Sunday, September 30, 2012

Let me explain why this is different than previous bias.

Ace of Spades HQ
"Let me explain why this is different than previous bias.
Previously, the press has been both biased in a partisan way and an in an ideological way, but usually the partisanship was driven by ideology.
As you may have noticed, the press are great fans of gay marriage and abortion, and they shape their coverage to put the best possible face on these positions, and the worst possible face on opponents. (To the extent they feature contrary voices at all.)
That's bias, of course. We've gotten used to that.
But in the Benghazi debacle, there is no possible ideological grounding to explain their bias.
There is, I trust, no ideological movement that advocates for intelligence failures and the deaths of good-guy diplomats.
There is no ideological movement in favor of reckless incompetence bordering on malice in providing security for consulates abroad (which, as a legal matter, are considered US territory).
There is no ideological movement -- or at least there was not before -- championing the government's right to lie to the public about its failures in order to avoid accountability.
There is no room here where one can say, "Ah well, they can't help but be pulled a bit to the left by their own beliefs."
Because no one champions the right of government to let people be murdered and then lie about it.
This isn't ideological bias, then.
This is pure advocacy for a political party.
Obama's embarrassment is not an ideological issue -- or should not be.
 I hope we can all agree that a president should attend security briefings -- especially as 9/11 approaches -- and provide adequate warning and security for US government personnel.
I hope we can all agree that the government does not suddenly gain a Right To Shamelessly Lie about its failures, simply because it finds it politically advantageous to do so.
But, as Nina Totenberg's chuckle indicates, the press now in fact believes exactly these things -- so long as the president we're talking about is Democrat, and Obama in particular."

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