Decline of a Journalistic Malcontent
By Frank Salvato

It's always a sad, and sometimes an uncomfortable thing to see someone who was once at the pinnacle of their game try to remain long after their days at the top have gone. Show me someone who doesn't wince when they see an over-the-hill Hollywood elite trying to recapture their glory days. Such is the case with White House correspondent Helen Thomas.

Recently, in an impromptu interview with a NewsMax correspondent, Thomas, who has moved from front and center at White House press briefings to the back row because of her vocalized hatred for the president, ripped into both President Bush and Secretary of State Nominee Condoleezza Rice. To say the least, her criticism was vicious and unwarranted.

When queried about her thoughts on the results of the election past she said of President Bush, "My God, the man is a fascist – a fascist, I tell you."

The definition of fascism is: A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

One needs only to go through the definition description by description to easily refute Thomas' statement:

A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator: Dictators always get their way otherwise they torture, rape and kill those who oppose them. Hussein, Hitler and Stalin did it. The simple fact that Senate obstructionists were able to block President Bush's judicial nominees proves this point to be wrong. It should also be noted that President Bush is a strong supporter of states' rights. This too destroys Thomas's feeble allegation that the president is a fascist.

Stringent socioeconomic controls: President Bush believes in an ownership society, a free market and small business. So this aspect of Thomas' assertions must be coming from that "confused part" of her decaying gray matter.

Suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship: If President Bush is terrorizing anyone through censorship it was lost on those who piloted nearly 80 percent of the 527 attack groups this past election cycle, spearheaded by MoveOn.org, America Coming Together and The Media Fund. In fact, the argument can be made that it was this group of 527s, and Thomas herself, through their use of unfounded rhetoric, untrue statements, racism and liberal scare tactics, that were using terror as a tool to re-capture the White House for their liberal agenda. Isn't it always like the liberal-left to accuse their opponent of doing exactly what they are?

A policy of belligerent nationalism and racism: President Bush is a patriotic man, and with just cause. Our nation stands for freedom and the president appreciates that. He has withstood some incredibly vitriolic attacks from the liberal-left and the biased news media in order to bring democracy to two nations that once harbored regimes that thought nothing of filling mass graves with innocent victims and bilking billions of dollars from the international community. As for racism, that brings me to Thomas' comments about Condoleezza Rice.

When asked about Dr. Rice's nomination for Secretary of State Thomas said, "I tell you, the women is a monster, a monster, a monster…The lady is a goddamn liar."

Thomas accused Rice of lying to the president about WMD in Iraq when the world now knows it was George Tenet, a holdover from the Clinton Era, who completely dropped the ball with regard to US Intelligence and the dissemination of intelligence from around the world. She went on to say, without substantiation, that Rice's family had opposed Martin Luther King, not supported the civil rights movement, and in what was her most ridiculous claim, that Rice's family wouldn't even patronize black-owned stores.

In a past column of mine titled, "Hello Darkness My Old Friend," I suggested that Thomas' days as an objective reporter were finished due to her statement that President Bush was the "worst president ever." I backed up my contention by citing her repeated biased questioning of then White House Press Secretary Ari Fleisher. I stated that a woman who was once called the Dean of the Washington Press Corps had transformed herself into a "dilapidated old windbag." I now know I didn't go far enough.

Helen Thomas has no business calling herself a journalist anymore. She is fleecing her employer. She is a malcontent. She is a disgrace to her former profession. She owes both the president and Condoleezza Rice an apology. She has graduated from being a dilapidated old windbag to being a vitriolic troll and I will never apologize for the use of those words.

Frank Salvato is a political media consultant and managing editor for TheRant.us. His pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared on The O'Reilly Factor and numerous radio shows. His pieces have been recognized by the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention and are periodically featured in The Washington Times as well as other national and international publications.

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