TPM Reader L chimes in on Scholastic …

On the more mundane matter of Scholastic … just as with ABC affiliates, the best pressure is financial. This dKos diary quotes a Scholastic sales rep as saying that pressure on the school districts not to buy Scholastic products would get their attention in a hurry. It recommends contacting school districts to complain about Scholastic and urge a boycott of Scholastic material, and then letting Scholastic know about it.

Bob Corker, Republican candidate for senate in Tennessee, still hasn’t agreed to debate Harold Ford on Meet the Press.

WSOC in Charlotte is sending out the ABC Network press release to viewers.

The response from WCVB, the ABC Boston affiliate …

Thank you for contacting us regarding the ABC special, “The Path to 9/11.”

This Sunday and Monday WCVB-TV Channel 5 will air ABC’s commercial-free broadcasts of “The Path to 911. On Monday, Part Two will be followed by a special edition of “Primetime Live,” an electronic town meeting.

We will forward your concerns to the ABC Network, since they are still in the final edit of the program.

The following disclaimer will air throughout the movie:
“The following movie is a dramatization that is drawn from a variety of sources including the 9/11 Commission Report and other published materials, and from personal interviews. The movie is not a documentary. For dramatic and narrative purposes, the movie contains fictionalized scenes, composite and representative characters and dialogue, as well as time compression.”

ABC further states, “The events that lead to 9/11 originally sparked great debate, so it’s not surprising that a movie surrounding those events has revived the debate. The attacks were a pivotal moment in our history that should never be forgotten and it’s fitting that the discussion continues.”

From talk shows to internet blogs, the discussions about “The Path to 911” have generated much heat, but precious little light. It is interesting to note that viewers, who have been kind enough to contact us directly, arise from two distinct camps: pro-President Bill Clinton and pro-President George W.Bush. That is correct — both sides have been complaining.

Having reviewed a copy of this mini-series, the management at Channel 5 feels strongly that viewers should decide for themselves the merits of this movie. Unfortunately, there is plenty of blame to go around – Republican, Democrat, government official and everyday citizen.

Neil Ungerleider | Assistant News Director | WCVB | 5 TV Place Needham MA 02494

Also of note, a lot of stations, like the ABC affiliate in Cleveland, seem to be fibbing to their viewers, claiming that they have no choice but to air the movie, even though that’s not true, since they are independent ABC affiliates.

Okay, I guess that’s his final answer. Tennessee GOP senate candidate Corker categorically refuses to debate Harold Ford on Russert’s Meet the Press.

TPM Reader RF on the Gitmo shell game …

I don’t think Bush’s political gamesmanship with the transfer to Gitmo of the 14 prisoners is such a big deal. Clever, yes, but not “spectacular ambush” or “best maneuvers of his presidency”: (1) Bush’s trustworthiness is still below 50%, so there’s fertile ground for Dems to argue that he’s once again manipulating events for political advantage – if they’ll only say so (unlike Pelosi’s tepid response yesterday) (2) The big issue is still Iraq – Dems should be saying this, too.

The really big issue is Bush’s incompetence. Why the Dems haven’t made this a theme in this election – in fact, a constant theme since 2002 – escapes me. Like Charlie Brown, everything he touches gets ruined. Dems should have an obsession about reminding people in detail how much Bush knew, or was in a position to know, about 9/11 (or Iraq/Katrina/deficit …) and then rhetorically asking how any more knowledge could improve things. To get specific about the congressional elections, Representative X (or Senator Y) should point out how Repubs in both houses of congress have refused oversight and accountability. Just my $0.02.

RF is right on in noting that most people no longer trust the president. And that is very fertile ground.

Clinton spokesman calls ABC and Disney “despicable” for airing 9/11 docudrama.

GOP Push-pollers parachute in to New Hampshire to help embattled GOP Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-NH).

Asia Times: “With a truce between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad now in place, the Pakistani government is in effect reverting to its pre-September 11, 2001, position in which it closed its eyes to militant groups allied with al-Qaeda and clearly sided with the Taliban in Afghanistan. While the truce has generated much attention, a more significant development is an underhand deal between pro-al-Qaeda elements and Pakistan in which key al-Qaeda figures will either not be arrested or those already in custody will be set free.”

Fighting them in Iraq because we’re afraid to fight them in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A change in tune: Educational giant Scholastic got spanked by Media Matters and others for producing flimsy classroom materials to accompany ABC’s controversial “Path to 9/11” docudrama.

The company just announced they’re pulling the old materials — and producing new ones that stress issues including media literacy. Sample question: “What are the differences between factual reporting and a dramatization?”