Rick ... or Red?

Cafiero (voice-over): A few days before the raid, when it appeared that Juan Miguel Gonzalez would be coming to America after all, Juan Miguel's attorney applied for visas for the Cuban Gonzalezes as well as for several of Elian's Cuban classmates. Rick discussed the visa applications in another interview with CNN's Lucia Newman.

Sanchez (on tape): Lucia, as you might imagine there are some people here in South Florida who are being critical of Fidel Castro. What they are saying is if the Cuban government is really interested in the welfare of children, why would they take schoolchildren away from their parents and send them to another country to live with strangers, as the Castro government seems willing to do in this case. Has there been any comment on that at all?

Newman (on tape): Most Cubans think it's a great idea, really. The plan is to send roughly half the classroom with the schoolteacher to accompany Elian, who as you know is a cause célèbre.... They would consider it an honor, I think, to go there.

Cafiero (voice-over): A major blunder for the purported Cuban operative! Clearly Rick lets his own latent anti-American prejudices leak through. He thinks it is a bad thing for Cuban children to come to America? And why would this be? Possibly because he's ... a communist? He's afraid these little soldiers for Castro will be corrupted by America's rampant materialism? And of course any analysis of Rick's performance would be incomplete without the raid itself. This was his pièce de résistance. No broadcaster was more unambiguously angry. We join him early on in his marathon coverage as he analyzes the famous Associated Press photo.

Sanchez (on tape): This is the moment when the first federal officer actually comes in contact with Elian and Donato Dalrymple. You can see the pained expression on his face. Reports say, and these are reports from folks at the house, the little boy said, "Don't take me to Cuba! Don't take me to Cuba! Help! Help!"

Cafiero (voice-over): Just more unfiltered propaganda for the Miami relatives? You betcha. But as before the editorializing serves to inflame exile sentiment. Dozens of news outlets covered the raid. Not one of them confirmed the quote Rick reported. Later in the day, Rick led viewers step by step through the raid. He talked about Elian being "thrown" into one of the white vans, with the door being "slammed" behind him.

Sanchez (on tape): Is this the best way of removing a child from the home? Many I'm sure would argue not, given the scenario. The family had said they would not disobey the law if the police came to the home with a court order and asked for the child. As far as we know, they never asked for the child. They broke the door down and took the child -- and removed the boy forcefully ... and pay particular attention to the way he's being carried. Anyone who has children knows you put your hands under their buttocks, unless of course you've never carried a child, or you really are doing everything possible to get them out in a very fast way. But it's certainly not a ginger way of holding a child. It's not a delicate way of holding a child. It looks like they are dragging him out of the home.

Cafiero (voice-over): This is Rick at his scenery-chewing best! Take a look at the language here: "Many would argue ..." "As far as we know ..." Straight from the Pravda school of journalism! Notice also the way in which Rick treats the claims of the Miami relatives as gospel. "The family had said they would not disobey the law." At the same time, he portrays the government agents as a bunch of child-abusers. Although most Americans supported the raid, Rick is practically commanding his audience to seize the streets in protest. For Agent Sanchez and his boss, Fidel, the scenario is a dream come true! The heretofore clandestine revolutionary has fomented an armed rebellion against the United States government! Unfortunately for Rick the rebellion never really caught fire. But the resulting images of burning bonfires of trash and American flags defiantly waved upside down did manage to alienate the Cuban community from the national mainstream -- just as Agent Sanchez intended all along. Bring on the Jay Leno jokes!

Cut back to Max Castro, still waiting in his office.