The CBS Evening Ruse

A couple years ago I was responsible for the "entertainment" at our Positive Action staff Christmas party. A couple of us had the idea to interview everybody on the staff, trying to get them to say less than complimentary things about public figures on video. Then we taped me asking questions about people on our staff at Positive Action. We then spliced the two tapes together, editing it to appear that the derogatory statements were actually made about our co-workers. It may sound mean, but it was actually pretty funny since everyone obviously knew what was going on.

Well, apparently that kind of creative editing now passes for mainstream journalism. Wednesday Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity reported to their dismay and mine that former special prosecutor Kenneth Starr said this about Republican attempts to circumvent judicial filibusters in an interview on Tuesday's CBS Evening News:

This is a radical, radical departure from our history and from our traditions, and it amounts to an assault on the judicial branch of government. It may prove to have the kind of long term boomerang effect, damage on the institution of the Senate that thoughtful senators may come to regret.

Then yesterday Limbaugh reported that CBS had actually pulled the same stunt I did—they edited Starr's comment to make it appear that he was criticizing the nuclear/consitutional option, when he was really criticizing the Democratic strategy of filibustering judicial nominees.

For more on Limbaugh's documentation, click here. As of yesterday afternoon, Hannity was anticipating an interview with Starr on today's show.