This was published originally this week as a long-lead feature piece in Wilder Voice, a publication at Oberlin College in Ohio. It is crossposted at Ich Bin Ein Oberliner. I know it's long, but I think it's worth it.

At a recent campaign stop in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama went bowling. He only played seven frames. He scored a 37. This abysmal score did not go unnoticed in the media. The major papers and news services--AP, Reuters, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post--and a host of minor ones all printed stories. The big television news networks--CNN, MSNBC, FOX--not to be left out, ran their own segments. It was a column after column, day after day, Obama bowl-a-thon.

Here's Lou Dobbs giving 'em hell last night.  Thank the lord someone in prime time gets it:

"...What you said was she cannot win the nomination...well, neither can Senator Obama."

"...Why in the world is there this compulsion, this insistence, that she can't win the nomination....neither can Senator Obama!" (emphasis by Lou)

"...And I have never seen in my career greater favoritism applied in the national media..."

Lou is correct.  And I don't care whether Lou's views on public policy are conservative, moderate, or whatever.  He has in fact been one of the fairest commentators on any cable channel this election season, certainly on CNN.  
You can't even tell who he prefers for President...imagine that!

Give 'em hell Lou:

Updated 4/2/08 5:25 PM PST: In response to the comments below suggesting that it's un-Democratic and possibly criminal to quote Lou Dobbs, I want to clarify. The purpose of this diary is not to endorse or defend Lou Dobbs as a person or any economic, social, or political position he may hold. The intent of the diary is to endorse Dobbs' comments that are shown in the blockquotes, which unfortunately have not been heard so forcefully from any other prime-time broadcaster. In my view, it's myopic and un-democratic to pigeonhole a person: because Dobbs has conservative opinions about immigration, for example, doesn't rule out the possibility that he may have something of merit to say on another issue.

Updated 4/3/08 10:14 AM PST: I would like to note that several commenters to this diary have expressly or implicitly called me a racist. I urge myDD, in the strongest terms possible, to discourage and penalize this lowest form of insult. One such comment was posted at 12:30:06 PM EST

It's quiz time! With all this Obama news in the past few weeks, which story will have the most staying power/importance in the battle of good versus evil (stories):

If you think the media has changed its MO of building up Barack Obama and tearing down Hillary Clinton since the famous SNL sketch, check out the current issue of The New Republic

I'm beginning to wonder whether this isn't a disservice to both candidates.

In the issue, Jonathan Chait describes Obama as "an eloquent, inspiring, reform-minded young leader who happens to be the first serious African American presidential candidate."  Fair enough, but he also describes Clinton in the same sentence as "cementing her own reputation for Nixonian ruthlessness."

Anyone else notice how these three sites bounce all their articles off each other to create an Echo Chamber Effect, and AMP UP THE VOLUME?

Ordinarily it wouldn't be a huge issue, but whether by political choice or PAYOFFS, the three sites all emphasise information FAVORABLE TO BARACK OBAMA and UNFAVORABLE TO HILLARY CLINTON.

This needs to be looked in to. It is collusion, and a form of collusion that suggests MONEY IS CHANGING HANDS.

It's not a surprise to most of us that the Corporate Media has been pushing a couple of candidates for voters to select.  

We've been seeing them do it since last year, when I was a bit naive to believe Senator Obama would keep at least one of his US Senate Campaign's pledge, he surely didn't when he voted for the Patriot Act 2 or continuing voting for the War, but as his backers were also pushing him as a candidate for President, like Hillary's, he promised he would serve a full Senate term before doing so.  And of course, I thought being only 2 years in the US Senate, he wouldn't possibly think to rushing a run for President.