To the corporate media, Obama is black and McCain is white

Ben Smith from Politico writes:

"I'm a little on the fence here. It's obviously satire, made clearer by the fact that the New Yorker is a deeply friendly publication to Obama and the Democrats these days. So is the outrage -- encouraged here by the campaign -- an appropriate reaction? Or the new, pro-Obama PC? (If the latter, all's fair on the campaign trail in any case... but it could prove a worryingly powerful tool used from the White House.)"

I like Ben, but I don't recall any such concern when his own story from two weeks ago was used by the McCain campaign, and corporate media pundits like Mrs. Greenspan and others, to repeatedly eviscerate Wesley Clark and me, among others, for questioning the connection between John McCain's wartime experience and whatever qualifications he may or may not have as commander in chief. We're told that it looks an awful lot like pro-Obama PC to object to the depiction of Mrs. Obama as some blackxploitation gunslinger, of Senator Obama as a look-alike for Osama, of both as flag burners who would defile the Oval Office. Depicting Obama and his wife in this offensive, stereotypical, and borderline racist manner is okay and fair game because, as Ben says, "all's fair on the campaign trail." But, as we learned just two weeks ago, asking questions and drawing conclusions about actual experiences from John McCain's life, and their impact on his qualifications for president, is beyond the pale, gutter politics, and downright un-American.

And what's worse - no one in the corporate media suggested that it was pro-McCain PC when the pundits-that-be declared McCain's military record, and more generally his qualifications as commander in chief, whiter than the driven snow and totally off-limits to any criticism or even questioning. All is not fair, by any means, when John McCain is the topic.

It's the classic problem of American journalism, and American society, vis-a-vis Democrats and the left. Tangentially suggest that getting shot down doesn't necessarily qualify John McCain to be president and you are the one who hates America. There's no discussion, no debate. The question simply cannot be asked because the conclusion is "obvious" and unworthy of debate, and debate itself is deemed offensive. But portray Barack Obama and his wife as a walking racial - nay, racist - stereotype, and it's not just acceptable, but anyone who would question the propriety of such a portrayal is, again, un-American.

Criticize McCain, you're un-American. Defend Obama, you're un-American.

Now, imagine had Barack Obama said that he didn't love his country until he was a 30-something. Do you think Obama would face criticism? Do you honestly think he'd even survive as a candidate in post 9/11 America? And then imagine were John McCain mocked on the cover of the New Yorker, dressed in POW garb, with a drug addicted, pill popping, gun-toting wife and depicted in a manner that suggested that he loves Osama bin Laden and hates America. Would the corporate media be talking about pro-McCain PC-ists who can't take a joke? Or would the New Yorker get Dixie Chicked?