The Art of Political Fiction

by Gene Lyons To the skeptical observer, an amusing aspect of the 2008 presidential contest is watching both candidates maneuver to place themselves above criticism, as willing media acolytes invent helpful storylines. At every opportunity, Barack Obama's campaign hints that any/all criticism of the Democratic candidate is by definition racist. John McCain emphasizes his manly refusal to trade on his Vietnam War heroism. No braggart soldier he, the straight-talking maverick reminds us daily. Far be it from him to mention his five years in a POW camp, McCain boasts modestly. Meanwhile, his campaign staff portrays every disagreement about foreign policy as mocking the candidate's valiant sacrifice. What's less entertaining is the complicity of the Washington media establishment in creating and sustaining these fictions for self-aggrandizing purposes of its own. All that hoo-hah from journalists about their relentless search for the truth? Maybe in Des Moines or Spokane. But among Washington courtier/pundits, most high-profile political coverage consists of make-believe narratives concocted to sway voters emotionally. In consequence, much of the electorate's flying blind, a dangerous way for a democracy to operate. One ludicrous recent example was an outburst of pretended outrage by the McCain campaign over some relatively innocuous remarks by Gen. Wesley Clark on CBS's "Face the Nation." Regarding McCain's captivity and torture in North Vietnam, Clark began by saying this: "I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me, and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war." A hero to millions. Got that? http://www.caglepost.com/column.aspx?c=7005