Keep up the good writing, Chronicle! I don't mind which direction you lean, just as long as you provide fair and accurate reporting. Well done!
In just weeks, Sarah Palin has taken a lot more hostile fire than Joe Biden ever has, even in his wild imagination. No candidate in history has endured more fine-tooth combs than Gov. Palin.
Now she enters tonight's vice-presidential debate knowing the "moderator" is anything but moderate. In fact, PBS' Gwen Ifill is a Barack Obama devotee who is writing a book applauding his political ascension.
Her book, The Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama, is slated for release on Inauguration Day. The release's timing seems to assume Obama will win even before the election is held.
Given all this, Ifill should graciously step aside. If not, and if she isn't asked to step aside, then at the very least Ifill ought to admit to the audience that she's authoring a pro-Obama book.
The Ifill flap does have one salutary effect -- it blows the cover that she's a fair, evenhanded journalist.
Ifill and her like-minded "mainstream media" colleagues are so eager for an Obama victory that they can't contain themselves. Ifill's bias is fundamentally the same as that of the network anchors who sought to embarrass Palin with their "gotcha" interviews.
Can you imagine Democrats ever agreeing to a debate moderated by, say, conservative Sean Hannity? Of course not. But at least he acknowledges his bias. Maybe he and liberal Alan Colmes should moderate; the questions would probably be better.
And we'd at least know where they're coming from.
Comments
Keep up the good writing, Chronicle! I don't mind which direction you lean, just as long as you provide fair and accurate reporting. Well done!
After all this time, they knew who the moderator would be....malarkey!
Hey Chronicle....why don't you follow your candidate's lead...John McCain, though, spoke highly of the reporter in an interview with Fox News Channel. I think Gwen Ifill is a professional and I think she will do a completely objective job because she is a highly respected professional, he said Wednesday. No one else even needs to comment, he finished it.
IF (and that's a big IF) Sarah Palin has anything to say which might remotely make the least bit of sense, I don't think the identity of the moderator will make any difference. The most recent polls now show that the women's vote is going to Obama/Biden by about 15 percent, so this little shoot-from-the-hip antic by McCain has badly backfired.
This is one of the problems conservatives have with McCain - he doesn't seem to fight these things hard enough. However, in his defense, he does not have a willing press behind him to fight his battles for him. Can you imagine if it was announced that the moderator for a debate with Biden or Obama and their Republican opponent was Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly or even Chris Wallace? The mainstream media and press would go nuts and THEY would demand that moderator step down and would hound him until he did.
Copper stands by waiting on the usual conservative attacks....
GAC, Are you about yourself in third person? Sounds like you are writing a play, with you as the Lead. Are loooking at a mirror as you type?
And ladies and gentlemen I will once again try to say "Am I surprised"? No....A person could write a book on the making of a King and Queen of the United States...It would more than likely be a best seller...:-)
John McCain himself has testified to the professionalism of Ifil. Why are the rest of you whining? I have some cheese to go with it if you'd like.....
Gac I apologize for lack of proper grammar and missing words, my typing does not keep up with my thoughts. You on the other hand usually posts some impressive and long points of view. BUT, it is too bad that you tend to lean toward a SOCIALIST.
Thast because McCain is trying to be civil. The left should take a lesson. Didnt the dems boycot a debate during the primaries because it was moderated by Fox? Not Hannity, not Oreilley, but just Fox was enough for them to skip, but now we are told not to worry about it and we are being ridiculous to suggest that Ifill might be biased. There is a double standard and they are perfectly comfortable with it.
john and marandan, Public Broadcasting has always leaned to the left. That fact was known when the debate negotiations were in progress. I believe that if Palin is competent and prepared, the moderator won't matter. If you really believe in her as a candidate, and haven't seen her blunders and weren't concerned about it, it would be a non-issue. The problem is, she's NOT competent, and she's not prepared. She couldn't even answer what magazines and papers she's read. That's not a good sign for someone who might be President of the country. Even conservative pundits are starting to doubt her qualifications. I see Palin as being a prominent reason for McCain's defeat in the upcoming election.
I think she should step aside as well. Now, Palin is getting smeared. However, it is by the right-wing media who understands she is ot qualified. I say keep her on the ticket. She's the best thing to happen for Democratic elections since Dan Quayle.
Palins performance is up to her GAC, I agree with that. All Im saying is that if the Dem's can boycot Fox, dont be surprised when the Reps question a moderator who is writing a book. No one is questioing NPR in this specific issue. They are questioning her impartiality in moderating when she "appears" to have a conflict if interest.
Another gotcha question, "Besides Roe Vs Wade, what other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?" I felt so embarrassed at her trying to answer I changed the channel. Hey, since Palin, Obama is surging with the white women vote. I'm sure the AC just sees them vicims of the left-wing media. You know, women can't think for themselves. What about the right-wing media that is crucifying Palin?
A hard left employee of PBS(hard left) that has written a pro-Obama book(hard left) will be a fair moderator. Right. Let's see how the left would react to Ann Coulter being a moderator.
They're just ignorant traitors, shivas, don't you know.....they've been brainwashed by them commie pinkos
Again....all this was laid out during negotiations.....the McCain camp didn't have to agree with it in the FIRST place. If palin was not falling apart and hurting the campaign, it would be a non-issue.
shivas, you worship at the alter of Obama, you can't be embarrassed.
The media and Hollywood want Obama in office so it is going to be hard to beat and they are certainly good role models.......
Has anyone read advance galleys of the book? Or are we assuming it is pro-Obama simply because Ms. Ifill is also African-American? I have always found her to be a warm, gracious, fair and objective moderator on Washington Week and other broadcasts where she keeps disourse both intelligent AND civil. I can see why the Committee to Reinvade Vietnam might have a problem with this.
Oh yeah, Copperhead. Palin gets beat up by the left wing press 24/7 while the king of gaff, Biden, gets a free pass. We'll see how the "debate" with the "unbiased" moderator turns out.
There is a major reason why OBAMA, should not even be cosidered as nominee for POTUS. He cannot PASS Security Background checksm for the secure issues the office calls for. He could not even work, in a security position in the Military, due to his associations to TERRORISTS(W. AYRES and his wife). Is that not a major reason why Americans should not be willing to put him up for the position. If this fact was turned around and MCcain had been affiliated with Ayres, I am sure the mainstream media would be demanding he be removed from nomination. Even the perception of wrongdoing on so many different issues, should be enough to AMERICANS, that they would dismiss OBAMA as a viable candidate. Other than being a smooth talker, WHAT has OBAMA DONE that makes him the best person to represent our country? WHAT? HE has been the best CANDIDATE, but is not the best for our country. Is the IDOLATRY for OBAMA, just the chance to pick the first, self proclaimed Black man. He is more white than black. His Dad was Arabic, but lived in Kenya. He is a phony, propped-up suit, by the political machine in CHICAGO. In mafia terms, he is a made man. He reeks of corruption.
Palin is really just beating herself up--by opening her mouth.
It's funny how all the liberals think Ifill "is professional and will do a completely objective job because she is......." but I can't imagine the hue and cry they'd put up if, say, oh I don't know, Sean Hannity were to be the moderator. It would be a whole different story then! Having said that, she may do a "professional and unbaised" job, we'll just have to see.
I agree with the editorial. Professionial or not, Ifill should remove herself from the debate and let someone else moderate.
Not hardly, randon. I'm willing to bet the left will beat her up after the debate, regardless of how badly she trounces Biden. I'm also willing to bet Biden will draw a free pass from the press.
Anyone who has heard Gwen Ifill knows she is fair and balanced, which is probably why John McCain and his campaign team agreed to her as a moderator. I get the point of the editorial though. If Palin does poorly in the debate tonight, it will be because a biased moderator asked her too many gotcha questions. Nice try. As we've all seen, Sarah Palin is perfectly capable of self destructing every time she opens her mouth, no matter who asks a question or what it is.
Perception of wrongdoing doesn't matter to DEMS if it is in their best interests, but if it was the other way around, oh man, it would be such a trajedy. Hey Dems when does INTEGRITY, FAIRNESS, and HONESTY ever emit from your side? EVER?
marandan, go do a non-partisan search on the ties of the McCain camp's lobbyist members to the failed companies in the banking debacle....corrupt? no doubt, McCain's camp is......
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