I’m not a supporter, but if my enemy’s enemy is my friend, Hillary is my soul mate.
The NPR debacleis only one example. It’s old news now (18 hours or so), but the Clinton campaign was alleged not to have left a tip at an Iowa diner. Quickly picked up by Drudge and others, and the focus of a Dkos entry, the quick aside in the NPR story got legs.
NPR does the right thing, they put the rebuttal at the very top of the story. But, not content to own up to their own mistake, the breathe new life into the story with a blog entry, ending with the question "Do you think you would change your mind about supporting a candidate if you found out he or she didn't tip a waiter?".
In other words, the story wasn’t true, but what the heck, what if it was? How would it make you feel?
[NPR blogs we may see in the future: "What if a presidential candidate murdered your husand? Or if they decorated the White House Christmas tree with pornographic ornaments? Would that change the way you feel about him/her?"
I’m beginning to agree with Bob Somerby: It’s not just Fox news, or the right-wing. Its the whole media who has bought into the B. Clinton/Gore/H. Clinton bashing, so much so that even liberals sometimes leaders fail to see it. This is why the net-roots should have been more uniform in their condemnation of Russert’s Hillary-bating at the debate. He didn’t do it because she was the front-runner; he did it because she was Hillary. You’ll never see a Republican frontrunner getting that kind of crap.
So, by all means, Hillary can and should be scrutinized and criticized for her positions. But let’s not join in the concerted media-bashing that led to the impeachment of Bill and the defeat of Gore.
Update After reading through some of the comments, I'll give Somerby the final word, from my end:
Final note: Some of you are telling yourselves, "But if the facts here had been right, this would have said something about Clinton’s character." Trust us: When you let a millionaire press corps draw lessons from trivia, the high-minded lessons they happen to draw will not favor those on your side.
That's regardless of whether "your side" is led by Obama (Osama), Edwards (Breck), Dean (Scream), Kerry (Swift-boat flip-flopper), Gore (serial exaggerator), or Bill C(Clenis), or HRC..