On today's CNN Newsroom, anchor Kyra Phillips interviewed Rep. Allen West (R-FL) about several topics.  One was gay marriage (video here).  West said that it's a states' issue and he didn't want to be taken "down a rabbit hole to discuss things that really aren't that important.  This disturbed Phillips:

PHILLIPS: Wait, are you saying that gay marriage is not important?

WEST: I think if you poll the American people, Kyra, I don't think they'll bring up gay marriage as one of the top concerns."

He went on to speak about a troubled small business he'd recently visited and how the economy was affecting it.  The anchor wasn't satisfied:

PHILLIPS: I think no doubt people are concerned about jobs and the economy, but gay marriage is a big issue. You were military. Don't ask, don't tell ...

West returned to his theme of economic security.  Phillips was still not satisfied, becoming increasingly aggravated and pushed back once again, speaking of millions of gay Americans and states that have legalized gay marriage: "I'm just laying out the facts here."

West's assertion that most Americans are more interested in other issues appears to be supported by a survey
commissioned just last month by Phillips's own CNN.  The CNN/ORC Poll asked which issue is the most important facing the country today. "Policies toward gays, lesbians" was one of the selections, which were presented in random order.  The economy, the federal budget deficit, health care, Afghanistan and illegal immigration topped the results.  Only two percent of respondents thought policies toward gays and lesbians were the most important issue.

Yet over at CNN, Kyra Phillips insists it's right up there with major concerns of Americans.  She energetically works on advancing a liberal agenda.  Can Current TV be in her future?    

This morning on CNN Newsroom, anchor Kyra Phillips examined another aspect of the Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) story.  Noting that Weiner's wife is a very close friend of and former aide to Hillary Clinton, Phillips said:

Hillary Clinton went through a sex scandal of sorts and, you know, could she have advised Weiner's wife? I wonder if Weiner's wife called her for advice.

A sex scandal of sorts?  Phillips must not recall how Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton's chief of staff, Betsey Wright, labored to squelch what she termed "bimbo eruptions."  The Clintons used a private detective to get many women - 19 was the number cited by Wright to journalist Michael Isikoff - to sign affidavits denying a sexual relationship with Clinton.  If unable to get a signature, the detective gathered information challenging the women's credibility or mental stability.  

Apparently, Kyra Phillips doesn't recollect names like Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey, Sally Perdue, Elizabeth Ward Gracen, Connie Hamzy and Dolly Kyle Browning.

Phillips very possibly used "a sex scandal of sorts" to reference Monica Lewinsky.  Liberals prefer to pretend that Bill Clinton was impeached for exploiting the young White House intern.  In truth, Clinton was impeached for perjuring himself before a grand jury, tampering with witnesses, and hiding evidence. 

Clinton ultimately was fined $90,000 for lying under oath and obstructing justice. He paid $850,000 in the Paula Jones suit, despite repeatedly denying that as governor he'd sexually harassed the low level state employee.  Clinton lost his law license in Arkansas, and was prohibited from practicing law before the U.S. Supreme Court.  Such penalties aren't typically exacted for a sexual impropriety.

No, Kyra, Hillary Clinton didn't endure a sex scandal of sorts.  She went through, and seemingly facilitated, a continual series of sex scandals of all sorts.  To say otherwise is to rewrite history.         

Today on CNN's Newsroom, anchor Kyra Phillips reported on "Confession: A Roman Catholic App," available from iTunes.  Describing herself as  a  "woman of the cloth," Phillips claimed the app meant ". . .you don't have to go to church. You don't have to go see the priest. All you do is you go on to this app. . ."  She also said the app is endorsed by the Vatican.

She was wrong on all counts.  Designed to assist Roman Catholics in examining their consciences while preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the app doesn't end the requirement to go to church (in most situations)  and see a priest.  Moreover, while the developer does indeed claim an imprimatur from the Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, that doesn't signify Vatican endorsement.

In the first segment of Newroom, Phillips engaged meteorologist Rob Marciano in a discussion of the app:

PHILLIPS: This is the new app for sinners. Have you heard about this?

MARCIANO: What are you implying? Why are you dragging me into this?

PHILLIPS: Can you remember your last sin?

MARCIANO: Yes. Just a few minutes ago.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Exactly. You can remember it. Anything that you can confess to me right now?

MARCIANO: You know, you're not a man of the cloth although I gave them a break a long time ago.

PHILLIPS: I'm a woman of the cloth, OK? All right. Here's the deal. For $1.99 you can now get this app, all right? And it's for sinners. And I'm not -- and the Catholic Church is actually saying -- endorsing this. So you don't have to go to church. You don't have to go see the priest. All you do is you go on to this app, OK, you log in.

Unsuccessful in getting Marciano to confess a sin or two, Phillips then went through portions of the app:

PHILLIPS: You type in your sin, all right? Go to the next part, then comes the "Act of Contrition." And you say the prayer here. My God, I'm sorry for my sins with all my heart in choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Amen. OK? You say the prayer. Move on to the next part and here you go.

You receive absolution and you respond "Amen," then the priest says, and I guess, I don't know, maybe you just read this, maybe you can act as the priest. Give thanks to the Lord and he is good. Answer? For his mercy endures forever. So I don't know. You can someone there to play priest. OK. You're done it. You're finished.

After more inane banter, the piece ended:

MARCIANO: How about that.

PHILLIPS: $1.99, brother. There you go.

MARCIANO: And saving the Catholic Church a lot of man-hours. You know? The priesthood is in demand. Supply is down. And guys like me, you know, having them line up around the corner because I'm keeping them in there for hours at a time. That is fantastic.

PHILLIPS: Isn't that terrific?

MARCIANO: Yes.

Phillips went on to amplify her ignorance during the next hour when again she discussed the app.  Now she stated:

PHILLIPS:  It's a Roman Catholic app, it's called Confession. If you don't want to go to church, if you don't want to see the priest, if you don't want to, you know, it takes a lot to get in the car, think of everything you've done wrong.

She then went through a mock confession with Marciano, completing it by placing her hand on the meteorologist's head to "forgive" him:

MARCIANO: And this is endorsed by the Vatican?

PHILLIPS: Yes, it is. $1.99, you confess on your iPad, and you are good to go.

MARCIANO: For those who think the Vatican is in the dark ages, I mean, get on with the iPad right there.

PHILLIPS: They were one of the first, you know, the Roman Catholic church to go on-line, do Youtube, start talking about, you know --

MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE) I feel cleansed. I feel so much more pure.

PHILLIPS: Let me heal you right here, I got to get on the head. Bless you. Thank you, Rob, for playing.

Some viewers may consider Phillips's silly patter,  blatant disregard for facts, and mockery of a sacrament to be blasphemous.  Perhaps they would have expected more from a self-styled woman of the cloth.  Then again, this is CNN, the most trusted name in news.  Or so they allege.  

Last week, CNN's Kyra Phillips wasn't all that GLAAD to hear from some of her viewers.  As NewsBuster Colleen Raezler reported on Thursday, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) had issued a "Call to Action" on April 7 urging members to "hold CNN accountable" for an April 6 Newsroom segment "featuring so-called 'ex-gay' activist Richard Cohen."  

GLAAD partisans apparently hopped right on their keyboards.  On April 8, Phillips expressed her wish "that those of you who sent me vicious e-mails watched my newscast more often:"

PHILLIPS: And before we go to break, I would like to take a moment to address many of you who e-mailed me about our Tuesday segment on this topic. Personally, I thought the absurd nature of the California law we discussed would speak for itself, but unfortunately, not everyone saw it that way. Richard Cohen was not the most appropriate guest to have on, but it is a decision that we made and the result of that is our continued discussion today.

That is what journalism is all about, and we will continue to do our best to discuss gay and lesbian issues in a fair way on this program. I wish that all of you knew my heart, and as a journalist with a long track record of covering gay and lesbian issues, I wish that those of you who sent me vicious e-mails watched my newscast more often, because if they did, my guess is, they would not have been so quick to send such hateful messages. They don't know my record and my unswerving support for all communities in the battle for human rights, including gays, lesbians, and transgendered individuals.

Kyra's "unswerving support" did not go unrecognized.  GLAAD responded on its Web site the same day, thanking "Kyra Phillips and CNN for listening to community concerns."  Moreover:

We also want to acknowledge Phillips’ past reporting on LGBT issues. Her coverage of Lt. Col Victor Fehrenbach , who was dismissed from military service under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” was nominated for a 2010 GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment.

Our Call to Action regarding Phillips’ coverage of Richard Cohen, and CNN’s initial missteps in addressing the issue, does not take away from Phillips’ fair, accurate and inclusive reporting in the past. We appreciate what she said today during her broadcast and look forward to working with her as a resource on future segments.

All's well that ends well.  But let that be a lesson to Phillips: Deviate from the prevailing mainstream media orthodoxy - even once -  and you will hear about it.  Viciously. 

On yesterday's CNN Newsroom, anchor Kyra Phillips shifted to "Bad Boys" mode:

Lenders, lenders -- what you gonna do when they come for you? Call it an early Christmas present for people on the edge of losing their homes. The Obama administration cracking down on mortgage companies.

We'll tell you about it.

After the break:

PHILLIPS: Well, from your health (ph) to your home, the foreclosure crisis shows no signs of letting up, so the Obama administration is trying to fight back.

Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis joining us live from New York.

So, Gerri, new hope for struggling homeowners?

To her credit, Willis was considerably more restrained:

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, we'll see, Kyra. You know, lots of changes announced today to the Making Home Affordable program. And as you know, this is the program the administration has put into place to change those mortgages that people had so much trouble with during the mortgage meltdown.

Unfortunately, it's really not helping a lot of people right now. It's scheduled to help four million. It's helping less than two percent of those people right now. So here are the changes they're putting in place.

And after reporting the details:

WILLIS: The administration here trying to make some changes to it, tweaks to it here and there, to make it more effective. But the devil's in the details.

We'll be watching these reports monthly to see how many people they're helping and if more Americans are really getting assistance. But some interesting changes, Kyra. More stick, less carrot.

Gerri's cautiousness is justified.  When Obama announced his plan in Mesa last February, the New York Times reported:

“This plan will not save every home, but it will give millions of families resigned to financial ruin a chance to rebuild,” Mr. Obama told a crowd here, in one of the communities hardest hit by the housing crisis.

Millions of families?  Not according to the the Congressional Oversight Panel's October report, "An Assessment of Foreclosure Mitigation Efforts after Six Months."  The liberal Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch.org summarized:

To no one's surprise, the Congressional Oversight Panel released a report in October showing that these programs are failing. Fewer than 2,000 of the 500,000 loan modifications then in progress had become permanent under the program, and only a handful lowered the principle. The pace of the Treasury Department programs is so slow that most people are being foreclosed upon before they are even able to apply.

Yet to Kyra Phillips, fiddling at the margins of yet another failed Obama experiment is "an early Christmas present" and "the Obama administration is trying to fight back."  Bah, humbug! 

On today's CNN Newsroom, anchor Kyra Phillips went after the kids who supposedly bully a 10-year-old boy who refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance because homosexual marriage isn't widely accepted.  Some of his classmates allegedly call him names.  Phillips's weapon of choice was name calling:

And a message to you boys who are bullying Will, shame on you. It's obvious you are jealous that Will is smarter and more well spoken than you are. Hopefully one day you will grow up and realize that you were being the wads, dork wads.

Phillips didn't say how she knows that Will is smarter and more well spoken than his purported tormentors.  On Monday, she reported that Will is "a terrific kid."  So what makes him so smart and terrific?

That was answered earlier Monday in an interview with anchor John Roberts on CNN's American Morning:

ROBERTS: A 10-year-old boy from Arkansas is taking a stand by sitting down. Will Philips is refusing to pledge allegiance to the flag in his fifth grade classroom until there really is, as the pledge says, liberty and justice for all. He says until gays and lesbians have equal rights.

Joining us now in an exclusive interview are Will Phillips and his father, Jay. They're in West Fork, Arkansas this morning. Will and Jay, good to see you this morning. Thanks very much for being with us. And Will, let me ask you first of all, when did you decide that you weren't going to stand up and recite the pledge?

WILL PHILLIPS, WONT SAY PLEDGE UNTIL GAYS HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS: I decided that I was going to do that the weekend before when I did it. I was analyzing the meanings of it because I want to be a lawyer.

ROBERTS: All right. So what did you decide in analyzing the meanings of it that caused you not to stand up and recite the pledge?

WILL PHILLIPS: Well, I looked at the end and it said "with liberty and justice for all." And there really isn't liberty and justice for all. There's -- gays and lesbians can't marry. There's still a lot of racism and sexism in the world, yes.

ROBERTS: All right. So you think that the country isn't living up to the ideals of the pledge and you took it upon yourself to sit down and not recite the pledge of allegiance until the country comes in line to embody the ideals that are embodied in the pledge?

WILL PHILLIPS: Yes.

ROBERTS: All right. So, your teacher, who is a substitute teacher at the time, was giving you grief about not standing up. This went on for a few days. What did you eventually say to that teacher?

WILL PHILLIPS: I eventually very solemnly with a little bit of malice in my voice said, "Ma'am, with all due respect, you can go jump off a bridge."

And later:

ROBERTS: Got you. All right. Let's bring in Will here again. Will, why is this issue so important to you that you would commit as your dad said this atypical act of juvenile delinquency?

WILL PHILLIPS: Because I have many -- I've grown up with a lot of people and good friends with a lot of people that are gay and I really -- I think they should have the rights all people should. And I'm not going to swear that they do.

ROBERTS: So what's the reaction been from your fellow students at school to you not standing up for the pledge and the views that you hold about this issue?

WILL PHILLIPS: Not very good. They've taken from what I said an assumption that I'm gay and the halls and the cafeteria, I've been repeatedly called a gay wad.

ROBERTS: A gay wad. What's a gay wad?

WILL PHILLIPS: I really don't know. It's a discriminatory name for homosexuals.

Roberts spoke again with the child's father briefly and then:

ROBERTS: He does seem to have very strong opinions we should say and obviously they are very reasoned out. We should say that he's an extraordinarily bright child. He skipped the fourth grade, went right from the third grade to the fifth grade.

But Will, as we prepare to leave you here, what will it take for you to stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance? And I ask this question based on what we saw in the off year election just a couple of weeks ago. Same-sex marriage initiative was put to the test, put to the voters in the state of Maine. And every state across the nation where it has been put through the voters, it has gone down to defeat.

So, the Democratic process is taking place here, it seems to be something that voters at large do not support. So what will it take for you to return to saying the pledge?

WILL PHILLIPS: For there could truly be liberty and justice for all.

ROBERTS: And what does that entail?

WILL PHILLIPS: That entails everyone being able to marry.

ROBERTS: All right. Will Phillips, Jay Phillips, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much for joining us. We'll keep watching the story. It's certainly an interesting one.

ROBERTS: Wow. He's got his arguments down.

Yes, he certainly has his arguments down.  But isn't a 10-year-old who asserts he's "grown up with a lot of people and good friends with a lot of people that are gay" worth a journalistic follow-up?

Not at CNN obviously.  There it's just a matter of him being smarter, and terrific, and having his arguments down.  And if other children disapprove, then they're nothing but wads, dork wads. Back in the day, Kyra Phillips must have been one tough cookie down by the schoolyard.   

On CNN Newsroom today, anchor Kyra Phillips interviewed Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele on the topic of President Obama's healthcare push.  Part of the interview:

PHILLIPS: But whether government-run or private, I mean, no one's going to demand that you go one way or another. You're still going to have a choice.

STEELE: We don't -- maybe we do. I don't know. We haven't had that debate. I mean, you're talking about -- you're talking about the possibility of reorienting one-sixth of our economy with legislators who haven't even read the legislation. I mean, are they going to do to health care what they did with cap and trade? Are we going to get amendments at 4 a.m. in the morning and no one reads them? And then only after the Health and Human Services Department has to begin to implement this craziness, we're going to find out exactly what's in the bill?

Steele was exactly correct, of course.  No one knows what Obama's healthcare program will ultimately mandate.  That's because, like the economic stimulus, Obama left it in the hands of his Democratic comrades in Congress to put something together.  There are currently three versions in the House and another two in the Senate.  None has been voted on by either the full House or the full Senate.

That didn't prevent Phillips from speaking with certainty on the matter again during the conclusion of the interview:

PHILLIPS: Want to point out, though, we're still talking about the fact that people will have a choice. They won't be told to go one way or the other.

Really, Kyra?  How could you possibly know that?  Looks like on the subject of ObamaCare, you've bought the Obamaganda.  Big time.

On today's CNN Newsroom segment at 1:00 PM (ET), anchor Kyra Phillips interviewed White House senior advisor David Axelrod.  Phillips asked about the Senate's rejection of an $80 million request from President Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba:

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's push forward, then, and talk about Gitmo. You know, your party voted overwhelmingly not to give the president the money for Gitmo. I mean, 90-6. Is it the bad economy, or is there truly a huge divide in convictions on this?

AXELROD: No, I think that members of the Senate were asking for a plan. We'll give them a plan as to how we're going to move forward. I think the president offered a framework for that today, and we're going to work with the Congress on whatever path that we take here.

The bad economy, Kyra?  I'm unaware of any senator, Democratic or Republican, who used a bad economy as justification for stripping what in Washington passes as chump change from a more than $90 billion spending bill.  Along with Obama, Congress has been squandering money like the proverbial drunken sailor and all in the sacred name of "stimulus."  Only today, KMOV in St. Louis carried an Associated Press story reporting that Missouri is using $250 million, more than three times the Gitmo funding total, of federal economic stimulus money just to pay state income tax refunds.  

The principal reason senators, including a big majority of Democrats, shot down Obama's $80 million request was identified yesterday at Bloomberg.com in a piece by Brian Faler and James Rowley, "Senate Rejects Request for Money to Close Guantanamo:"

Some Democrats said they agreed with Republicans that the White House hasn’t adequately explained its plans for Guantanamo. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, called the decision to drop the funding “rather easy” because “the administration has not yet forwarded a coherent plan for closing this prison.”

So, no, the bad economy, which we all know was inherited by The One and he's fixing just as fast as he can, isn't the reason most members of his own party gave Obama a hard slap yesterday.  It's because his inexperience is once again showing. 

Maybe Kyra is just too courteous to have suggested that as a possibility.   

It admittedly doesn't come close to her ladies' room rant about her sister-in-law, but CNN Newsroom anchor Kyra Phillips experienced another oops moment Wednesday.  She devoted almost seven minutes to interviewing singer Stevie Wonder.  The musician was awarded the Gershwin Prize, and Wednesday evening would be honored in the White House.  So she let Stevie enthusiastically speak of someone she also deeply admires, Barack Obama:

PHILLIPS:  And as we wrap this up and take it on to the next hour, I know Obama has inspired you tremendously on many different levels. Tell us why.

WONDER: He really echoes the spirits of so many voices that have come before him, talking about bringing us together as a united people of the United States of America. And to live in a time and space where we have a second chance to really make this, again, the great country that we deserve to always be. And I'm just very, very proud to have said to him about five years ago, when he was running for senator, I said, you know, I know that this is what you want to do and this is what your goal is for Illinois. But I really believe that if we pray on this, you'll become the president of the United States. And so we prayed in my studio, at Wonderland Studios. And then here we are in 2009. It's a wonderful thing.

The anchor congratulated Wonder again and then wrapped up her interview:

PHILLIPS: Yes, you are. And he's still got the innocent baby smile. Stevie, great to see you. Come back and see us again, OK?

Wonder, of course, has been blind since birth and sadly won't be able to come back and see Phillips.  (Her comment comes at the 6:37 mark on the YouTube video).

Still, it's understandable how a gal could get befuddled while hearing rapturous praise about The One.  So it's OK, Kyra.  Don't you worry 'bout a thing.