Editor,
Sen. Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremy Wright, ignited a media firestorm of criticism and controversy over several remarks he made.
Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain won the endorsement of televangelist John Hagee, who repeatedly rails against Catholics and demands the U.S. nuke Iran.
McCain's pastor, Dan Yeary, according to Reuters, "Is a folksy, patriotic Southern Baptist who opposes abortion and believes homosexuality to be a biblical sin."
No one's poring through old videos of Yeary's sermons looking for something to incriminate McCain.
Sen. Hillary Clinton repeated a story about coming under sniper fire in Bosnia. The story is all over the news. McCain repeats the lie that Iran is training al-Qaida forces. His lies are described as gaffes and misspeaking by journalists and anchors.
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You can be sure if Obama made the same mistake, it would immediately be his inexperience showing bright as day. And what about McCain's stance on the "not meaningful" Martin Luther King Jr. issue?
For years, he voted against national recognition of King's holiday, justifying this with, "I had not really been involved in the issue. I just had not had a lot of experience with the issue. That's all."
How is one of the most significant forces in American history an issue that McCain doesn't have a lot of experience with?
For some reason, the media has given McCain a free pass and will not scrutinize him in any way. At every opportunity, they lavish praise upon him, describing him with positive phrases such as "war hero," "straight-talking" and "maverick."
Americans who rely on the mainstream media for their information are leaving the couch with a warm fuzzy feeling about McCain without having any of the information to scrutinize his shortcomings. It's imperative that the media step up and start giving McCain the same kind of thorough vetting that the other candidates are subject to.
Nathaniel Schneider
UNM student
