kneepads-pw.jpgHey Fiery Doggie Folk! In between atta-boy/girls to Democratic Senators and do-the-right-thing calls to Republican ones, you might also want to call up (and out) some press folks about how they're pimping the GOP spin on this issue and pretty much everything else. And I can't wait to see how they're going to spin Harry Reid's setting aside the defense authorization bill (AND any of its weak-ass GOP amendments) until the Republicans stop the filibuster and allow an up-or-down vote on the Iraq pullout bill.

First, here's the opening grafs of AP writer Anne Flaherty's atrocity:

Democrats stage all-night debate on Iraq

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 32 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats made Republicans stand, talk and sit for marathon arguments against the protracted war in Iraq in an all-night session where the most eye-catching props were the beds brought in for the sleepy.

Republicans, indeed, responded with a yawn — agreeing to stay around as Tuesday turned to Wednesday and respond to any votes that might be scheduled even though they remained steadfast in their opposition to the Democrats' anti-war legislation.

"This is nonsense," said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.

Added Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., of his Democratic colleagues: "I bet I can stay up longer than they can."

Note that it's not about how the Republicans would rather filibuster than allow an up-or-down vote, but instead it's all about Those Mean Democrats Beating Up On Those Nice Republicans. The whole article is written that way.

Next up, Carl Hulse, pushing the myth that the GOP "moderates" are willing to break with Bush when (as TPM's Greg Sargent points out tartly) they've never ever voted against Bush on Iraq. (The WP's Harold Meyerson actually makes that point here, but his good sense will I'm sure be drowned out by whatever Fred Hiatt says in his contortionist WaPo editorial tomorrow.)

And here's the AP's Laurie Kellman, making sure, in the finest 'burying the lede' tradition, that the GOP spin (that this is all just silly theater on Reid's part) is in the first few grafs and the truth is buried waaaaaay at the end of her article (which most readers will skip).

Here's some contact information, courtesy of Media Matters. You know what to do. Be polite but firm; cussing at them just gives them an excuse to blow off our concerns and whine about "those meeeean internet people".

For Carl Hulse and the NYT:

The New York Times
Clark Hoyt, NY Times public editor
public@nytimes.com
letters@nytimes.com
executive-editor@nytimes.com
managing-editor@nytimes.com

For Anne Flaherty's and Laurie Kellman's bosses at AP:

Associated Press Associated Press
The Associated Press
450 W. 33rd St.
New York, NY 10001
Main Number +1-212-621-1500

And here's the contact info for CNN:
CNN
One CNN Center
Box 105366
Atlanta, GA 30303-5366
Phone: 404-827-1500
Fax: 404-827-1906