Alone among networks, Fox News gives Bush homecoming cheer

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Bush administration officials sometimes let it be known that they stuck with Fox News for their informational needs. And on Tuesday, Fox News returned the favor, even as the rest of Washington remained gripped by Obama fever. 

Late Tuesday afternoon, Fox News was the only major national TV outlet that carried a live telecast of former President Bush's homecoming speech to cheering supporters in Midland, Texas.

"Sometimes what I did wasn't popular," a smiling Bush told the crowd. "But that's OK. I always did what I thought was right."

The rest of the networks, however, did not see the Bush address as news fit to broadcast. At 6:40 p.m. EST, MSNBC was in the middle of "Hardball," with host Chris Matthews and guests batting around the meaning of Obama's swearing-in. CNN was carrying live ongoing coverage of the final moments of the inaugural parade, with the Obamas beaming from the White House reviewing stand.

The broadcast networks likewise did not cover the Bush speech. At least in Los Angeles, both KCBS-Channel 2 and KNBC-Channel 4 had returned to regular syndicated programming ("Judge Judy" and "Deal or No Deal"). KABC-Channel 7 was airing local news.

-Scott Collins 

Comments

[Ann Swartz]

Too bad for you liberals that you can't have FOX News. They are not slanted. They are what you would call, what's that word?, oh yes OBJECTIVE!!!!. They are the only news channel that is OBJECTIVE. I learned that word in my journalism courses in college. Liberals have CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and all the print newspapers that are still around. The way President Bush was treated is disgusting. He was a good, sincere and honest man who I could see loved our country and everyone seemed to think the same on Sept. 12, 2001. Impeached pres. clinton who did NOTHING gets more respect. You libs just keep drinking the koolaid....

[Chris J]

"At 12 noon bush stopped being the story, no one cares what he does or says.
He is no longer 'news' and since he has the lowest approval ratings of any President he will never be news again." - Mark

Two word answer to this drivel - "Bill Clinton".

"The has left huge dark stain on the nation, a stain that will take decades to fade." - Mark

As opposed to a blue dress...

"He is now gone, the nation and the world can breath once more and begin to repair the damage of the last 8 years of bush and the last 12 years of republican/neocon malfeasance and crime." - Mark

12 years? Clinton was a neocon?

I thank-you president Bush for your service and doing what you thought was right. I didn't agree with everything you did, but you were still better than the "slow motion train wreck" that this administration is going to be. Fox news gives the best balanced coverage and I now refuse to watch anything else.

RIP 2008 major media broadcast journalism.

Chris J

[Jim]

I find it amazing that people think Obama is such the high quality speaker. He has more "um's" and unnecessary pauses when he speaks, it's horrible. Granted, Bush was not that fluent, either....but then again, you never really heard the herds of people praising his ability to speak.

And when Obama speaks, it is like being preached at the Victory Outreach Church. Ick.

[Teresa k]

It saddens me deeply that a nation that was once PROUD and EDUCATED, has sunk so low. I can not believe the amount of hatred and stupidity that is written here.

President George W Bush was handed a horrible mess by his predecessor, Clinton, an IMPEACHED man who shamed the office of president. Clinton and Gore could have prevented the attacks on 9/11, but they chose to look the other way.

President Bush had a mess to clean up; he handled the attacks on 9/11 with resolve and he held a hurting nation together. How quickly people forget.

If I hear one more liberal whine about New Orleans, I will scream. They made their own mess, the rest of us have been cleaning up THEIR MESS FOR YEARS NOW. President Bush did the best that he could with Katrina. Stop your whining, get out of your own way, and move forward. Those of us who live in Florida, can clean up our own mess after a major catastrophe, so move on.

Regarding the economy...greed...greed...greed. Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, the morons at Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac...all got their hands caught in the till, but nobody cares because they just sweep it under the rug and blame Bush.

Lets see, hmmm, I "overlooked" paying my income tax for many years, oh, Sorry...yea, it works that way for you and me...NOT...but if you are whining Demoncrat socialist, no problem.

Washington is a cesspool...Rangle, Jackson, Sharpton..all theives. Add Ted Kennedy, a MURDERER, nice bunch of folks.

We are watching...Obama (UH, DID YOU FORGET YOU ARE HALF WHITE, YOU KNOW, THE SIDE OF THE FAMILY THAT RAISED YOU) and Biden (PLAGERIST)

We will give you a while to see what you do, that is what educated, nice people do. TOLERANCE is a word that the LIBS need to learn.

[MadgeOwens]

Let me just say George Bush and the entire Bush Family is a class act. The Obama Administration so far has shown NO CLASS whatsoever! Just look th Rahm Emmanuel thumbing his nose at the Innauguration , Obama screwed up his oath and Biden must make snide remarks about the Chirf Justice, again NO CLASS. Our country has a majority if ignorant morons and this is why we have a lot to worry about. Presdient Bush was and is a Class Act!
Those morons booing him yesterday will rue the day, mark my words!

[Outseln]

When will it be time to stop kicking President Bush..............when? do you want to take this to the grave.................let it go now.................you have Obama to play with so go play.

Give it up the show is over now...........let the man alone.

PLEASE.

[Helen M. Snyder]

In all of my 78 years, I do not believe that I have ever read such hatred, name calling, etc;
Some who say that Bush was the worst, perhaps they do not remember the Carter era. Please read about it.
I live twenty miles from where Bush landed yesterday. I have not always been conservative, but the last few years made it for me. Clinton did the rest.
I had the privilege to meet Gov. and Mrs. Bush a few years back. I have never met more gracious and loving people. Perhaps some of you with your hatred should try meeting people personally before your hatred eats you alive. And it will.
I did not vote for Obama. But, I will certainly wait to see what he does and his Clinton Administration. You see, he truly, without any experience, had no one to call on other that these people who served in the Clinton Administration. We shall see what the next four years bring us. I will refrain from calling him names, etc; until that time comes when he makes his "mistakes" As of yesterday when the oath was fluffed...had that been Bush, it would have been twelve inch headline news. Believe me. I thank President Bush for his eight years of serving this country. And like yesterday, he said "he never governed by polls"...for all you left leaning liberals, you would do yourselves a great service to read, listen, etc; to others. You are not always "right". Different opinions serve to make things go a little smoother.

[MKosmas]

The treatment President Bush received as he left office was shameful, my what the rest of the world thought about us with those ignorant people that displayed such horrible behavior. Bush was not to blame for everything. If you are going to blame, blame wall street...and the lenders of this country....our country is in dire strates because of GREED...

[Chacmool]

So Fox is the mouthpiece for the Republicans?
What does that make MSNBC with the smarmy "everyone else is the worse, except those who of course agree with ,and think like us, " Olberman and Maddow, the NYTimes, C.B.S.'s Katie Couric, the disgraced Dan Rather, the 'we're sick of Alaska" Maureen Dowd.

Oh, and what does UberCool Mr. O, now "Commander in Chief", do for his first immediate act to protect us in the war on terror, (that I know doesn't really exist to the liberals who elected him)? Shut down Gitmo. Nothing like listening to the A.C.L.U for political and judicial guidance.
Maybe we can send the rest of the detainee terrorists to Chicago on a work release program to do community organizing?

[Jacques Traynham]

I'm glad they didn't put that loser on t.v..

I'm glad he's off t.v. until he goes to the hague as a "War Criminal"

that's only next time i hope too see ol' W. bush!

[Robert]

The MSM has their pet in the white house, now be nice and let them play.

[Clark]

You idiots who say this has nothing to do with journalism, well, you're just idiots. Whoever the outgoing President or incoming Presidents are, you cover them on inauguration day. And yes, the networks covered President Clinton's long-winded speech in 2001 when he was leaving. So lets just be fair and cut the crap.

[Andy]

You have to admit that the fact that anybody would come out and cheer Bush is newsworthy. So I don't necessarily blame Fox news for covering the story; I think it's important that we know the level of pathology that still exists within the state of Texas. Although not directly reported on Fox news, It's my understanding that they served Kool-Aid at the event!

[Tired of the Divisiveness]

When will everyone settle down and stop carping at each other as "liberals" and "conservatives". There is something appealing that we all are citizens of the United States.

I am not a Bush fan but I don't feel media coverage of his Midland speech was a "slight". The country was participating in the inauguration of the new President.

The hate that fills these boards/messages is just a waste of energy and time.

As for faux news..................you can't say its unbiased news and keep a straight face, or can you?

[jc]

Soon, Mr Obama will free all of the misunderstood gentlemen in Guantamo Bay, and replace them with Bush. We will be able to celebrate. Oh, we will be so safe. All praise the Great Messiah. He has frozen pay rates for his staff. Oh, now the economy will rebound from it's 300 point historical drop on inauguration day. The Great One has spoken, I can no longer type as I bow my head. Whoops, I hope Bush is not reading this or he may torture me. I have no more rights. Bush took them all. Oh please save me Mr Obama. We love you. The terrorist wants to be our friend. Please talk to them. Send them love and peace, and tell them what a bad man GB was.

[FINALLY!]

Well, while the historic inauguration was going on (on the West Coast between 9 am and 10am), our local Faux News radio station did not deem it important enough to cover it.
Instead, they broadcast 'Ask Dr. Laura'! (Don't know if it was live or canned...)

[Marty Gorban]

>>HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH Of course. Fox stands alone in it's support of the War Criminal.

>>Posted by: Scy <<

Scy, it's because of this "war criminal" that you can sit here and type this brilliant remark in freedom and safety.

We have not been attacked since 9/11.

But the Twin Towers basement was bombed under Clinton, who was too involved with a cigar and a blue dress to notice. And too involved kowtowing to whiners, for political gain, to understand what worthless mortgages can do to the taxpayers. Hope you have gold in your mattress. Lots of gold.

[Pandapoo]

It’s disheartening how un-American many Americans can be. Those that finally have what they wanted in a president still can’t show little class and let the outgoing president have his last few moments. Four to eight years from now when Obama leaves office I can bet the crude words won’t be written and disrespect for the position of the presidency said in the manner it has for Bush. When Fox news covers Obama’s exit how many here complaining will do so then? *crickets*

I believe the mainstream media has done far more harm to this country than Bush. “We the people” did not vote for a president the mainstream media did that for us and we foolishly believe otherwise. Liberal Hollywood played a part as well however the most blame in my opinion goes to Americans for many did little to be fully informed and voted like crazed teens at a Miley Cyrus concert.

I have to give the liberal left credit for every attempt to demonize Bush succeeded and anything Obama does in the next four years that doesn’t better the country we will be reminded of the last eight years. I want Obama to succeed but if he makes mistakes I wonder if he will be scrutinized to the extreme Bush was.

[CharlesD]

There is no cure for Bush Derangement Syndrome. Not even a new president can cure it. If one of you ignorant liberals could actually say something with some facts to it, maybe someone would take you seriously. Its funny people claim that Fox News was biased in favor of Pres Bush, but ignore the lopsided favorable love affair that the rest of the mainstream media has had with Barak Obama since his name first came up. By the way, Faux is pronounced like Foe, not Fox, morons.

[neocon57]

Michael Savage is right...liberalism is a mental disorder!