Wednesday, September 18, 2013

On Fox News, Assad Tells Kucinich 15,000 Syrian Soldiers Killed, 85% of Rebels Jihadists, Charlie Rose Left in Dust


By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 18 -- It was surreal, when Dennis Kucinich for Fox News interviewed Syria's President Bashar al Assad. His questions got Assad to say that 15,000 government soldiers have been killed, and to estimate that now 80 to 90 percent of rebels are jihadists. Did Charlie Rose get that?

Fox, so often skeptical of the UN, had its reporter Greg Palkot asking questions as if any UN report is credible. It was as if Oil for Food, and more recently the UN's self-exoneration of bringing cholera to Haiti, never happened.

In the introduction it was argued that Kucinich was not there as a Fox journalist. But he asked the first questions, better than Charlie Rose did. He pushed Assad to acknowledge that Syria has chemical weapons. He brought up Gaddafi, if only by reference, a virtual sub-tweet.

Then Greg Palkot, whose presence in Syria Inner City Press tweet-covered back on Sunday, got into the specifics of a Chapter 7 resolution at the UN. Assad said, that is up to the great powers. He was focused on the OPCW process, saying it might take up to a year. But he said he would provide all the information. Others are sure to agree. But to what end? Watch this site.