When Journalism Sucks Wet Farts from Dead Pigeons

When Jake Tapper ran a story suggesting that Bill Clinton suggested that slowing the economy of the developed nations would have to slow their economies to deal with global warming, when he was actually showing that such a strategy would not work.

Here is Bill Clinton's quote:

“And maybe America, and Europe, and Japan, and Canada — the rich counties — would say, ‘OK, we just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.’ We could do that.

But if we did that, you know as well as I do, China and India and Indonesia and Vietnam and Mexico and Brazil and the Ukraine, and all the other countries will never agree to stay poor to save the planet for our grandchildren. The only way we can do this is if we get back in the world’s fight against global warming and prove it is good economics that we will create more jobs to build a sustainable economy that saves the planet for our children and grandchildren. It is the only way it will work.”

(emphasis mine)

But Jake Tapper reported it thusly:

In a long, and interesting speech, he characterized what the U.S. and other industrialized nations need to do to combat global warming this way: “We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ’cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”

At a time that the nation is worried about a recession is that really the characterization his wife would want him making? “Slow down our economy”?

I don’t really think there’s much debate that, at least initially, a full commitment to reduce greenhouse gases would slow down the economy….So was this a moment of candor?

Remarkably hacktacular. In fact, it was so hacktacular that right wing blogs, such as The Corner on National Review Online, and Hot Air are criticizing Jake Tapper for being unfair to Bill Clinton.

When you have right wingers complaining that you are unfair to Bill Clinton, it is clear that you have jumped the shark.

H/t The Carpet Bagger Report