Liberal Media?

It seems like the "liberal" media is at it again. Jonathan Chait from The New Republic has an article today that seems to discount all of McCain's shortcomings, telling us he still likes him and at least he'd be better than Bush: http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=5cb3eef3-11b5-4ab2-baf4-f5f78b26a889. The New Yorker cover that is causing a major imbroglio has left the actual story uncovered. It covers his early years in Chicago politics from what can best be described as an "uppity negro" narrative, as if only a Black politican would stoop to culling his contacts carefully, making strategic decisions about his friends and enemies, taking advantage of opportunities to advance, and worst of all, being ambitious!

As with 2000 and 2004, it appears the "liberal" media is just a cover for an increasingly conservative shift that has been going on for some time now. In 1999, Pew showed this shift empirically with an extensive survey that found newsmen and women were more liberal than the public socially but more conservative economically and on foreign policy. We have seen the effects of this in the last two election cycles and it appears to be happening again. After the original love affair with Obama, it now appears the media has turned against him and is ready to assassinate his unseemly amibition by ensuring they help elect the more "likable" guy again. The problem this time is the facade that is McCain. Much like Bush, he admits he has little real knowledge of foreign affairs or the economy. He has internal fighting in his campaign between the tax cutters and the budget balancers. He is the true flip-flopper in the race, in an almost unprecedented ideological transformation that appears to have little to do with his true beliefs and more to do with electability. And on the issues most important to the country -- taxes, economic stimulus, regulation, Iraq and Iran and many social issues -- he appears to be walking hand in hand with a President who has the lowest approval rating in history.

Since McCain cannot really win on the issues, the only way to win is to return to the Rovian strategies of the past -- and he already seems to be moving with great celerity in that direction. Will the media challenge him, or allow the big lie to move this country further down the road of its internal and external decline? Obama better come up with some way to divert their attention or we might see another late season surprise.