Obamaweek
In general, I find it hard to get worked up when conservatives charge the media with liberal bias. I know a ton of journalists, and though they’re almost all Democrats none of them are partisan hacks. They do a very good job of separating their personal opinion from their reporting.
But wow. This Newsweek profile of Obama. It’s something else. Some choice excerpts:
It is a sure bet that the GOP will try to paint Obama as “the other”—as a haughty black intellectual who has Muslim roots (Obama is a Christian) and hangs around with America-haters. …
But [McCain] may not be able to resist casting doubt on Obama’s patriotism. And the real question is whether he can—or really wants to—rein in the merchants of slime and sellers of hate who populate the Internet and fund the “independent expenditure” groups who exercise their freedom in ways that give a bad name to free speech. …
But if McCain thinks he can’t win on those issues—if the war remains unpopular and the Bush downturn goes on—he will be sorely tempted to run down his opponent.
Newsweek also contrasts McCain’s and Obama’s campaign staffers. Gee, I wonder which they’ll prefer?
McCain’s top aides include some veterans of past Republican attack campaigns, like campaign strategist Steve Schmidt, who was in charge of rapid response for Bush-Cheney ’04, and Black, whose experience goes all the way back to the campaigns of right-wing Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina. …
Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, combines big-picture idealism and Chicago School politics of hard knocks. Plouffe is sure and steady.
And don’t forget those dastardly 527s. No, not MoveOn.org and their billionaire founder; the ReTHUGlican 527s who, ah yes, give freedom of speech a bad name[!!]:
(The model is the notorious Swift Boat Veterans for Truth who unfairly but effectively questioned John Kerry’s war record in 2004.) …
The Republicans will need those independent expenditures to try to keep up, no matter how distasteful the attack ads they buy.
Just in case Newsweek didn’t spell it out for you in stark enough terms: Obama=America’s last great hope; McCain=Worse than Nixon. There. I saved you 20 minutes.