Martin Eisenstadt — senior fellow at the Institute of Nonentities

Published on November 16th, 2008

Eitan Gorlin – who posed as Martin Eisenstadt

It was among the juicier post-election recriminations: Fox News Channel quoted an unnamed McCain campaign figure as saying that Sarah Palin did not know that Africa was a continent.

Who would say such a thing? On Monday the answer popped up on a blog and popped out of the mouth of David Shuster, an MSNBC anchor. “Turns out it was Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, who has come forward today to identify himself as the source of the leaks,” Shuster said.

Trouble is, Martin Eisenstadt doesn’t exist. His blog does, but it’s a put-on. The think tank where he is a senior fellow — the Harding Institute for Freedom and Democracy — is just a Web site. The TV clips of him on YouTube are fakes…

There were videos showing him driving a car while spouting offensive, opinionated nonsense in praise of Rudolph Giuliani. Those videos attracted tens of thousands of Internet hits and a bit of news media attention.

When Giuliani dropped out of the presidential race, the character morphed into Eisenstadt, a parody of a blowhard cable news commentator.

Gorlin said they chose the name because “all the neocons in the Bush administration had Jewish last names and Christian first names.”

So, uh, where did Fox News get the original story about Sarah Palin?

33 users responded in " Martin Eisenstadt — senior fellow at the Institute of Nonentities "

Subscribe to this post comment rss or trackback url

# 1 onomontapeia said, on November 16th, 2008 at 7:41 am

Maybe these media idiots will start checking their sources better if they get just a couple more instances of this. How many times will they fall naively or blindly into someone’s lie just to get a story? I don’t believe these idiots any more than I do a politician.

# 2 Mister Mustard said, on November 16th, 2008 at 7:45 am

I’m glad to see that this hoax is being identified as having been perpetrated by Fox News.

Reading the earlier post by Mr. Dvorak, one might come to the conclusion that MSNBC was to blame, when their only blunder (big one that it was) was taking a story reported on Faux Spews as reliable.

Anything emanating from Faux Spews should be given the same credibility as stories in supermarket tabloids, unless shown to be verifiable.

# 3 doug said, on November 16th, 2008 at 8:26 am

anyone who spouts offensive, opinionated nonsense has a place at FOX.

# 4 OvenMaster said, on November 16th, 2008 at 8:36 am

It’s abusive dimbulbs like this that are giving censorship and other groups the will to keep on pressing for legislation to ban web posting with anonymous or pen names. In China, you have to log on with a government-provided ID number. How soon will they impose that garbage here, thanks to what this clown and others are doing?

# 5 pedro said, on November 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am

#4 Agreed. And it seems to be the purposeful aim of such dimwits.

# 6 floyd said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:03 am

Eisenstadt = “iron city” in German.

I wonder if one of the hoaxers was from Pittsburgh, home of Iron City beer.

# 7 MikeN said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:10 am

More reason to have some conservatives in these newsrooms. Just maybe then you’ll have someone who says ‘that story doesn’t sound right’.

Dan Rather would still be at CBS today.

# 8 QB said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:12 am

Coincidence? I think not.

# 9 Mister Mustard said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:13 am

#7 – Lyin’ Mike

>>More reason to have some conservatives
>>in these newsrooms.

You want MORE conservatives in the Faux Spews newsroom? Sheesh. Then even THEY couldn’t claim to be “fair and balanced”. And I don’t think you can go over 100% conservative.

# 10 pedro said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:19 am

#9 unlike the beacon of fairness that is you

# 11 syrinx said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:35 am

#8,

LOL! Good one!

# 12 scadragon said, on November 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am

Election’s over. Let it die folks. 4 years is plenty of time for people to forget. Then in 4 years they’ll just be fooled again….

# 13 Mister Mustard said, on November 16th, 2008 at 10:07 am

#10 – ‘dro

>>unlike the beacon of fairness that is you

I’m not a news medium, and I don’t ballyhoo myself as being “fair and balanced”. As a private citizen, I’m free to be every bit the partisan prick I want to be.

# 14 Ekim said, on November 16th, 2008 at 10:10 am

Heh,

A famous quote comes to mind;

‘Read all of it, believe none of it’!

If Faux News had actual journalists, who verified sources, perhaps this wouldn’t happen as often?

# 15 doug said, on November 16th, 2008 at 10:23 am

#12. Ah, but if The Sarah is the future of the GOP, then it is still a valid topic, even tho the election is over.

In other words, how can I miss her if she won’t go away?

# 16 pedro said, on November 16th, 2008 at 10:29 am

#13 Yet you feel qualified to rate a private medium as balanced or not. Under which principles? that ones you don’t care to uphold?

# 17 MikeN said, on November 16th, 2008 at 10:33 am

If MSNBC’s the one who was hoaxed, why is everyone blaming Fox News? Even if the story is bogus, it looks like they got their story from a legit source, a McCain aide trashing Sarah.

So not fake but accurate but rather real but wrong.

# 18 Mr. Fusion said, on November 16th, 2008 at 2:33 pm

Lyin’ Mike,

FOX SPEWS first reported the story. Other outlets followed suit, citing FOX as the source. Then David Shuster at MSNBC mentioned that the apparent source was Eisenstadt. When it became apparent that this was not the case, MSNBC backed off and admitted Shuster erred. No one has denied the story from FOX, only the source that claimed it came from them.

Shuster was not reporting the news at the time. He was participating in a round table OPINION discussion.

BTW, Dan Rather was still correct.

# 19 QB said, on November 16th, 2008 at 2:48 pm

First of all I can’t stand Fox news, although I do enjoy the miniskirts. However, imagine a world without Fox news?

I’d rather have them spewing populist nonsense on the airwaves then burning crosses in secret while wearing white robes.

Principled conservatives like the late William F. Buckley also hated Fox news so you’re in good company Mustard.

# 20 MikeN said, on November 16th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

No I don’t want more conservatives at Fox News, they could use a few more liberals, especially among the editors, they have plenty of liberals on air.

It’s the other networks that need conservatives.
Just one guy at 60 Minutes II would have saved them from disaster.

# 21 Mister Mustard said, on November 17th, 2008 at 4:35 am

#20 – Lyin’ Mike

>>Just one guy at 60 Minutes II would have saved
>>them from disaster.

What you continue to be in denial about, Lyin’ Mike, is that the 60 Minutes II story was ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE, as it related to Dumbya’s military “service”.

If he were anyone other than Poppy’s boy, he’da done hard time, and been given a dishonorable discharge. He was a deserter. During wartime. He’d have been lucky not to be shot.

# 22 jerry said, on November 17th, 2008 at 6:22 am

The hoaxer’s success fooling the media just points out alot of gullibility out there among in both the conservative and liberal press, since one passed it to another unchecked. Needing a scoop before the other guy, they don’t have the journalistic integrtiy to detect BS before they stamp their news label on it and send it off to us as fact, thereby brainwashing us into a state of chaos, so those at the top can carry on with their consolidation of power.

# 23 pedro said, on November 17th, 2008 at 7:02 am

#22 Get ready, ’cause lib’s are never wrong

# 24 MikeN said, on November 17th, 2008 at 8:37 am

#21, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE?

So you think those memos are real then?
Even if the underlying story is true, 60 Minutes got duped by fake memos, and having a more balanced staff would have caught that.

# 25 Mister Mustard said, on November 17th, 2008 at 9:29 am

#24 – Lyin’ Mike

# 26 Mister Mustard said, on November 17th, 2008 at 9:32 am

#25 – Lyin’ Mike

>>So you think those memos are real then?

The authenticity of the memos remains unproven, one way or the other.

The important issue here is the underlying one: Dumbya was a deserter during wartime, and so far NO ONE has called that unassailable fact into question.

The man’s a natural-born liar.

And I am STILL waiting to have someone explain what the unidentified “rectangular object” under his jacket at the debate was. If there were a plausible, innocent explanation, we would have heard it by now.

# 27 MikeN said, on November 17th, 2008 at 2:23 pm

They have been proven to be forgeries, but even if you’re right unproven, one way or the other, is that the standard the media should use for what goes on the air?

Again one conservative in that newsroom would have prevented those memos from going on air.

# 28 Paddy-O said, on November 17th, 2008 at 2:28 pm

“Dumbya was a deserter during wartime, and so far NO ONE has called that unassailable fact into question.”

Hmm, except his CO signed his completion of duty papers & it’s documented that he applied for combat duty & was turned down.

Other than those facts, you’re right.

LOL.

# 29 Mr. Fusion said, on November 17th, 2008 at 5:21 pm

#28, Cow-Paddy, Ignorant Shit Talking Sociopath and Mall Rent-A-Cop,

Don’t you ever quit with the trolling? The CO has died.

1) Prove the CO’s signature is on the paper.

2) Prove the CO knew that Bush had / had not completed his duty in Arkansas.

3) Prove that Bush had completed his duty.

4) Prove that Bush didn’t know he needed a current medical in order to volunteer for Vietnam.

5) Prove you’re not a troll.

# 30 Mister Mustard said, on November 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pm

#28 – Paddy-RAMBO

>>Hmm, except his CO signed his completion of
>>duty papers

Do you imagine that would be the first time that someone covered for Silver Spoon’s character flaws? He has spent the better part of his life fucking things up, and somebody (usually Poppy) always has his back. The fact is, nobody has any recollection of him being where he was supposed to be, and there are no records verifying that he was where he was supposed to be. In fact, he was spotted by many folks over in ‘Bama, carousing and working on campaigns.

>>it’s documented that he applied for combat
>>duty & was turned down.

Haw haw! LOL! ROTFLMAO! LOLOLOLOLOL!! I’m going back to Paddy O’Pinocchio for you. You have a problem with the truth, son.

In fact:

“Among the questions Bush had to answer on his application forms was whether he wanted to go overseas. Bush checked the box that said: “do not volunteer.”“”. http://tinyurl.com/792u (note the picture of Dumbya in the link…he may not have been good at many things, but he sure could blow a damned good bubble with his chewing gum!)

Later on, when he “volunteered for combat duty”, as you so bravely (and inaccurately) put it, he was a slam dunk for a REJECTION, and he knew it. Only pilots with over 1000 hours flying time were accepted for the “Palace Guard” assignment (he wasn’t even close), and the only kind of plane he knew how to fly (F-102) was being retired from service when he “volunteered”. So there was exactly 0.00000% chance that he would be accepted; this was a perfect way to look like a “combat-ready” soldier, when in fact, it was just his cowardice coming to the fore yet again. Bawk, bawk bawk bawk bawk…for a guy named RAMBO, you sure do love them chickenhawks. I guess I’ll stick with Paddy O’Pinocchio as your moniker. It fits you better, in spite of your one-time offer to start “piling up liberal bodies” like a latter-day Sylvester Stallone.

# 31 Mr. Fusion said, on November 18th, 2008 at 5:44 am

Gee, Cow-Paddy loses another one.

# 32 MikeN said, on November 18th, 2008 at 7:39 am

So every fact you don’t like has to be proven down to the last detail, but facts you like are true unless disproved. Excellent.

# 33 Mr. Fusion said, on November 18th, 2008 at 5:06 pm

Mike, when your side trots out such weak arguments as your final proof, I reserve the right to ask for equal silly proofs. In the end, there is no proof that Bush completed his required duty. While another rich kid was getting preferential treatment, other less advantaged kids were being killed.