Nothing new in the Downing Street Memo? How about grounds for impeachment?

Nothing new in the Downing Street Memo? What's relatively new is the corporate medias role as apologists for The Empire and the far-right fanatics steering the ship of state into the iceberg of constitutional ruin. There was a time, not all that long ago, that the Fifth Estate served as a watchdog for citizens of the U.S. It was the journalists duty to ferret out those who would undermine the foundations of government. The recent blip on the media radar concerning the identity of Deep Throat reminds us just how powerful the msm once was, and rightfully so. The freedom of the press to shed light on those who threaten the public trust is enshrined in the Constitution. What happened?

Like bone-chilling science fiction, the worst nightmares of Orwell have come to pass. The offices of the Fifth Estate have been relocated to the Ministry of Truth. The corporate media proved to be nothing short of lapdogs for the Bush regime leading up to and into the invasion of Iraq. No news there, but after repeated displays of soul-searching and various ombudsman pieces confessing some of their sins of omission (if not outright propaganda), those alleged guardians of the public trust have once again backslide into their old ways and onto the lap of the Bush regime. The soft-peddling of the Downing Street Memo is only the most recent example.

Today's corporate coverage of the Conyers hearing in DC takes pains to point out that the event was "unofficial", but fails to tell us why. Could it be that the far-right death grip on Congress wouldn't allow Conyers an official hearing? Then there's the headlines: The New York Times chooses to inform us that "Anti-war groups" organized yesterday's hearing and subsequent rally across from the White House, thus lending more of an air of unofficial activity. But, the Washington Post allows that "Democrats" were the ones pulling the strings, never mind that actual members of Congress or folks with no political affiliation at all may have been involved. Finally, and far closer to reality, the BBC notes that actual "Congressmen" were involved in the events. Imagine that!

But, for those who read beyond the headlines the story in the corporate media remains: nothing new in the Downing Street Memo (or Minutes, if you desire). The "news" is this, dear journalists, dear guardians of the public trust: the present occupants of the White House committed impeachable offences and you have failed to report it. You now have an opportunity to redeem yourselves. Do your job.