Guest Comment: Media offer Obama a free pass to White House

After being in the U.S. Senate for a very short time, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has catapulted himself to the status of a messiah in the Democrat Party.

The result is that he is walking on water toward the White House.

His platform is his politics of “understanding.” He is careful not to define the issues upon which he runs, rather he explains it is time to “move forward,” to discard “ideology,” to reach new “common ground” built on an understanding of broad base values.

When he completes these weasel words, performed eloquently and with a certain rhythmic beat, he and the crowd begin chanting, “Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can!” This is what is referred to as “atmospherics.” There is no beef.

In a Letter to the Editor titled: “Where’s the beef” Feb. 3, I was critical of the Green Valley News’ editorial endorsement of Obama, “Obama offers hope for the Democrats” (Jan. 30) as nothing substantive about this person was offered which would justify hiring him for the highest office in the free world and commander in chief.

In the last paragraph, the News concluded: “Few candidates in our lifetime seem destined to change life in America.”

Why is it the mainstream media have fully vetted all the other candidates but stay clear of doing due diligence regarding Obama? Certainly, we know all the sordid and not so sordid details about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and her spouse. We pretty well know what she would do if elected, except perhaps what she would do with Bill.

We know all we need to know about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., his service in the military and his 25 years in the U.S. Senate. The press has speculated ad nausea as to whether he is conservative enough. His personal life has been scrutinized every step of the way.

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., has been grilled incessantly, his record as a governor and pastor analyzed, and he has been frequently asked: “What would Jesus do?”

And let’s not forget the savage attacks former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., took defending his Mormon (LDS Church) religion.

All of their records in office have been analyzed, evaluated, and compared to the other candidates currently running and those who have run in the past.

What about Sen. Obama?

As the Wall Street Journal suggests, “No matter what is said or what questions are asked about or to Obama, it will be framed as dealing in racial overtones, or undertones.” He is bulletproof. This bubble of invulnerability, I would suggest, has been created by the mainstream media. They are engaged in a love affair.

As one political pundit observed: “the media is in the midst of an Obama-gasm.” They have found themselves “a second coming.” They have abandoned the basic tenets of journalism. They, along with the candidate, are presenting a fantasy to the American people.

Other men in history have gained power in so called periods of crisis, playing on the emotions of the people by exploiting effective propaganda with charismatic oratory to gain popularity, and with no checks and balances from an inquisitive and aggressive press. Two come to mind. It presents to me, and I am sure others, a very troubling scenario.

Am I suggesting Sen. Obama is a bad person? Am I suggesting there is something sinister about Sen. Obama, or there is a conspiracy between him and the mainstream media? Absolutely not!

I am suggesting that he and his candidacy are being treated quite differently from the others, and this is a disservice to the voter, and leads us into a world of the unknown we have not experienced before.

What do we know about his background? Was he a Muslim who studied the Quran? In his book “Dreams of My Father,” he mentions studying the Quran and describes the school he attended as a “Muslim school.” Remember the obsession the press had with Romney’s Mormon faith? His official Web site says he has never been a Muslim. How about his drug use? He claims it is over. I remember all kinds of investigations into Bush’s alcoholism and the many stories driven by the press about his possible drug use.

How about Obama’s spiritual and campaign adviser, the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. and the Trinity United Church of Christ? Check out the Web site: www.tucc.org/home.htm. Both preach the “Black Value System.” Should we know more about this? Can you imagine if one of the white candidates attended a church whose mantra was a “White Value System?”

How about ethical questions surrounding his real estate dealings and relationship with indicted fundraiser and Arab-American activist Tony Rezko? Should we know more about this?

Nobody could argue that the press reviewed every transaction made by Sen. Clinton, and did so over and over again. Senator Obama employed and continues to employ Louis Farrakhan acolytes in high positions on his campaign and other staffs. Should we know more about this?

The media really love the idea of Sen. Obama as the second coming of JFK, his spiritual successor. Obama has JFK’s charisma, but in terms of credentials, there is no comparison.

By the time JFK ran for president, he had served three terms in the House and twice won election to the Senate. He was a decorated World War II veteran, he closely studied foreign affairs, and served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Obama’s eight years in the Illinois legislature and uncompleted single term in the Senate can’t hold a candle to his record. It is interesting how focused the media is on Sen. Clinton’s lack of experience, and for that matter, Sen. McCain’s lack of experience with the economy.

Should we know more about Sen. Obama’s experience?

It is time for the mainstream media to end their love affair: to quit weeping and longing for nostalgia; to quit longing for the spiritual successor to JFK; to quit hoping for the second coming; to stop having the “gasms.” It is past time for them to put aside their dreams, their desires, and longings and come back to the reality of their responsibility.

It’s not about who will be the next Kennedy, but rather the next president.

John Fanning is a Green Valley resident. The views expressed above are the writer's own and do not reflect those of this newspaper.