Obama Advisors Offer No Cause for ConcernRandy Shawbyline‚ Jun. 13‚ 2008This past week offered a preview of the media coverage of the Obama-McCain race that we can expect through Election Day. The goal: “balanced” coverage, regardless of the relative importance of what occurs. For example, after John McCain claimed that bringing troops the home from Iraq was “not too important”—an assertion that sent a terrible message to current soldiers and their families—the media “balanced” this with stories criticizing the background of one of the three Obama advisors “vetting” Vice-Presidential nominees. Although Obama’s choice of vetters, unlike McCain’s statement about Iraq, had no policy implications, it received much greater attention in the June 12 New York Times. The Times also ran a prominent piece that day discussing the AFL-CIO’s unhappiness with Obama’s choice for chief economic advisor. As much as the media and Obama critics seek to “bring Obama down to earth,” it is misdirected to focus on the political histories of his advisors, rather than on his own pronouncements and acts. |