By W. David Jenkins III

What year is this?

I’m pretty sure four years have passed since we last went through this, but I feel like I’ve gone through some sort of time warp backwards. Is it just me or has the media regressed into an all too familiar practice that many of them recently apologized for? Didn’t they just get done admitting they felt they shared in the responsibility of the disaster America finds itself in today? In other words, didn’t they say they would try to ask the tough questions again – and not make the same mistakes again? Was there a date announced about when that return to actual journalism would start – because the media are behaving just as they did four years ago.

Of course, the Not-so-Swift Boaters for Bush story is a classic example. That this bit of nonsense is getting the amount of press coverage that it has is proof that the media are still the lazy group of narcissists we’ve come to know as the "liberal media." Although the print media have been slightly more diligent in their pursuit of the connections between the Bush/Cheney campaign and these maritime F-Troop rejects, the majority of the voting populace doesn’t read all that much and is still hopelessly dependent on Cable news to get their "information." For three weeks, cable news gave little more than a "fair and balanced" wink and a nod to the obvious discrepancies in the latest anti-Kerry ads only to trot out such ridiculous Bush shills as Michele Malkin, Tony Blankley and, regrettably, Bob Dole to get in the last word before cutting to commercial.

The most persistent arguments in defense of the unsinkable, baseless accusations made by O’Neill and Co. are the right-wing outrage over the numerous and hostile attacks against Bush in MoveOn.org ads and films like Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. There’s only one problem with this line of reasoning. The attacks on Bush in those examples are based on facts and, if anyone paying attention has noticed, the outrage against MoveOn and Moore is not about what was said but the fact that it was said in the first place. In other words, Bush supporters aren’t denouncing what is being said in these attacks because they can’t. On the other hand, O’Neill’s swift boat has been shot up full of holes so bad that it just doesn’t float anymore. The only people buying into this smear are the same folks who don’t realize that the Ship of State under Cap’n Bush is also nose-diving into the water.

Despite the claims by Bush Co. (with the help of a compliant media) that it had nothing to do with those ads, the resignations of Bush campaign lawyer Ben Ginsberg and Swift Boaters ad star Col. Ken Cordier have left over half of the American electorate believing that Bush is behind those ads in some way. According to polls taken at the end of August and recent articles in the print media about Bush’s recent active participation in his own campaign, people are not buying the claim that there is any real "distance" between Bush/Cheney and O’Neill’s "Band of Bothers." Of course, it doesn’t help the Bush Gang’s argument when they stone-wall (again) the release of information requested on August 24 by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) under the FOIA regarding records which detail the connections between Bush/Cheney and the anti-Kerry slime group.

When you take a step back and look at what else is happening in this campaign right under the media’s noses, it doesn’t take much to see that these corrupt SOBs who maneuvered themselves into the White House four years ago are capable of the most under-handed and un-American tactics known to man in order to preserve their reign. But don’t turn on your television to find out what they’re up to.

For instance, the FBI has spent the last few months "interviewing" past and potential protesters with plans of coming to NYC during the GOP convention. Rather than keeping America safe from terrorists, especially with the latest "warning" from Ridge, they obviously feel that these protesters are a bigger threat to our "security." And as if the FBI doesn’t have enough to do, they’re also requesting electronic records of cyber Bush critics who have posted the names of delegates to the GOP convention in order to give them an "unwelcome reception to the city." It would seem as though the Justice Department is worried about voter intimidation.

Excuse me while my head explodes.

Speaking of voter intimidation, there is another "investigation" taking place in brother Jeb’s state of Florida. Law enforcement officials, according to columnist Bob Herbert, are banging down the doors of elderly black voters affiliated with the Get Out the Vote movement because of some sort of "voter fraud" scandal that nobody in authority wants to comment on. Much as they don’t want to comment on the fact that the state of Florida was going to try to enact another illegal voter purge again – until they got nabbed. If Florida law officials want to do something serious about voter fraud in their state, they need only to concentrate on Jeb Bush’s office.

Meanwhile, in other news, former Texas Lt. Gov Ben Barnes has admitted that Bush is lying when he says he didn’t receive any "special treatment" in attaining his cushy slot in the Texas Air Guard. Barnes announced publicly last week that "I got a young man named George W. Bush into the Texas Air Guard – and I'm ashamed." Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I haven’t seen anything about this from Ms. Woodruff or Mr. Blitzer.

The media have obviously slipped back into their old habits again. Four years ago, we heard more about alpha-males than we did about the disaster Bush had created in Texas. The media were more interested in Love Story and spreading misinformation about claims that Al Gore "invented the Internet" than they were in Mr. Compassionate Conservative mocking inmates he put to death (remember Karla Faye Tucker?). While the media, this time around, seem perfectly content to pick apart any tidbit of John Kerry’s past, they still continue to ignore Bush’s past – let alone his horrendous record as president. And when it looks like the attention of the voters may turn to Bush’s record, the administration plays the media like a fiddle with another terror alert or some other "swift" diversion.

This is a campaign between those who served their country and the cowards who attack those who served. The new Bush-led GOP has no qualms about sliming former soldiers like McCain, Cleland and Kerry – their political survival demands it – as they cannot compete with that level of character. With all of their strutting and pomposity, the Bush administration is predominantly made up of cowards. These guys are even afraid of the American people.

While Kerry and Edwards stand before thousands of supporters on the campaign trail, they are also enduring hecklers screaming through bull-horns and silly little protesters dressed as flip-flops. But both candidates are willing to face all of the American people and the size of their crowds is a testament to the confidence both Kerry and Edwards have in their message. However, if you want to get into a Bush rally, be prepared to be scrutinized.

Bush and Cheney only appear before hand-picked pre-screened Republican supporters who must also sign a misspelled declaration of allegiance to Bush (for publication) and all he stands for. Rumor has it, some supporters also have to take off their shoes. Once they’re in, they can only ask pre-approved questions like "Why did God pick you to be president?" and "Why do Democrats hate America?" Attendees of Bush/Cheney rallies are also allowed to give pre-approved personal testimony before the cameras – like the gentleman who gushed that since Bush has been president it was the first time he felt like "God was in the White House." So much for productive political discourse and so much for a media willing to point out the real differences between the two candidates.

By the recent admission of certain members of the media, America finds itself in a long-term disaster in Iraq partly because they didn’t do their jobs. They refused to ask the difficult questions. Hell, when you get right down to it, they didn’t ask any questions at all. The only thing that was questioned in the rush to invade was the patriotism of those of us who didn’t support the exportation of America’s eroding values.

Four years ago, the media were also guilty of aiding and abetting the backdoor appointment of a spoiled, irresponsible, arrogant, unread, draft-dodging, dry-drunk liar as president. After four years with this stubborn, passive-aggressive big-mouth in office, America finds itself in bottomless quicksand both at home and abroad and the media seem bound and determined to allow this supreme mistake to continue for another four years.

Maybe Bush is just better for ratings. Maybe the media figure that four more years of terror alerts and illegal invasions will make for better television than, say, cleaning up the mess of the last four years that they helped to make. Honestly, it’s the only reason that makes any sense out of the media’s continued fear of actual journalism.

What a damn shame.