by Mark Silva
When President Barack Obama delivered his nationally televised address about his deployment of additional troops to Afghanistan -- and also the setting of a date to start a withdrawal -- he had about 8.5 million people following him on major cable networks.
FOX News Channel, the No. 1-rated network in cable news, led the night: With 4,554 million people viewing the president's address last night on FOX News, according to Nielsen Media Research, 2,349 million tuning in on CNN and 1.56 million on MSNBC.
We think we might know which network Sarah Palin was watching.
And apparently she liked what she saw. Most of it, anyway.
"Three months ago, I joined a number of Americans in urging President Obama to provide the resources necessary to achieve our goals in Afghanistan,'' Palin wrote on her Facebook page last night. "Tonight, I am glad he mostly heeded that advice.
"At long last, President Obama decided to give his military commanders much of what they need to accomplish their mission in Afghanistan.
"This approach means, as Sen. John McCain has noted, that 'we now have an opportunity to build a bipartisan consensus in support of a vital national security priority: defeating al-Qaida and its violent extremist allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and ensuring that these countries never again serve as bases for terrorist attacks against America and our allies.'"
But Palin, apparently, is no happier about the president's timeline for starting a draw-down of troops than McCain is. The GOP's 2008 White House ticket, which has had certain differences in recent weeks surrounding Palin's Going Rogue account of how that campaign was conducted, agrees on this:
"Talk of an exit date also risks sending the wrong message,'' Palin wrote at her Facebook Notes. "We should be in Afghanistan to win, not to set a timetable for withdrawal that signals a lack of resolve to our friends, and lets our enemies believe they can wait us out.
"As long as we're in to win,'' Palin concluded, "and as long as troop level decisions are based on conditions on the ground and the advice of our military commanders, I support President Obama's decision.''
Oh, and FOX's panel of commentators also drew an audience last night -- with a surge in viewership that reached 5.2 million in the post-speech analysis.





Comments
Yeah, and the frontrunner for the Repub Prez nomination knows how to give a good press conference too.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HEFmFOlSaQ
.
Posted by: former Republican | December 2, 2009 5:07 PM
Sarah is just like me. I hate it when my Gulfstream jet isn't cleared for takeoff before I've had my mani-pedi and stress-relieving scalp massage.
.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-29/palins-bus-hoax/full/
Posted by: Steven VK | December 2, 2009 5:16 PM
Palin and the rest of the Faux news viewing dolts will never learn because they, like most Republicans, are idiots. They are losers in life, destined to live in their delusionary world where their little padded room provides a safe haven from the negros, women and others who scare them and make them wet their pants on a daily basis.
Posted by: ComeAsYouAre | December 2, 2009 5:44 PM
Ahhhh, all the nice, little snide comments from "objective journalist" Mark Silva toward his true love, Sarah Palin. and the news network that blows his outlets away in viewership.
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | December 2, 2009 5:50 PM
*********************
Posted by: John D, still right, as usual | December 2, 2009 5:50 PM
*********************
Hey Lil Johnny Turtleman,
If the media is really "librul" like you dittoheads claim then why do you and your fellow wingnutters start running around with your hair on fire in opposition every time the Fairness Doctrine is brought up for discussion?
You'd be begging for the Fairness Doctrine if there really was a "librul media" like you nutjobs claim.
Go take a shower Johnny boy, you're stinking up the place again.
Posted by: janet | December 2, 2009 6:47 PM
...and the news network that blows his outlets away in viewership.
posted by Johnny Dandruff
____________________
Let's edit out that second line as extraneous.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | December 2, 2009 7:06 PM
Not a good sign:
When you're spending more time covering news outlets than covering the news itself.
Posted by: ornery | December 2, 2009 10:22 PM
Here you go Libs:
Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric -- and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught.
One can hardly blame the West Point leadership. The academy commanders did their best to ensure that Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama's speech would be well-received.
Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond "enthusiastically" to the speech. But it didn't help: The soldiers' reception was cool.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,664753,00.html
______________________________
And Rumsfeld today called Obama out on his lie but, that is not picked up by the MSM. Here you go Libs:
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday lashed out at President Obama for claiming the Bush administration rebuffed commanders' repeated requests for more troops in Afghanistan.
In a rare break in his public silence since leaving the Pentagon, Rumsfeld rejected the claim as a "bald misstatement" and "disservice" that cannot go unanswered.
"Such a bald misstatement, at least as it pertains to the period I served as secretary of defense, deserves a response," Rumsfeld said in a written statement. "I am not aware of a single request of that nature between 2001 and 2006."
_____________________________
The WH lies keep coming.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | December 2, 2009 10:56 PM
And Obama watches MSNBC, and has Olberman and Maddox as personal guests, and your point is?
There is a much scarier and frightful situation where the president of the US goes to war against a news outlet and invites the rivals news outlet to a personal meeting.
Here's an idea Silva, stop campaigning against Palin and do some hard journalism on the guy that is in power.
Posted by: Free to Watch a Fake News Channe | December 3, 2009 2:09 AM
___________________________________________
Here you go Libs: The WH lies keep coming.
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | December 2, 2009 10:56 PM
___________________________________________
Clown in DC,
Here you go Libs......what?
Do you really think that we give a damn that you cut and pasted an article from a right wing nutbag that you agree with?
And Rummy? Nothing makes me happier as a Dem than having one of the Bush/Republican war criminals like him running around shooting off their mouth to the media.
Posted by: H_H_H | December 3, 2009 3:56 AM
Mark Silva, your figures do not add up. 4,554 million plus 2,349 million plus 1.56 million do not equal 8.5 million. I doubt whether 4.554 million Americans have ever in the history of mankind watched the same program on television. (I assume you meant to put decimal points, not commas, in the numbers of Fox and CNN viewers.)
Posted by: Sal Forte | December 3, 2009 4:08 AM
The guy gets elected as an anti-war candidate. OH YES HE DID. Can you say continuation of Bush's policies. I can.
Posted by: Free to Watch Whatever I Want | December 3, 2009 5:09 AM
Don't forget about Chavez and how he shut down television stations that were critical of him. What is the difference with what Obama is trying to do? This is standard facist radical behaviour. Sheppard Smith is a liberal which is what makes FNC fair and balanced I don't mind Sheppard because he is balanced by other on the network. I watch the news to be informed good or bad about our country and our politicians. What the Obama administration is trying comes strait out of the book Rules for Radicals.
Posted by: ropes | December 3, 2009 5:24 AM
Posted by: H_H_H | December 3, 2009 3:56 AM
Clown in DC,
Here you go Libs......what?
Do you really think that we give a damn that you cut and pasted an article from a right wing nutbag that you agree with?
And Rummy? Nothing makes me happier as a Dem than having one of the Bush/Republican war criminals like him running around shooting off their mouth to the media.
____________________________
WOW Spiegel is a right wing rag now. And what were they when they run all the love stories about Obama a little more then a year ago. Like most Americans with brains they may just be starting to see Obama for what he really is.
And Rumsfeld did call Obama for his (Rumsfeld) time on the hill.
****************************************
Posted by: Crooks_In_DC | December 3, 2009 11:08 AM
Not bad numbers for a "not a real news network" according to Obummer and the incopetent fools he has working in the white house.
And to think that Fox news is covering "climategate", one of the biggest scandals of our time (where is this administrations supposed "real news media" on that?).
Posted by: Dave | December 3, 2009 11:16 AM
the reason fox news is gaining in ratings is many people r sick of watching ms-nbc totally biased news, or the cnn spin, or any other joke news organizations. all news is a joke now. every station has their opinions, n people r choosing the spin they want to hear. Fox's. 4 me it proves the dems r losing steam.
Posted by: sean | December 3, 2009 1:28 PM
4.5 million viewers - where is the outrage against Obama "censoring" fox? I thought we were a communist regime,,,,,stifling dissent,,,oh, just another lie.
Posted by: Gus | December 3, 2009 3:15 PM
Maybe it just goes to show that Americans aren't as dumb as the politicians think we are.
You just can't fool ALL the people ALL the time. The fairy tale campaign is over, Hollywood is back at making fictional accounts of history, serious hangovers are coming to the sheeple and yet the campaigning continues daily......
and Mark Silva keeps up the blather for another paycheck.
Posted by: springfield | December 3, 2009 3:55 PM
Maybe it just goes to show that Americans aren't as dumb as the politicians think we are.
You just can't fool ALL the people ALL the time. The fairy tale campaign is over, Hollywood is back at making fictional accounts of history, serious hangovers are coming to the sheeple and yet the campaigning continues daily......
and Mark Silva keeps up the blather for another paycheck.
Posted by: springfield | December 3, 2009 4:04 PM
Not bad numbers for a "not a real news network" according to Obummer and the incopetent fools he has working in the white house.
And to think that Fox news is covering "climategate", one of the biggest scandals of our time (where is this administrations supposed "real news media" on that?).
Posted by: Dave | December 3, 2009 11:16 AM
Dave has an excellent point. Where are all the "REAL" news media reports on the biggest scandal of our time? Are they being peer reviewed? Checked and counterchecked...
Posted by: Free to Watch Whatever I Want | December 3, 2009 11:23 PM
What the Hell! Hey Sarah, President Obama WAS NOT heeding your advice, you are probably #300 millionth on the list as you go from number 1 on down. Wow, you are more narcissitic then Rush is! By the way what the hell is a politician doing making the rounds on our military bases?? Isn't that how Hitler got his start and isn't it against the law for politicians to make the rounds on our military bases. Also remember the republicans never do anything for this country, they only do things to this country! whiteagle38
Posted by: Raymond L. Juneau | December 4, 2009 8:42 PM
Billy Baron
Response to Obama Speech
Personally, I feel that it is the wrong thing to do to send more troops over. Honestly, what is getting accomplished over in the middle-east? This is a time where I think it is best to retract our steps as a country and take our troops out of there and send them back home. The economy is taking a big hit, partly because of the nonsense in the middle-east where half of this country doesn’t even really understand what is going on over there. Bodies are being killed, families are being divided, and pain is becoming a theme to many peoples lives. It is best to try and make a treaty with our enemies, to show that what has been done in the past isn’t going to waste.
To prevent future tax, Obama is planning on putting people in jail for their possible criminal acts towards the United States and attacks on the country. Although it hasn’t happened, Obama feels that those potential plans some people have, put many innocent lives in danger. I firmly agree with this because it provides more safety for the people of this country and allows them to go on with their lives in a better manner knowing the possibility of something happened such as a terrorist attack is highly unlikely.
There are definitely some positive and negatives coming out of this speech last week. President Obama is doing a great job in some areas, but others, I question. I feel that he needs to look at the whole picture in the middle east and the future damage it will do to our own country if we just seem to fight our own battle over there. Maybe he should represent the Nobel peace prize that he won in a better fashion, and that will solve some of our problems.
Posted by: Kevin Durant | December 9, 2009 7:15 PM