McCain, the media and credibility

Wow. Just wow. David Broder, the esteemed Washington Post columnist, had a column yesterday saying the race has hurt the Democrats and proven Hillary Clinton will do anything to win.

OK, fine.

But he goes on to say John McCain is the opposite.

"Yet, in pointing to those vulnerabilities in her rival, Clinton has heightened
the most obvious liability she would carry into a fight against McCain. In an
age of deep cynicism about politicians of both parties, McCain is the rare
exception who is not assumed to be willing to sacrifice personal credibility to
prevail in any contest."

Umm, excuse me?

• McCain took endless aim at GW Bush's 2000 campaign work that said he'd fathered an illegitimate black child. Now he hugs bush whenever her gets a chance.
• He called the revs. falwell and robertson divisive forces; now he's cozy with such folks.
• He opposed the Bush tax cuts; now he wants to extend them and faults anyone who says otherwise.
• He opposed aid to Katrina victims in various forms; now he says such things will never happen again.

McCain has surrendered credibility in every step of this campaign, and it would be simple enough to show if the press asked any hard questions. People like Broder used to do this. No mas. I guess McCain's barbecue is just too good.

Deocrats clearly need to end the primaries and get on to running against John McCain, because it's clear the media will not ask him hard questions.

Obama says what she said

Once again, I see that the vaunted Washington press corps is cutting through the nonsense. Not.

The headlines this morning lead with Obama saying something in passing not terribly positive about McCain: "Either Democrat would be better than John McCain...And all three of us would be better than George Bush.''

Hillary Clinton, of course, fired back that no Democrat worth his salt would say something positive about the foe.

She forgets, I suppose, that she's said this: "I think it's imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander-in-chief threshold. I believe that I've done that. Certainly, Sen. McCain has done that and you'll have to ask Sen. Obama with respect to his candidacy."

So she not only complimented McCain but suggested he'd be better than Obama.

So I assume the nation's press corps called her on this, well, contradiction, right? Nope. Not MSNBC. Not the New York Times. Not CNN.

The Slush Funds Go Here ...

Senator "Keating Five" McCain says he'll release his tax returns, but his wife's will remain private. Good plan! That way, the bribes - uh, sorry, consultant fees from lobbyists - will go into his wife's checking account, and there will be none of that annoying "disclosure" to the public.

Seriously. For a guy who wants to represent me, how come him and the missus don't file a joint return? Just 'cause she's got way more money? I mean, if SHE don't trust him with the joint checking account, why the HELL should I vote for him for President?

Just asking, ya' know?

McCain: Another quarter a gal for big oil, yeah baby

So I see John McCain is out with a new plan to cut the gas tax for the summer.

McCain's gas tax holiday would suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Which, mind you, doesn't mean we'll pay less; seems to me like an easy way to keep people from noticing the next price hike for record profits.

IE, another quarter per gal for big oil.

Wasn't McCain the maverick who keeps preaching about fiscal responsibility. Gas taxes fund roads and bridges, and as it is, ours are falling apart.

But hey, perhaps this is a bow to the most radical greens among us. Collapsing bridges do get people out of their cars. And at his age, I doubt they let him behind the wheel, anyway.

The Legendary Graveyard of the Radio Hosts?

So another DJ has resigned over comments made about a political candidate. What happens to these people? Do they go to limbo for a bit, then go back on the air? Do they have to wear an ankle braclet?

It seems to me that hurling a grenade onto the cultural wasteland that is our mass commercial media environment, then apologizing and quitting, has become a calculated part of the political process.

Maybe I'm cynical. But dammit, apologizing isn't enough anymore. I want to see Don Imus chop off a finger every time he says something stupid. I want to see real contrition. Let's get some of those Inquisition priests (or modern CIA agents, apparently). They know how to work an apology out of someone that means something.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is preparing an arsenal of rockets and aircraft to protect the Olympics opening ceremony from rain, hoping to disperse clouds before they can drench dignitaries at the roofless "bird's nest" stadium.

I dunno. Blowing anything that they don't like to crap with rockets works for everything else, why not the weather?

Don't burn, baby, don't burn

Every once and a while, something happens that makes me think there's enough people power left in the world to have a little hope.

Witness the Olympic torch protest parade, in which China's efforts to capitalize on the Olympic spirit with a waltz around the world are being foiled by tons of protesters who see it for what it is. The free world's governments may ignore China's efforts to eradicate Tibetan culture, heritage and independence, but the people haven't.

It never made sense, of course, to send the Olympic Games to Beijing. Between the dirty air and water and the child labor, it's hardly an ideal proving ground for young athletes. Aligned with the world's most brutal dictatorships, it's hardly a showplace for global unity.

And not that long ago, we all watched on TV as tanks rolled over Chinese young people for the crime of demanding freedom -- an event China's leaders not only don't apologize for, but basically deny ever happened.

The aftermath shamed the US as well. Then-President Bush waited barely a blink to send his emissaries over to shake the bloody hands of China's leaders and reassure them. The assurance: there had to be sanctions, but they'd be weak and short-lived. Almost immediately, US and Western businesses parachuted in with money and big deals.

Sure, we spent trillions of dollars and many lives to topple one freedom-hating Communist superpower. But they could help build another in China. And China promised stability; they knew how to deal with rabble-rousers.

So today, they give us lead-filled toys and other dangerous products, and we give them hard currency and a huge trade surplus. And the Olympics.

The Olympic Charter starts like this:

1. Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of
body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a
way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for
universal fundamental ethical principles.

It also says:

5. Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion,
politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.

and it adds:

6. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and
recognition by the IOC.

Exactly what part of that ideal does China represent? Perhaps they need to add "Cash-rich countries able to throw a grander bash will be granted an exemption from these ideals."

future for journalism students?

I have pointed out before to my co-writer that my problem with moving to academia, as he has done, would be keeping myself from advising journalism students to run for the exits.

It's not just the increasingly lurid tone of the press, and its acceptance. The Idaho Statesman, for example, just got a runner-up award from the Pew-litzer folks for asking a bunch of men if Sen. Larry Craig came on to them, long before the now-famous bathroom incident.

It's not just the limited career opportunities. Most big newspapers have suffered layoffs, and many small ones (like the last newspaper I worked at) are no more.

It's not just what's replaced them. Witness this recent New York Times story about bloggers blogging themselves to death.

It's that amid all this, people like Anne Coulter and Bill O'Reilly have made millions posing as journalists.