Dragging Obama across the finish line

Today, Instapundit wrote that "the fix is in" and the mainstream media is totally "in the tank" for Obama. The Anchoress and Protein Wisdom have similar posts confirming the overwhelming bias for the Democratic candidate.

Day by day, the evidence continues to mount. On Sunday, the Boston Globe added a sidebar feature of the "best editorial cartoons of the week." I got up to twenty cartoons without finding one remotely critical of Obama. It starts out with a two-faced John McCain and moves on to illustrations critical of President Bush, Sarah Palin, and Congresional Republicans. The Democratic leaders who have pushed Congressional approval down to historical lows? Not a smudge for them.

Then, today, I got my Newsweek. Four years ago, Newsweek's assistant managing editor hoped that the media would gain the Kerry/Edwards ticket 15 points in the polls. This year they must be shooting for 30.

Let's start with the cover which depicts Obama as "Mr. Cool" and McCain as "Mr. Hot." So, right off, it's Fonzie vs. the guy with a temper.

The first picture of Obama (p. 5) has a sun-dappled candidate, smiling and waving to cheering fans from his campaign bus. On the next page, there is absolutely the worst possible picture of McCain, scowling on an airplane as journalists swarm around him. The caption: "Risky Business." No subtext here, folks, move along...we're all objective journalists.

Moving over to "Conventional Wisdom": Up arrow for Obama! Down arrow for Palin. McCain & Biden share a side-to-side arrow. David Letterman, who spent a week attacking McCain for skipping his show? Up arrow, natch. Over at Perspectives, more editorial cartoons, both of them ridiculing President Bush.

Almost nobody in the mainstream media has an interest in asking the most fundamental questions about Barack Obama's qualifications to be President. The closest I saw was Steve Kroft of "60 Minutes" who needed three tries to get Obama to explain why he has the skills to sit in the Oval Office:

KROFT: But what is there specifically about you? You mentioned disposition. You mentioned disposition. What skills and traits do you have that would make you a good president?

OBAMA: Yeah. You know I am very good at analyzing complicated problems. Hearing all voices. Getting all perspectives. And then taking some decisive action in terms of moving us in a direction that's gonna solve the problem. And you know, that was true when I worked across the aisle on issues like ethics reform, or nuclear proliferation. It's been true when I was in the state legislation, when I provided tax cuts to people who needed them. But also made sure that, as we were moving women from welfare to work, that they had the kinds of transportation assistance or health care assistance or other things that they needed. You know, I am a practical person, somebody who, I think, can cut through some very complicated problems and figure out the right course of action. Now, there's one other element that I think is important that we need in the presidency right now. And that is somebody who understands what it's like to struggle. And understands what people are going through all across America. You know, I come from pretty modest beginnings. And I know what it's like to scratch and claw to get to where I am. I know, you know, what it's like watching your mom have to go to school and work at the same time. Or, you know, watch your grandparents live in a small apartment because they're trying to help the next generation. You know, I don't get a sense that the kinds of folks that my mom and my grandparents were, the kinds of folks that Michelle's mom and dad were, who were able to make it 20, 30 years ago, even without a college education, I don't get a sense that people in those same circumstances now feel like they've got those opportunities. And I think an insistence that the American dream, American promise, gets passed on to the next generation, that somebody's fighting for that middle class, working class, for group of people who have to work, and are working very hard but aren't getting a real fair shake right now -- I think that's what's needed in the White House right now.

So, Obama can analyze problems and can "figure out the right course of action" - all of which should be a surprise to the Annenberg Foundation who saw the miserable failure of Obama's attempted reform of Chicago schools. Oh, and Obama has struggled like no other American at private schools and through student loans at Columbia and Harvard.

It's fitting that Obama believes in the American Dream that anybody can become President.