In refence to Sandy Berger...and then some

FWIW- rinky-dink Roanoke Times in VA which is constantly accused as a "liberal rag" by letter writers has had several stories on this, as well as the numerous mentions I've seen on the 'net on various sites.Your average Joe reads the comics and sports, the local "color" pages and maybe skims the headlines. Your average Joe is akin to an ostrich-if it doesn't immediately affect him, he sticks his head in the sand. The "average Joe" who watches Faux News thinks Saddam Hussien was responsible for 9/11. Those of us who actually read the papers know better. I read the editorials 1st, then the front section. If I peruse the rest of the paper it's generally because I've got time to kill. I'm an anomoly. I work with "average Joes", and see a lot more come in as customers and hear the misinformation/misconceptions. Tell me why missing Pentagon funds isn't a bigger story? Tell me why an article on the music in George Bush's I-Pod is worthy of 12 inches of column space? Why does Michael Jackson rate front page coverage while secrecy and foot-dragging over FOA requests is a mere mention on an inside page? Our local "liberal rag" is only liberal on it's editorial pages, and gives conservative sindicated writers about every other day for page 2 of the op-eds. If you only scan headlines in the news sections, any student of semantics sees that the headlines tend to minimize any possible wrongdoing by republicans, as well as minimize or turn around any democratic response.

The "liberal media" as a pervasive force is a myth. The media as purveyers of news, and as a check on our officials is nearly dead. They pander to their corporate masters, bend over backwards to not offend, and run non-stories on the front page that pander to the headline readers and semi-literates who care more about a sex scandal than ethics and accountability in government.

Yeah, I'm a liberal, at least socially. Yes, I'm religious and technically born-again though most who brag of that status seem to feel it gives them licence to trample the "Golden Rule". But as an old style liberal, I believe in things like freedom of govenmental intrusion, openness of govenment, the role of leaders to lead BY EXAMPLE and to be held to a higher standard of accountability than mere citizens. If one wishes to lead, one should follow not only the letter of the law, but the spirit. If one wishes to moralize about another's failings, first put your own house in order. Delay may have broken no laws, but he has skirted the edges so much that he fails my definition of leadership. The same holds true for Bill and Hillery-they played the same game thousands of yuppies played and made money by it. Was it legal? As far as millions of dollars were able to determine. Was it ethical? Not in my opinion, especially for someone who wants a career in public service. Was our present president's past business experiance something I would call ethical or responsible? No, I don't think bankrupting two businesses and getting out of a third with a healthy profit just before they got slammed on illegalities is responsible behavior.

If you want the news media to take up stories of substance, do real investigative reporting again, and quit simply quoting the talking points of each side whether or not either side has any truth behind it then write letters to the media, rather than simply looking to score points against "the libs". Force accountability back into government by blasting any obstuctionist to free exchange of ideas regardless of party. End the republican practice of closed forums instead of free meetings-yeah, you have to put up with the uncomfortable questions from those that disagree, but if you only hear input from those that agree, you stagnate and risk the cosequence of NOT seeing a problem with a solution because everyone is on the same page. Innovation and dissent is what made the US a leader in the world politically, technologically and scientifically. Stifling speech and ideas, whether by insults(liebuls/repugs)or cherrypicked researchers/townhalls will lead us further down the path to a state that will bear little resemblance to the mighty US we all claim to love and respect.