Duhbya and the pundits

Two things vividly on display on MSNBC's coverage of Duhbya's state of the escalation speech:

• From the beginning, Duhbya's goal in Iraq was to stay indefinitely in order to project American power throughout the region. This is still his number one goal.
  
• The media work in almost all cases to reinforce the conventional wisdom.

Duhbya triangulated his message, not his proposals. Rachel Maddow noticed the fakery of his empty offer to "come together" with both parties in Congress. (No doubt, some damn fool Democrats will be taken in.) He only wants them for photo ops, as always. The hundred years war in the Persian Gulf is already decided. Metric tons of concrete have already been poured. Duhbya's legacy will be a permanent deadly embrace.

Chris Matthews is irritating even when he takes positions I like. His function is blithering, impassioned statement of whatever the current trend is. There is no trend he can lead from core beliefs, also no bandwagon he will not leap eagerly aboard. He will never take responsibility for his past enthusiasms, no matter how badly they have now turned out. He will sneer at "mission accomplished" despite his drooling cheerleading for it. TV is ephemeral. So are Matthews's opinions. He expects us not to notice.

Where Matthews brings spittle and blather to his comments, Tim Russert tries to bring gravitas. But it's the kind of gravitas you might find in the Frasier Crane character at your own local bar - puffed up, self-serving, egotistical, and empty, but not nearly as funny as Kelsey Grammer.

Brian Williams is just an empty suit.

It's a wonder Keith Olbermann doesn't go nuts, surrounded by so many boneheads.