RJ Eskow: The "Kennedy Curse," the "Bush/Cheney Blessing" - and the Journa

[Judi Lynn]

RJ Eskow
Sat May 6, 6:58 PM ET

RJ Eskow: The "Kennedy Curse," the "Bush/Cheney Blessing" - and the Journalists Behind Them Both

The "Kennedy curse" that's touched so many members of that family is no more supernatural than the "Bush/Cheney blessing" that's provided such good "luck" for that clan - unless Big Media's your Higher Power* and the DC press corps is its band of Beltway Angels. Journalists: They giveth and they taketh away.

Look at the handling of Patrick Kennedy's recent arrest, and compare it to the coverage of Dick Cheney shooting somebody in the face. And, while you're at it, give a thought to the hapless DC cops now being reprimanded for doing exactly the same thing for Kennedy that was done for Cheney in Texas. Would somebody please give our first responders a rule book on who gets special treatment and who gets throw in the slammer?

Kennedy. Cheney. Two guys with a history of serious alcohol abuse (and, at least in Kennedy's case, drug abuse.) Both are involved in an accident. Both are allowed to skip being tested for drugs and alcohol - Kennedy because the cops didn't administer one, and Cheney because he was allowed to avoid seeing law enforcement altogether for 18 hours.

Both of them made statements to law enforcement denying that alcohol was consumed prior to the accident. In Cheney's case, at least, we now know that was a lie - and yet there's been no legal repercussion and virtually no press coverage of his falsehood
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060506/cm_huffpost/020496

[chaumont58]

1. There is one problem when comparing press coverage

People not in the know expect the beltway whores to be consistent. That's laughable. The beltway whores work off a few truths, one of which is that if a Republican does it, it is by its very nature, OK. Period. If a Democrat does it, it is by its very nature, not OK. Period. Getting a blow job in the Oval Office, why that's an impeachable offense. Sending troops to die in a War for the most bogus of reasons, why thats the necessary action of one of us. Appoint a competent head of FEMA? Who cares? He got a blow job! Appoint an unqualified crony as head of FEMA? Why, that's OK, he is, after all, one of us.
The way to sort all things from DC out is to understand: IOKIYAR. Work backwards from this point.