Cancel Election; Let the AP decide

By Kyle-Anne Shiver

This morning the Associated Press and I have a major difference of opinion. In reporting the fact that President Bush has scheduled a press conference for this morning at 10:01, and is once again expected to publicly scold Congress for its dilly-dallying on the people's payroll, the AP calls the Presidency the "largest bully pulpit in town."

"The president is expected again to admonish Congress for not sending him spending bills, intelligence legislation and tax-law changes. Bush, taking advantage of his veto power and the largest bully pulpit in town, regularly scolds Congress as a way to stay relevant and frame the debate as his presidency winds down."

"Democrats counter that Bush is more interested in making statements than genuinely trying to negotiate some common ground with them."

You could read the rest of the "news" item here.

The Associated Press is passing this article off as uncorrupted, unbiased news? This writer could not have even made it through my eighth-grade journalism unit on the basics: Who? What? When? Where? And that's all folks! Opinions have no place in reporting journalism. Period. Paragraph.

So, here's my idea. Since the Associated Press deems itself the final arbiter of which Presidents are relevant and which are not, and since they see a President doing his job in demanding that Congress does its job as bullying, I say let's save millions and millions of dollars, cancel the upcoming election, and just let the Associated Press pick for us. Then the next Administration won't have to, in addition to doing its real job, also be forced to constantly counter the propaganda ministry of the opposing party.

All in all, I would have to say that the Associated Press is flat out wrong about one other thing in this article. The Presidency isn't the "largest bully pulpit in town." That's the purview of the Associated Press etal.

And that is indeed all, folks!