Sarah Palin vs. the media: The rematch
Sarah Palin is back in the news, which not surprisingly delights her fans but also has her enemies licking their chops enthusiastically.
It was inevitable, of course, that Palin would surface again in the national news, but most people thought it would not be for another year or so when she will likely start testing the waters for a run against President Obama in 2012.
But last week's YouTube video release of her reflections on her 2008 vice-presidential campaign turned out to be all the red meat that the media needed to pounce on her again.
Not to say she didn't give as good as she got in this rematch that is as riveting as any of the Ali-Frazier fights and could justifiably be called "The Thrilla in Wasilla."
The action started in Palin's corner when she sat down for a lengthy interview with conservative talk-show host John Ziegler for a film he was making called "Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin was Smeared." The film will not be out until February, but Ziegler released a greatest hits compilation of Palin outtakes on YouTube where she gives her candid appraisal of the national political media as well as such celebrities as Katie Couric, Keith Olbermann and Tina Fey.
Needless to say she is not fond of them because of their attacks on her and her family, but it's at least fitting that many members of the mainstream media are up front about their dislike of her, too.
Olbermann is a good example. On his Jan. 6 show on MSNBC, he declared Palin "The Worst Person in the World" because her future son-in law got a job as an electrical apprentice even though he didn't have the required high school diploma 'so much for liberal compassion, not to mention Horatio Alger as a model of the American success story).
Olbermann wondered aloud whether Palin had used her influence to get the rules bent, then said he believed her denial but it didn't matter what she said or did anyway, because "the governor is the bottomless pit of political scandals, the all you can eat buffet of political scandals, the endless wedge of Velveeta of public scandals. Governor Sarah Palin, today's worst, and by worst, I mean the gift that keeps on giving and I would be lost without her, person in the world!"
Of course, Olbermann is supposed to be an entertainer, not a newsman, so you have to cut him a wee bit of slack in his manic brand of character assassination, but the same can't be said for MSNBC newsman David Schuster, who did a midday interview with John Ziegler Friday and did the unthinkable - becoming part of the story by declaring on camera that Palin was "clearly unqualified" to be vice president.
Schuster also falsely alleged that Palin was unhappy with Ziegler for taking her quotes out of context, but in fact she was unhappy with newsmen like Schuster. She actually said she was disappointed that the media was taking the quotes on YouTube out of context, not with Ziegler for posting them.
The good news is that Ziegler didn't quietly sit by while Schuster tried to smear Palin further by repeating that she was not qualified to be vice president. Ziegler shot back, "Is that your opinion, David, as an alleged newsperson? As an alleged newsperson, is that your opinion that she was unprepared to be vice president of the United States? Gee, that sounds very objective, David."
But, of course, it isn't objective and yet there is almost no chance that MSNBC will chastise Schuster for his comment, nor will he issue an apology like he did to Hillary Clinton when he said that her campaign had "pimped out" daughter Chelsea Clinton on the campaign trail in February.
The plain fact of the matter is that MSNBC - led by Olbermann, but ably abetted by Schuster, Rachel Maddow and others - enjoys smearing Palin - even out in the open like Schuster did on Friday. The question is how long can they keep throwing low blows and get away with it? Is the American public ever going to step in and referee this mess?
"Thrilla in Wasilla?" This fight is just getting interesting.
n Frank Miele is managing editor of the Daily Inter Lake and writes a weekly column. E-mail responses may be sent to edit@dailyinterlake.com