Bill O'Reilly has written something worth reading - is this possible? [View All]

[Democat]

Bill O'Reilly: Dodge ball

Let me ask you a direct question: Do you get angry at politicians who avoid answering tough questions? Don't dodge now. Does it bother you that President Bush has only held three press conferences in more than three years? Does it grate on you that Hillary Clinton considers Larry King her media guru? Does it drive you nuts that Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell and Dick Cheney have sought sympathetic media venues since the war in Iraq started going south?

If none of the above rankle you, then you're in tune with the latest trend in politics: "Forum Shopping." That means whenever a politician is faced with a controversy or a situation whereby he or she is looking bad, they have certain friendly "forums" where their spin will not be challenged.

Thus, a politician can seem accessible to the public because they appear on "Oprah" or "Leno" or "The Daily Show." But these forums are purely entertainment, and rarely is the politician put on the spot. They can pretty much say what they want to say.

Now there is nothing wrong with our leaders going on entertainment venues. Talking to Jay Leno helped get Arnold elected governor. But if that's all they do; if the only interview deal is a sweetheart deal, then we have a problem in this country.

http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/pe_columnists/article/0,2071,NPDN_14960_2836348,00.html

Regardless of the fact that he wrongly considers Fox or his show "real news" instead of entertainment, his point about the media and politicians is one that has been brought up here before. This is only going to get worse as time goes on and the line between entertainment and news in America breaks down further.