If you didn’t already believe that the media is cutting John McCain some huge breaks, consider McCain’s recent comments about the war in Georgia.  I’ve included a fairly long clip in order to give his atrocious statement the proper context:

“In the 21st century, nations don’t invade other nations.”

“My point is that all of us show solidarity together and do whatever we can to make sure that behavior in the 21st century is one of respect for the sovereignty and independence of nations.”

These are absolutely ridiculous statements coming from a man who has been one of the leading apologists for the US invasion of not one, but two sovereign and independent nations.  The Young Turks do a good job of explaining how McCain is being both arrogant and hypocritical.  Anyone who can say such a thing without sensing the horrible irony has no business running for any kind of elected office, much less for president.  These are the sorts of remarks that make people around the world hate the United States.

Surprisingly, though, the mainstream media has not picked up on this story.  If you paid attention to the above clip, you’ll see that CNN actually broadcast these comments.   But they have received almost no attention since then - from CNN or from any other major news outlet.  To my knowledge, the only two people who have called out McCain over this are Keith Olbermann and Jack Cafferty - two men who are known more for their liberal-leaning rants than for their objective reporting.  The so-called “unbiased” media has turned a deaf ear. 

When it comes to Obama, however, the scrutiny is much more harsh.  Who can forget his comment about “clinging to guns and religion”?  We can’t forget it, because the mainstream media played it over and over and over again.  Who can forget that his former pastor has said some controversial things from the pulpit?  We can’t forget, because the mainstream media played them over and over and over again.  And who can forget that his wife once said something about being proud of America for the first time?  We can’t forget, because the mainstream media played it over and over and over again.  And again.

For crying out loud!  Last week, McCain offered to enter his wife in a beauty pageant that features nudity and lewd dancing - and only the comedy shows seemed to notice.  Could Obama have gotten by with saying something like that?  There is no mistaking the fact that the mainstream media is biased.

But it’s not biased toward Obama or McCain.  It’s not biased toward Democrats or Republicans.  It’s not biased toward liberals or conservatives.   Commercial media outlets are biased toward the same thing that all businesses are biased toward - their own profits.   And they know full well that in election years, they make the most money when the presidential race is tight.

Remember the 2000 election?  It was the tightest race in history, and it took a full month after election day for the “winner” to be declared.  It was a godsend for the commercial media, as was documented by the New York Times:

In the nights following Tuesday’s vote, with the camps of Mr. Gore and Mr. Bush sparring with increasing enmity, most of the political talk shows have more than doubled their usual ratings.

Naturally, the news networks want a repeat of 2000’s month-long ratings bonanza, or at least of the fairly close election in 2004.  The last thing they want to see is a landslide, which is what this election has been threatening to become. 

Of course the media wants to favor McCain right now.  He’s the underdog.  But were McCain to somehow pull ahead in the polls, they would all of a sudden be obsessing over every one of his missteps and turning a blind eye to Obama’s.   They don’t care who wins.  They just need a close race.

My advice?  Stop following mainstream media, and read more blogs.

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