Local Dope Skews Facts

Count yourself among the fortunate if you are unfamiliar with Baltimore radio personality, and preening conservative hack, Rob Dougals.

Today, full of his usual hot air and bluster, Mr. Douglas declared himself disgusted by continuing media coverage of the Iraqi prisoner abuse. In fact, Mr. Douglas said, he turned on CNN yesterday at 2:00 expecting to hear about the brutal murder of Nicholas Berg and was instead shocked to discover Abu Ghraib was again leading the news. Blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of the blame America first crowd, he assured listeners.

However, a brief look at the transcript from Thursday's "Live From," which occupies the 2:00 PM on CNN, shows otherwise. It reveals Douglas is being very selective with the information he provides listeners. For instance, Mr. Douglas failed to mention that a surprise visit to Abu Ghraib by Donald Rumsfeld was the reason for the prison leading the 2:00 hour at CNN.

KYRA PHILLIPS: We begin this hour with a day trip to Baghdad. With zero notice and almost as little fanfare, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chair Richard Myers hit the ground walking today at Baghdad International Airport. Rumsfeld denied they came, quote, "to throw water on a fire." But they did attempt to pump up the spirit of some potentially demoralized soldiers.

In addition, and truly making Douglas's claim look foolish, this is what led the prior hour on CNN.

KYRA PHILLIPS: Up first this hour, al-Zarqawi in action? The CIA now says the hooded figure seen beheading Nicholas Berg in that grainy Internet video, probably was the well known terror instigator, Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, that's not a unanimous conclusion. CNN's David Ensor weighs in on the state of that investigation -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, CIA officials say that having done a technical analysis of that tape, looking closely at it, listening to it, and comparing the tape with others, they now believe most likely that is the voice of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the well-known terrorist, head of a group that's been terrorizing Westerners in Iraq for some time now, wanted in more than a score of incidents and wanted in the murder of an American diplomat in Amman, Jordan.

Being a right wing shill is so much easier when you don't let facts get in the way...