On her Fox News prime-time show, she covers murder trials one minute and bailout money the next. On her popular blog, she posts almost hourly on most days and chats with viewers via Skype.
She responds to seemingly every perceived blemish — and lately there have been plenty. Her critics have questioned her husband’s advising of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska and portrayed Ms. Van Susteren as a spokeswoman of sorts for the governor and the governor’s husband, Todd. (But only because she is.)
Ms. Van Susteren has interviewed Ms. Palin three times, the first time during the candidate’s vice presidential campaign last fall. The weekend after the election, Ms. Van Susteren and her husband, John Coale, met the Palins at their home in Alaska for a widely promoted interview. Viewers also saw her on a snowmobiling ride with Ms. Palin’s husband. ("Hit more of those bumpy things Mr. Palin, I LOVE the bumpy things!")
While there, Mr. Coale, a prominent trial lawyer who helped lead the tobacco litigation of the 1990s, talked to Ms. Palin about her legal bills and advised her to start a political action committee. “I started the PAC for her over the next month or two, and helped start a legal defense fund for her. That’s about it,” Mr. Coale said last week. “I never advised her on any politics or anything like that.” ("Gee I just set up a method for her to get tons of money to use anyway she sees fit and helped set up a legal fund to help her keep Levi Johnston from seeing his baby or going public with the dirt he has on the Palins. How is that very much help really?")
Mr. Coale’s assistance to Ms. Palin, first reported by The Washington Post in March, prompted questions about the couple’s combination of journalistic and political work.
Many news organizations have policies that discourage or prohibit staff members from covering events to which their spouses are connected. (But that is only for REAL news organizations, and how could that possibly include FOX News?) Last week, the news Web site Politico said that Mr. Coale had also suggested to Ms. Palin that she forge an alliance with Hillary Rodham Clinton by using the PAC to help pay down Mrs. Clinton’s campaign debts. (And right after that Mr. Coale decided to teach pigs to fly!)
In an interview, Ms. Van Susteren defended her husband’s work, calling him “almost a quintessential citizen” who had encouraged politicians to “reach across the aisle.” She said she had had only one private conversation with Ms. Palin. “I don’t have a relationship with her,” she said. “It’s not like people think (know) it is.”
She said that conversation occurred three weeks ago when the governor called to cancel her trip to Washington for the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner. On the recommendation of an executive at Fox, Ms. Van Susteren had invited the Palins, a hot booking for the celebrity-studded dinner.
Mr. Palin still traveled to Washington and worked the party circuit with Ms. Van Susteren, prompting Politico to call her his “handler” after she told a reporter that his presence at a garden party was off the record. (She felt it was good manners to intercede because it was a social event, she said.) (Yeah a famous "social event" which included virtually every reporter in Washington. Why would she expect them to want to ask Todd Palin any questions?)
Bill Shine, the executive vice president for programming, expressed little concern about the ties. “There are always some sort of, let’s just say, unique relationships that happen when you live in Washington,” he said in a telephone interview. “It’s the culture of that town.”
He said Ms. Van Susteren did “not necessarily” have to disclose on television that her husband had worked with Ms. Palin.
Some critics have accused Ms. Van Susteren of playing favorites with Ms. Palin. David Zurawik, a longtime television critic for The Baltimore Sun, wrote that she had conducted “cotton-candy interviews” of Ms. Palin. ("Cotton-candy interviews". Oh I love that term!)
In an interview, he called Mr. Coale’s work “an extension of what Greta’s doing on the air.”
“They’re her champions or her defense attorneys,” Mr. Zurawik said.
Okay let's cut through the bullshit shall we? There is absolutely NO doubt that Greta and her husband are covering for, and promoting, Sarah Palin and her family. From the "cotton-candy" interviews she has conducted with Sarah and Bristol, to the bulldog like defense of Palin whenever she perceives her idol is under some attack, it should be clear to EVERYBODY that the Susteren/Coates team are completely smitten with the Palins.
Add to that Mr. Coales fawning attention over Sarah, and the fact that you can actually see Greta's granny panties getting moist every time she is near Todd, and you have the makings for one of the creepiest parasitic relationships in political history.
Um, so thanks alot for that mental image of Greta's "delicates"-- but you are right, Greta sure does have a thing for Todd's "bumpys!"
ReplyDelete*goes to scrub brain out with bleach*
Palin/Van Susteren 2012!
ReplyDeletethat is a bit too much information!
ReplyDeleteGryphen, the panties comment is awful. How old are you? really it sound nasty like something a lonely, bitter, crass, creepy, really old man would say.
ReplyDeleteWould you omit that comment about the effect of TP on Greta? it is not worth it.
I think the very telling statement is this one: " On the recommendation of an executive at Fox, Ms. Van Susteren had invited the Palins [to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner]." Did you realize that's where Palin's invite came from until now? I didn't. Plus, it obviously wasn't own GVS's decision to invite the Palins; she did it "on the recommendation of an executive at Fox." I don't doubt Murdock's hand is behind all of this. I think HE (and his fellow neocon travelers) are pushing Palin. GVS is just a lackey.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain to me the story of Bill Clinton trying to contact Sarah Palin. When was this and why on earth would he want anything to do with Sarah Palin?
ReplyDeleteThe other thing that I find facinating is that Todd Palin has never accomplished anything of significance in his life. Nothing. Nada.
Anon@5:47 PM, I know that it's too much to expect real journalist objectivity at Fox News, but I saw the tape of GVS interviewing Sarah. When Todd enters, GVS goes all gushy and school girl, objectivity be damned. "Oh, Todd, are we going out on your snow machine?" The best imitation would be Gilda Radner's loopy teenaged character gushing over Bill Murray's Todd, "Oh, Todd!" There's no crying in baseball, and there's no gushing on a news show.
ReplyDeleteKeep the damp panties, by all means... it makes your point like nothing else does. Oh, and Anonymous @ 5:47 pm, if you read Grypen's profile you'd know that he is in his forties and darling as all getout!
ReplyDeleteWow, you think Greta has a thing for Todd? I'm convinced she has a thing for Sarah. Just look at the way she lights up when she's around her.
ReplyDeleteSo please tell me we're getting a babygate update soon. I'm dying here. I thought it would be so poetic for this to have kicked off on Labor Day and End on Memorial Day.
Laundering instructions Greta's undies: Rinse, Repeat.
ReplyDeleteAs long as she keeps promoting Murdoch's agenda, (and his girl), she stays at 10 p.m. and the younger Legally Blonde 'reporter' (gag reflex working here), Megyn what's her name, doesn't move in for the kill. Looks like Greta's gotten herself wedged between that darned rock and a hard place.
Gryphen: While the moist granny panties remark is "abrupt", after much consideration, this 65 yr old LIKES IT !
ReplyDeleteSorry, people, but desperate times call for desperate measures and sometimes you just gotta slam your cards on the table and call a spade a shovel.
I have wondered for some time if the Palins and Van Susterns are "swingers" and the matchinig tuxedo outfits worn by Todd and Gretta at the big dinner were just toooooooo obvious. I would think that Greta matching her attire to what she knew Todd would be wearing would put her on Palin's enemies list and I bet it HAS !
I mean, come on, Todd and Greta looked like those couples that wear t shirts saying stuff like, "I'm with her" and an arrow pointing off to the side while the other shirt says, "I'm with him."
It was like couples who wear identical Hawaiian shirts when out together etc.
These are nasty people we are dealing with and sometimes you got to get down to their level.
YOU GO GRYPHEN AND IN THE FAMOUS WORDS OF JOHN WAYNE, " NEVER APOLOGIZE, IT'S A SIGN OF WEAKNESS." :)
Oh, come on people don't encourage him. your comments are great but really, I read the line again and got all serious again, can't believe how bad it sounds...no, Gryphen ,nooo...please change the line.
ReplyDeleteForever.
I mean, come on, Todd and Greta looked like those couples that wear t shirts saying stuff like, "I'm with her" and an arrow pointing off to the side while the other shirt says, "I'm with him."
ReplyDeleteSorry onejrkitty you did NOT get this right. How dare you?
The T-shirts would say "I'm with stupid."
The story is good until the last paragraph. It shows no class. Really, Gryphen, I think it is beneath you.
ReplyDeleteProblem child i know Gryphen is not old. just wanted for him to hear how bad it sounded to ME. and he always listens to me(i think).
ReplyDeleteForever.
Van Susteren essentially proves that objective journalism is dead. It's all just entertainment nowadays. Money and ratings rule all.
ReplyDeleteRemember the days when reporters actually did some serious investigating? When people would actually talk about a 60 Minutes story the next day at work?
The media as we used to know it is officially dead.
onejrkitty, when I saw that picture of Todd Palin (calling him TP is just a bit unfortunate for Anonymous@5:47 -- makes me think of toilet paper) in his spiffy tuxedo, and GVS next to him in a she-tuxedo, I have to admit the first thought that went through my mind was, "same sex couple". I thought GVS looked an awful lot like Ellen DeGeneres.
ReplyDeleteImagine GVS with a close cut 'do, like Rachel Maddow, instead of the bleached-blonde bob.
I think that long hair is compensating for something. Or the lack of something. Sorta like Ann Coulter's long locks -- and enormous feet and adam's apple.
As for Coale? A father figure, no doubt.
Oh poof! I think the comment is funny. Also, it captures how inappropriate their whole relationship is. Yes, I DO think John & Greta are swingers.
ReplyDeletewell I think this is creepy......Gretta putting her hands on the theighs of Clinton and Bush Sr.......ewwww! how unprofessional.
ReplyDeletehttp://texas4palin.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-gov-palin-is-reaching-out-to.html
lol Anon 5:47 ....really? It's funny...and appropriate too. We aren't children and it is not something we haven't heard before.
ReplyDeleteLaurie