Dick Cheney. Nightly for more than eight years, MSNBC commentators such as Olbermann bashed Republicans and Bush, especially, in vile and hate-filled diatribes. Maddow, an irritatingly cutesy and smug Olbermann look-alike, was late to join the fray in that she did not have her own show until September of last year. When she was ordained by Olbermann as a ´fellow traveler´ she quickly picked up the Bush-bashing gauntlet and still continues to carry it to this day on her nightly giggle-show.

The primary pursuers of this unsavory tact frequent their cable news shows with supporters such as the likes of card-carrying, leftist MoveOn.org spokespersons, Republican-hater Larry O´Donnell, Democrat strategist and clearly a left-leaning man of diminutive intellectual capability, Steve McMahon, and any number of like-minded characters of questionable intent, sleazy motives, and ´progressive´ political views.

The controversy has been a polarizing political football, fueled by Obama´s problematic release of government memo´s concerning interrogation tactics, abetted by Congressional Democrats such as the intellectually challenged but unfailingly partisan John Conyers, Jr. (MI) who would like nothing better than to assuage his Shylock-appetite for Republican flesh, and assisted by the bias of many mainstream media persons who smell blood in the water and are looking to capitalize on Republican weakness and obtain some measure of revenge for perceived injustices of the past by the Republican government of the Bush years.

MSNBC is the messenger for the left wing anti-American leftovers of the 60´s now in their influential and still active posture as well as misguided youngsters who swallow the Obama line of "America must do right whatever the consequences."

Obama cannot have it both ways: he cannot divulge American intelligence activities and tactics in this time of extreme danger while equivocating on the legal actions he may or may not initiate to prosecute those accused of wrong doing in the previous administration. Such nonsense will harm the very institution responsible for our protection – the CIA.

MSNBC, by allowing and perhaps encouraging their commentators, is nothing less than calling for, vociferously, a ´vigilance committee´ somewhere in or out of government - they could care less where - to enact revenge on Republicans, the higher ranking the better in their view. Seeing GW and Dick Cheney in chains would seemingly appease their blood lust even though it would be unjust, unwise, and even foolhardy to pursue such a divisive and unwarranted journey.

MSNBC would be well advised to heed that old adage that revenge is a dish best served cold. And perhaps they should revisit the basics of first-rate journalism espoused by the likes of their former mentor Tim Russert who, if still alive and in charge of that motley crew, would have them all in the woodshed for a refresher course on how to properly and effectively conduct themselves as members of the fourth estate.