For the past few months, the AP has been shoring up McCain's campaign by putting "lipstick on a pig". Ron Founier, head of the AP was once even offered a job with the McCain campaign. So what's up? In the past few days, a series of blistering articles and op-eds about McCain/Palin have been crossing the AP wires, culminating in today's take down of Sarah Palin's interview with Charles Gibson. And The Page has the headline:
The article Mark Halperin is referring to was written by Charles Babbington. The same Charles Babington that notoriously released a critique of Obama's convention speech before it was even over. Well, he's singing a different tune today and McCain's not likely to sing along:
Republican presidential nominee John McCain, a self-proclaimed tell-it-like-it-is maverick, keeps saying his running mate, Sarah Palin, killed the federally funded Bridge to Nowhere when, in fact, she pulled her support only after the project became a political embarrassment. He accuses Democrat Barack Obama of calling Palin a pig, which did not happen. He says Obama would raise nearly everyone's taxes, when independent groups say 80 percent of families would get tax cuts instead.
That's not just a recitation of the facts, the AP is "takin' him to the woodshed"! And he goes to call them out on their other big lie, earmarks.
The McCain-Palin campaign made at least three other aggressive claims this week that omitted key details or made dubious assumptions to criticize Obama. It equated lawmakers' requests for money for special projects with corruption, even though Palin has sought nearly $200 million in such "earmarks" this year.
And is that isn't enough, the AP gives an, wait for it, HONEST critique of Palin's interview with Charles Gibson on Foreign Policy:
The Headline:
In the interview broadcast Thursday, Palin sought to defend her qualifications to assume one of the most powerful jobs in the world. But she struggled with foreign policy, unable to describe President Bush's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against threatening nations and acknowledging she's never met a foreign head of state.
And it onlu goes downhill from there. It's proceeds to list the numerous uncertainties in her answers to basic foreign policy questions:
_Appeared unsure of the Bush doctrine — essentially that the United States must help spread democracy to stop terrorism and that the nation will act pre-emptively to stop potential foes.
Asked whether she agreed with that, Palin said: "In what respect, Charlie?" Gibson pressed her for an interpretation of it. She said: "His world view." That prompted Gibson to say "no, the Bush doctrine, enunciated September 2002, before the Iraq war" and describe it to her.
Notice that the facts are laid bare. No spin, no nuance just a straightforward critique. But I guess the AP can't really spin the lack of experience in any other way. They go on to highlight her claim of proximity to Russia as a being foreign policy experince:
Pressed about what insights into recent Russian actions she gained by living in Alaska, Palin told Charles Gibson of ABC News, "They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska."
Is this it folks? Is the media FINALLY opening their eyes to what a dishonest, sleazy campaigner McCain is? Are they finally noticing his complete lack of judgment in choosing someone so green to the scene, they don't even know what the "Bush Doctrine" is? Are they having second thoughts? I pray it's true.
UPDATE:
Hat Tip to furiousxxgeorge for yet another AP takedown
http://ap.google.com/...
Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions, in the fall of 1996, were hypothetical and entirely appropriate. He said a patron had asked the library to remove a title the year before and the mayor wanted to understand how such disputes were handled.
Records on the city's Web site, however, do not show any books were challenged in Wasilla in the 10 years before Palin took office.
Palin notified Emmons she would be fired in January 1997 because the mayor didn't feel she had the librarian's "full support." Emmons was reinstated the next day after public outcry, according to newspaper reports at the time.
Still, one longtime library staffer recalls that the run-in made everyone fear for their jobs.