Nattering nabobs of nonsense

By Edward Copeland

Sarah Palin owes Barack Obama and all African-Americans an apology. In her stump speech, she repeatedly boasts of putting a jet for sale on eBay. Obviously, since we all have ESP and the ability to break codes, Palin is really telling a tasteless, racist joke since Jet is a prominent African-American themed magazine and eBay is an online auction site that raises uncomfortable comparisons to slavery. Makes as much sense as finding sexism in using a common phrase in describing someone's policy statements, right?

As idiotic as it is that the McCain campaign has tried to make another issue out of thin air and trivialities since they know they lose if it it's about things that matter, they couldn't get away with it without their partners in stupidity: cable news.

Of course, Fox News always will be there for them, so it doesn't count, but what is the excuse of MSNBC and CNN for giving the lipstick lunacy more coverage than major hurricanes? Where's a mindless car chase when you need it?

MSNBC may be overly sensitive this week since they gave in to pressure and agreed not to let Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews anchor "news" events such as conventions any more because they give opinions. As much as I love Olbermann, I don't disagree with their idea that anchors of political events should be "unbiased." What annoyed me was that they were pushed into it by the likes of CNN and The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz who has whined for a long time about MSNBC's tilt to the left while pretending that Fox's anchors such as Brit Hume and Chris Wallace are fair and balanced.

CNN is such a muddle, who knows what to call it. They dumped shows such as Crossfire but just moved fighting pundits into different formats.

The cable networks seem to equate fairness with equal time and spin from both sides. They don't take the time to actually investigate candidates' claims or how their programs would really work: They just stick on spokesmen or surrogates to put the best possible shine on each side's view and those who might seek actual answers are shit out of luck.

The equal time has been particularly pointless since Palin arrived. They'll show an Obama event which, more often than not, is something new. Then they have to show McCain-Palin where they literally repeat the same stump speech, word for word, day after day. You hear the bridge to nowhere lie again, the luxury jet bit again, the executive chef lie again, etc. They usually cut away before McCain gets too far into his spiel.

The news media needs to return to their most important role: That of gatekeeper. Just because you get a press release doesn't mean you have to report it as news. Get out of the damn broadcast center.

One personal note: Palin botched her joke at the RNC. The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull isn't lipstick, it's that the pit bull is better suited to ascend to the presidency if something happens to the president.