VP Debate Moderator
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I think that's going a bit far. We will never be able to get a truly impartial and unbiased moderator, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't attempt to do so.
Even if you ignore what many would consider to be a clear political bias, she's in a position to directly benefit financially from Obama being elected.
We all know judges aren't entirely impartial no matter how much we would want them to be so, but if Lance Ito had released a book about how awesome (or awful) OJ Simpson was, I guarantee the '95 trial would have been declared a mistrial. I think that is a reasonable parallel.
With a decision as important as this, why are we accepting anything but the best? -
I think it's World Nut Daily. I also think the book hasn't been read by anybody except the editors and the author. I think that it will be perceived as a conflict of interests (rightfully so) because she could stand to profit from an Obama victory this year.
Meanwhile:
The choice of moderators was agreed upon before the VP choices had even been made, and this book was already slated for release, title and everything. They had since August to bitch about this and surprise, it comes up two days before the debate... this is clearly an attempt by the McCain camp to alleviate whatever criticisms will be levied against his VP pick when she gets utterly destroyed in the debate. I also think that this woman is very smart, and hasn't shown herself to be partisan in the past. Therefore I think the only reason to replace her is to prevent the R's from detracting from Biden's imminent victory.
I reiterate it's World Nut Daily. Where you see things like,QUOTESome viewers complained of a "dismissive" look by Ifill during her report on Palin's speech. According to Getler, some also said she wore a look of "disgust" while reporting on the Republican candidate.
followed by:QUOTE"Her attitude was dismissive and the look on her face was one of disgust," Meyers said.
So .. by some you mean one guy. This guy in fact.
Then a bunch of Michelle Malkin's nonsensical spewings and indefensible comparisons and opinions stated as fact. I'm unimpressed with the contention, but the contention is there, so as a Democrat I'd like to see her yanked in order to disarm republican apologists after the debate is over.
/And Palin is left, steaming, reduced to a pile of dooky, incapable of speech, thought, or deed for the remainder of the election.
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Here's an AP article. So you know... they actually did some research instead of acting as a sounding board for their sides blogosphere echoes.QUOTEPBS journalist Gwen Ifill, moderator of the upcoming vice presidential debate, dismissed conservative questions about her impartiality because she is writing a book that includes material on Barack Obama.
Ifill said Wednesday that she hasn't even written her chapter on Obama for the book "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama," which is to be published by Doubleday on Jan. 20, 2009, the day a new president is inaugurated.
"I've got a pretty long track record covering politics and news, so I'm not particularly worried that one-day blog chatter is going to destroy my reputation," Ifill said. "The proof is in the pudding. They can watch the debate tomorrow night and make their own decisions about whether or not I've done my job."
The day before the Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate, columnist Michelle Malkin wrote in the New York Post about Ifill's book, saying "she's so far in the tank for the Democratic presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out."
In its online description of the book, Doubleday says that Ifill "surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power."
The McCain campaign found out about Ifill's book in the last day or so, a spokesman said.
Ifill said Obama's story, which she has yet to write, is only a small part of the book, which discusses how politics in the black community have changed since the civil rights era. Among those subjects is Colin Powell, secretary of state in the Bush administration.
The host of PBS'"Washington Week" and senior correspondent on "The NewsHour" said she did not tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about the book. The commission had no immediate comment when contacted by The Associated Press. A spokeswoman for John McCain's campaign did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages.
Ifill's resume includes jobs at The New York Times, the Washington Post and NBC News. She moderated the 2004 vice presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards.
She said it was the publisher, not herself, who set the Inauguration Day release date. It will be released then whether Obama wins or loses.
Although Malkin raised the topic of Ifill's impartiality the day before the debate, the PBS journalist said that Time magazine noted she was writing a book in August, and that it has been available for pre-sale on Amazon.com. The book also is mentioned in a Sept. 4 interview she gave the Washington Post.
Ifill questions why people assume that her book will be favorable toward Obama.
"Do you think they made the same assumptions about Lou Cannon (who is white) when he wrote his book about Reagan?" said Ifill, who is black. Asked if there were racial motives at play, she said, "I don't know what it is. I find it curious."
That 04 debate is actually really interesting in a historical sense... Also it should assuage concerns about her bias.
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