All Aboard

This is an interesting op-ed by Richard Cohen of the Washington Post.  There is a link to it on the Talking Points memo (that's where I found it.)

It's interesting because it touches on a couple of important issues surrounding the media's coverage of the election, specifically their treatment of John McCain.

Firstly, it deals with the derailment of the "Straight Talk Express" in this election.  The past two weeks have been some of the worst, with the most deceitful ads to date coming out the McCain camp (i.e. Kindergarten-Sex Ed, Pig in Lipstick).  More specifically, the piece deals with the media's refusal to acknowledge the derailment of  the STE, because it doesn't fit the John McCain-Maverick narrative.

Cohen then gives praise to the members of the mainstream media that have finally stood up against the lies, one guess who these virtuous journalists are.  Anderson Cooper? Nope.  Brian Williams? Guess again.  Charlie Gibson?  That's laughable.  All out of guesses?  How about those saucy ladies on every housewife's favorite round table discussion show?  That's right!  It was "The View" that finally took the McCain camp to task for its shameful attack ads.  The clip is is right here. 

It's sad that "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" and "The View" are the TV outlets playing a referee function in this election.  The rest of the media just sits on the sideline and watches.  Imagine a basketball game.  Down in the post one player takes a cheap shot and elbows an opposing player in the face.  Now, instead of the referee blowing his whistle and calling a foul, he says, "Oooh! That must have hurt, I wonder if the other player is gonna retaliate and how hard will he retaliate?"  Or what's worse imagine the referee saying, "Wow that guy who just threw that elbow, he's really tough and gritty - such a maverick."  This is where we have arrived in this election.

The other point that Cohen touches on, albeit briefly, in the article is something one rarely hears in the mainstream press - that of John McCain's cushy relationship with the media.

Cohen says, "I am one of the journalists accused over the years of being in the tank for McCain. Guilty."  Cohen then goes on to talk about how this is a result of the respect he had for the old McCain.  He says that respect is gone now, and he is no longer in the tank for him.  However, he neglects to mention that so many in the media fail to recognize that there is even a "new" McCain.  I guess its just easier for the pundits to ride the Straight Talk Express all the way to the election.