Brent Budowsky: McCain Doesn't Need a Fact-Checker; the Media Edit His Mistakes for Him

[babylonsister]

http://www.alternet.org/election08/92570/mccain_doesn%27t_need_a_fact-checker%3B_the_media_edit_his_mistakes_for_him/

McCain Doesn't Need a Fact-Checker; the Media Edit His Mistakes for Him

By Brent Budowsky, Consortium News. Posted July 25, 2008.

The media cover up McCain's latest egregious misstatements on Iraq.



John McCain, presumably advised by Karl Rove and definitely imitating the politics of George Bush, is now saying that Barack Obama would rather lose a war than lose an election.

This is a defamation; this is a slander; this is a lie. McCain should apologize to Obama.

This is the latest in a long list of cheap-shot, low-blow politics. McCain has learned nothing about why the American people are rejecting the Republicans and why the Republican brand has been compared to the appeal of defective dog food.

snip//

For now, two points:

First, McCain repeatedly lowers the quality of discourse in American politics. The man who ran in 2000 has disappeared; the face of Bush 44 has taken his place with these Rove-like low blows. It is McCain who has always been the fair-haired boy of the press.

Second, John McCain has made a long series of substantial factual errors that will become a major issue. Whether the problem is age or sloppiness, partisanship or tiredness, on issue after issue McCain says things that are factually incorrect.

Couric protected McCain by editing out his latest and very substantial factual error, gaffe, falsehood or mistake (call it what you will).

Scarborough works to protect McCain by demeaning Olbermann, the messenger, who should be praised for doing real reporting (heaven forbid).

McCain's Rove-like attacks -- and his serious and repeated factual errors on major issues -- should be major topics in the election and staying silent about them does our political discourse no good.

[fasttense]

1. Katie Couric has no journalistic standards.

If it feels good do it seems to be her motto. She should be fired for her unethical manipulation of the truth.

[flpoljunkie]

2. I wonder if McCain is so used to not being questioned, he feels he can say anything with impugnity.

The media seems truly to be 'his base' as McCain once said.

McCain's ignorance of foreign policy 'facts,' i.e., the difference between Sunni and Shia is really quite astounding for someone who is touted by the media as having unquestioned foreign policy credentials.

We appear to be in the realm of the "emperor with no clothes' here with McCain and the media.

[babylonsister]

3. Then consider the ads McCain has put out moaning about all the

media love Obama is getting. Who exactly is getting preferential treatment? The McCain camp isn't good at much, but seem practiced at clouding issues. If he should win because of this 'skill', we're doomed.

[flpoljunkie]

4. McCain is the "unexamined candidate' here. The media is, once again, not doing it's job.

It's deja vu all over again--remember how they failed to examine George W. Bush's record--even with Molly Ivin's urging "just look at his record in Texas!" But, as we all know, they did not, and we have been paying for their journalistic malpractice ever since!

[Supersedeas]

5. the Free Ride has its perks -- you have to earn your seat for access

just ask Kelly O'Donald