Media in Control of Democracy (Cheri Jacobus)

While the anti-Republican media scrutinize every word that comes out of Sarah Palin's mouth, every utterance of John McCain and any and all phrases shouted out by strangers and non-campaign staff at McCain-Palin rallies, the Democrats get a free pass.

John McCain's facial expressions at his last debate were mocked by the media, while Joe Biden's inability to make any facial expression at all due to obvious Botox injections was ignored. By the way, should a 65-year-old man who has had two brain aneurysms and may be a heartbeat away from the presidency be shooting botulism into his forehead? John McCain's bouts with skin cancer have been discussed as though he were terminal (even though he has been given a clean bill of health), while Barack Obama's deadly smoking habit and refusal to release his medical records has been swept under the rug.

John Kerry makes a very un-funny joke about John McCain's age, alleging he wears adult diapers (despite Kerry being no spring chicken himself) and it is roundly ignored by the media, except for Fox News.

Barack Obama has a fundraiser in the home of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, serves on boards with him and pens a positive review of Ayers’s book, but when he claims he has no friendship with him, the media give him a pass and slam any and all Republicans who so much as mention Ayers's name as engaging in smear tactics against Obama.

The media hailed the Colin Powell endorsement of Obama as some sort of coronation and provided wall-to-wall coverage for days, yet continue to ignore the very interesting fact that the most popular figure in the Democratic Party, former President Bill Clinton, has yet to be seen on the campaign trail with Barack Obama. It has been alleged that with Clinton, it is sour grapes, but no acknowledgement that perhaps a sentiment other than those stated by the high-minded Powell are behind the centrist Republican endorsing the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate.

Given the enormous monetary advantage Obama has due to breaking his pledge on public campaign financing, and the enormous and frightening boost he is being given by the media, it is surprising he is not further ahead in the polls. This should tell the media a lot about where the American people really are politically and how the media's failure to act responsibly and in an unbiased manner is skewing this election. The cherry-picking of items they report has painted a picture of the two candidates and their running mates that bears little resemblance to reality. It is shameful and it is dangerous.