Bits & Pieces: Obama, race relations, Clintonistas and Old Dubya

Hi Blog Pals,
Welcome to "Bits & Pieces," my roundup of short news items.... With no further delay....

Barack Obama & Media Bias: At a conference held at the University of Southern California a few days ago on the 2008 elections, Mark Halperin of Time and ABC News told the audience the media bias in favor of Senator Barack Obama during the presidential race was "disgusting." These were his words:

It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq War. It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage.

Whatever your views happen to be, it is difficult to dispute Halperin's conclusion. I'm glad the media was biased in Obama's favor and not McCain's. But let's be honest: The coverage was strongly slanted in Obama's direction. (Source: Politico)

Words to Remember:

"There is an acceptance among wide segments of the population that a qualified African American (Obama) can be accepted in the highest office. But that does not magically make the problems go away for the average person of color. Nothing has changed and for many the negative stereotypes are still very much there." -- Earl Ofari Hutchinson (author of The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House)

"People will say: 'You guys have got a black president so it's cool. It's straight.' But it does not erase the discussion (about race) that you need to have." --Chuck D. (rapper, poet, activist)

(Source: Reuters)

Clintonista Watch: A few days ago, I wrote a Blog entry pleading to just give Hillary a chance and Obama a hundred days. I haven't changed my mind, but I understand why humanitarians are concerned about the influence that powerful Clintonistas will have in Barack Obama's administration. Many of the critics of Obama are too negative and shrill, but one of the better assessments I've read comes from Jeremy Scahill of AlerNet. Scahill warns of the "hawks" and "Clintonites" who will likely exert a lot of say in White House. I still believe it's too premature to criticize Obama. My mantra of "Give him at least a hundred days" will continue until his 101st day as president. But I believe that more reasoned criticisms of Obama are worthwhile and Scahill's piece definitely falls into that category. FOOTNOTE: Please also see Marc Cooper's excellent Blog entry on the same subject. 

Saving Old Dubya: Writing in the Wall Street Journal, investigative reporter/lawyer Jeffrey Shapiro takes Americans to task for being so rude to their Commander in Chief. Sounding a lot like Major Frank Burns from M*A*S*H, Shapiro writes:

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time. Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

Ludicrous? Yes. Over-the-top? You betcha. Sanctimonious? And then some! But don't be too quick to laugh off these kinds of George W. Bush post-mortems. We'll be seeing a lot more like this one, I predict. Just as Ronald Reagan's fans have have sought to rehabilitate the Fortieth President (and largely succeeded, according to most surveys of effective presidents -- which place Reagan in the top five), Old Dubya's fans are most likely already at work -- funded by think tanks and right-wing institutions -- salvaging his eight dismal years in the White House. Who knows? Twenty years from now, Dubya might become the next Winston Churchill. Watch out.