I mean, there are months left to this election cycle. I wonder just how low MSM reporters can go before it's over? Actually cleaning politicians latrines? Acting as personal masseuse?

Wait, what am I saying? For most of these clowns, what they do is already as low as they can get.

Thanks Glenn. I might have missed that story, and wouldn't have had my daily dose of amazement.

Not the idea, the responses to the idea. I couldn't agree with you more Keith. If that doesn't shock people, at least it would stop them from lying to themselves that it isn't really happening, or it isn't so bad, or that it's cool. Same way they should be more graphic with war pictures. A few serious sucking head wounds and cambat might not be so attractive.

Thanks William T, I was going to make a list myself, but no need piling on. Fredrick, your point is simply to generally made to be useful. It's not even true about American reporters now, there are some exceptional people doing really good work. Just not that many of them, and damn few of those having a national audience...

Got here late, and haven't read the comments yet, since there are actually three other columns I have to catch up on. This topic is one that I've seen argued at school by some very bad professors, that every story has to be "balanced". I always thought the goal was truth? I thought the point was to inform the public, not worry about whether some powerful person was hurt by the truth.

The failure of the American press to live up to this ideal is a huge part of the problems the country is facing right now. I'm glad someone is calling them on it.

You're 100% right. They're violating a ton of journalist ethics by being there, but that seems to be the norm with the Washington press in particular. And, as you pointed out, it almost doesn't matter which country they worked in, they'd still be violating some kind of rule.

Man, that party looked expensive.

Miss a day, come in late, and this happens. I'm stunned. This could all still fall apart, but it's undeniably good news. Great start to the week-end.

For the link to the speech. I wish I'd seen it now. It read great.

As I've come to expect. I have to admit that I'm not convinced that America is ready to actually listen to what people are saying, if the country has the ability to get past the noise generated by the media dogs.

Every time I think "just maybe" I'll come to Salon, read an interesting article, then watch it devolve into shouting matches about Israel, drugs, or something else that isn't the current topic. If the level of discourse is higher here, I can only imagine what it's like in some corners of the USA.

When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's really depressing. I hope Obama is right, because I don't think the world wants to deal with President mcCain, let alone America.

As I've come to expect. I have to admit that I'm not convinced that America is ready to actually listen to what people are saying, if the country has the ability to get past the noise generated by the media dogs.

Every time I think "just maybe" I'll come to Salon, read an interesting article, then watch it devolve into shouting matches about Israel, drugs, or something else that isn't the current topic. If the level of discourse is higher here, I can only imagine what it's like in some corners of the USA.

When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's really depressing. I hope Obama is right, because I don't think the world wants to deal with President McCain, let alone America.

About the double post. Not sure what happened there.

Love the topic, if only because of the many interesting viewpoints it's brought up in the comments. I'm especially fond of Update 5, because you're completely correct. It's necessary to fight back against these tactics if you want to have any chance of avoiding 4 years of Bush redux.

I wish that America was really ready for an honest discussion on race, but I think that a lot of people would honestly rather die than be honest about where they're coming from, or try to empathize with someone else. I hope I'm wrong, because that's really sad, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. That's too bad, because I'm sure some people are ready, but it's going to get swept away in ignorant, angry, scared diatribes.

I really hope I'm wrong.

Outstanding post. Dead on.

Gotta love the magic ponies. I never got mine...

To try and convince people in the media to just speak the truth, and crush them when they're not doing their job. I think that alone would easily dismantle McCain's candidacy, which shouldn't even allow him to be dogcatcher, to be honest.

I'll have to order the book today.

I'm just not sure he'd remember what the button was FOR. McCain scares me on so many levels.

I have to agree with a couple of other posters here: Hamilton's excuse was bizarre, to say the least. I had basically assumed that the AG was lying (since his mouth was open) before that. Now I'm thinking that he was lying and that the Commission members are hiding a few things themselves.

In either case, Hamilton's refusal to comment at all is very, very strange.

You've made my day. For some reason, I read your post and immediately had an image of the AG literally running into a wall, head first. It was so pleasant, I ran it over again and again.

"The problem is the dud at the car steering wheel never stops screaming."

Thanks GC. What a perfect description of neo-conservative politics.

Glenn, good luck running these guys down.

That demonstrates why the mainstream press in the America is a joke. A very bad, painful, joke.