"Because a president must have integrity for the nation to respect him, and the minute a president is lying in one area, the media and the nation are going to wonder in what other ways he's untrustworthy and deceptive. So it displayed him as recklessly chasing what he wanted at the moment rather than what was best for the country, and it showed him as untrustworthy. Huge character failings for a president."

You might want to correct that to "media.....are going to wonder in what other ways they can make economic hay from his indiscretions."

Bush and Cheney lied, tremendously so, tragically so - and I don't recall the media making much of it at all. The rest of us voted out their cohorts. The media didn't do jack.

Blow-jobs aren't tragic. Hundreds of thousands killed for a lie - that's tragic. And to this day you'll never hear the media say "why should we put Cheney on our Sunday show, after all, he lies and lies and lies."

and the era, Joan. Very close to what I remember as appalling too - the bizarre demonizing of Clinton, before and after the Lewinsky scandal, from both right and left.

I'll never forget how the MSM canonized Newt Gingrich upon election. Time's and Newsweek's covers suggested we suddenly had a Republican Prime Minister, not a leader of Congress - an equal, ready to go mano a mano on Cowboy Bill. It was a media invention that was not reflected in the majority's opinion of Gingrich or his gang, at the time or later, and they've continued to prop it up whenever they can (Obama vs. Cheney? Give me a break.)

But here's the rub. I don't think we're anywhere different from that era now. Not at all. We've seen Obama demonized in the same half-hearted, off-handed way, and his still-developing accomplishments poo-poohed from Day 2.

The MSM is prowling for false equivalencies and conflict 24/7. But they oddly enough didn't find it with Bush, until the very end when it couldn't be denied. What's going on?

Salon of course is not immune. Birthers and Gatesgate are just not true reflections of Obama's presidency. Glenn Greenwald is a national treasure, but his holding a president's feet to the fire can seem harsh at times. The last 8 years WERE non-stop negative; the last 9 months not so. As for Paglia - let's not even go there.

These few caveats are more than made up for by the general quality of Salon's writers. And with other liberal/progressive independent web sites we have a strong antidote to MSM attention deficit that we didn't have during the Clinton years.

But in the MSM - where it often counts most - Obama is in the same steadily-heating-up seat as Bill, and Hillary would have been subjected to contentless trashing too (see youtube "reptile queen" videos for proof of intent).

Something's deeply wrong with our media, and I think it's as simple as this; it's owned by reactionary corporations who have no trouble knowing Bushco was a godsend. But it's staffed by relative free-thinking writers, who are often young and don't have the historical awareness of how truly unearned much of Clinton's, and Obama's, vitriol was and is.

Reactionary wins, almost (thank god for the courageous few, Joan and co. included) all the time.

as we can still call Bleck and Rimbo "Tweedledum and Tweedledee".

(If the little suspenders and beanies fit, boys, why not go with them?)

Re: Icky - just say no.

Period.

I confess - I'm a total Japanophile, love the people, the culture, the food, everything. Getting drunk with Japanese businessmen - and increasingly businesswomen - after a grueling day of meetings is heaven on earth, with an ocean of taxis waiting to take you home.

That ocean of service comes with a price. I love Japan, but I do not care - even one small bit - for squid. If served, I will politely but firmly ask that they be replaced by onion rings. It's just who I am. (Don't care for sea cucumber either, but that's more of a China thing.)

Squid are to marine life as John Bolton's facial hair is to moustaches.

If threatened, as obviously they are, I support 110% any Japanese city's right to deal with them directly and as needed (squids, not JB's upper lip, but come to think of it.......)

For their chutzpah, I will put Hakodate on my list of still-to-visit sites, along with Miyajima and Yakushima, and I will research their finer after-hours bars and best local taxi companies.

Well done, Hakodate-people. Solidarity against the flesh-pink invaders.

wouldn't read it if you paid me. Not going to run with anything they say.

Called my representative today (who is for a strong public option). But I'll call again on Monday, as well as Senators.

Was hoping like many for a march on Washington. But for now - let your fingers do the walking!!!

about this stupid comparison:

"But comparing the tactics of the Nixon administration -- which bugged and intimidated and harrassed journalists -- to that of the Obama administration was foolish, facile, ridiculous and, ultimately, embarrassing to me. I should have known better and, in fact, I do know better. I was around during the Nixon years. I am fully cognizant of what they did and attempted to do."

This from a guy who should know full well that FOX is NOT a news organization, but a fully-functioning arm of the hard-right-wing. Cheney's home away from home. Propaganda.

This from a guy (Rudin) who compared Hillary to the Glen Close character in "Fatal Attraction".

He also apologized for that howler, too. Rudin seems to have to apologize a lot.

Indeedy. Call, write, email everyone tomorrow - make sure they hear us loud and clear.

Once more, with feeling.