One of my favorite segments in Newsweek is “The Dignity Index.” In the magazine’s words, this Index is “a weekly mathematical survey of dubious behavior that measures, on a scale of 1 to 100, just how low a person can go.”
The scale ranges from “mildly tacky” to “utterly shameless.”
In very fine print, below the index, one with good eyes or a good prescription can read: “The scores for the dignity index are a subjective and unscientific appraisal of people in the news and their public behavior.”
I generally agree with Newsweek’s selections for such “honors.”
Some of the “people in the news” recently scoring in the high “utterly shameless” range for their “public behavior” include:
* Ex-gov Rod Blagojevich for comparing himself to MLK, Gandhi, Mandela, Jimmy Stewart…
* Gossip Jockey Matt Drudge for posting a story about Prince Harry’s deployment in Afghanistan, “putting many lives, Harry’s among them, in danger.”
* Sen. Jim Bunning for publicly predicting that cancer-stricken Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be dead in “nine months”—and then misspelling her name in his letter of apology.
* Rep. Bobby Rush for using the word “lynch” to “halt any criticism of the black politician whom Blago picked to fill Obama’s Senate seat.”
* President Bush for “given a chance to atone for Katrina, his lowest moment, apologizes (but not really) for only one thing: landing Air Force One in the wrong place.”
* Phil Gramm for saying the U.S. is a “nation of whiners” and we’re in a “mental recession,” not an actual one.
The dubious honor of scoring a perfect 100 on the Dignity Index goes to Sen. John Edwards for “cheating on his cancer-stricken wife while running for president.”
Perhaps you’ll remember that last week, RNC Chair Michael Steele scored high in the “utterly shameless” category for becoming “the latest GOPer to slash Rush Limbaugh and then beg for forgiveness within 24 hours.” (I must humbly admit to having correctly predicted this one—I have already publicly patted myself on the back for it here).
This week, no one scored in the “utterly shameless” category. But, “Bush spin doctor” Ari Fleischer did manage to score a 51 in the “truly undignified” category for “still—still!—pushing the myth that Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11, saying on ‘Hardball’ that war in Iraq was necessary to stop him from hitting us ‘again.'”
I have the perfect candidate for next week’s “Dignity Index;” a candidate very deserving of scoring “way up” in the “utterly shameless” category.
It is “Fair and Balanced” Fox News’ Martha MacCallum who proudly showed a video segment, implying and misleading that Vice President Biden recently said the “fundamentals of the economy are strong.”
After the segment, MacCallum added: “All right, well the mantra for the weekend is clear, looking at what was said over the course of the shows on Sunday.”
Two problems.
First, the part with Joe Biden that was spliced into the segment was from last September, during the presidential campaign.
Second, Joe Biden was actually quoting Sen. John McCain’s well publicized statement that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.”
Fox News carefully edited the following words, in bold, (and images) out of what Joe Biden actually said.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that’s why John McCain could say with a straight face as recently as this morning and this is a quote, “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.” That’s what John said. He says that “We’ve made great progress economically in the Bush years.”
This should qualify Fox News for at least a 99 out of a 100 in the Index.
To view both videos—edited and unedited—please go to The Huffington Post.
Note: I understand that Fox News has apologized for the “error.”
