GOOD lil' doggie: AP's Ron Fournier (told Rove to "keep up the fight") writes hit piece on Biden

[Amerigo Vespucci]

AP’s John Fournier Strikes Again - Writes Hit Piece On Obama’s VP Pick
By: Logan Murphy on Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 AM - PDT



http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/23/aps-ron-fournier-strikes-again-writes-hit-piece-on-obamas-vp-pick/

We learned last month that the Associated Press’ DC bureau Chief John Fournier (pictured above, right, enjoying donuts with John McCain) is a huge fan of Karl Rove and the Bush administration and considered taking a job with the McCain campaign so when he stepped up to the plate for the GOP candidate this morning, it came as little surprise. The headline of his article says it all:

Analysis: Biden pick shows lack of confidence

DENVER - The candidate of change went with the status quo.

In picking Sen. Joe Biden to be his running mate, Barack Obama sought to shore up his weakness - inexperience in office and on foreign policy - rather than underscore his strength as a new-generation candidate defying political conventions.

He picked a 35-year veteran of the Senate - the ultimate insider - rather than a candidate from outside Washington, such as Govs. Tim Kaine of Virginia or Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; or from outside his party, such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; or from outside the mostly white male club of vice presidential candidates. Hillary Rodham Clinton didn’t even make his short list. Read on…

As if it were written by Rove himself and it begs the question - with the cloud of suspicion over Fournier’s head, why did AP run with him? The Associated Press has a real problem on their hands. They can no longer be seen as an objective news outlet and Fournier is slipping easily into the role of poster child for media corruption and failure. He may not have taken an official job with the McCain campaign, but he sure doesn’t mind donating his time and international platform to him. Contact the AP and let them know what you think about the article — remember, be nice.

[Starry Messenger]

1. Thanks for posting this!

It's the first article I saw on Yahoo and it was a WTF for sure. I wondered what the background was.

MPK

[flpoljunkie]

2. Yep! Fournier is a Republican asshat/tool!

[lib2DaBone]

3. Man.. that didn't take them long.....

I thought it would be at least Monday before the Rovian Corporate Whores swung into action? They've even outdone themselves this time.

[mod mom]

4. Wa Monthly on Fournier (last year Fournier considered working for McCain):

August 23, 2008
FOURNIER IS AT IT AGAIN.... The latest piece from Ron Fournier, the AP's Washington bureau chief and the man responsible for directing the wire service's coverage of the presidential campaign, on Joe Biden joining the Democratic ticket, is drawing a fair amount of attention this morning. More importantly, McCain campaign staffers are pushing it fairly aggressively to other reporters, in large part because it mirrors the Republican line with minimal variation.

By choosing Biden, Fournier argues, Barack Obama is showing a "lack of confidence," and is siding with "the status quo."

There are two ways to consider Fournier's piece: substantively and in the broader context.

First, on the substance, Fournier's analysis seems a little lazy. By his logic, any potential running mate shows a "lack of confidence" -- picking Hillary would mean Obama lacked confidence in his ability to win over women voters; picking Bayh would mean Obama lacked confidence in his ability to win over independents and conservative Dems; picking Webb would mean Obama lacked confidence in his ability to win over voters concerned about national security; picking Kaine would mean Obama lacked confidence in his ability to win over voters in the South; etc. For that matter, "the status quo" in Washington has been conservative Republican rule. Biden may be an old pro and a DC insider, but he's anything but "the status quo."

Second, in context, Fournier's objectivity covering the presidential race continues to look shaky. We are, after all, talking about a journalist who, as recently as last year, considered working for the McCain campaign.

Before Ron Fournier returned to The Associated Press in March 2007, the veteran political reporter had another professional suitor: John McCain's presidential campaign.

In October 2006, the McCain team approached Fournier about joining the fledgling operation, according to a source with knowledge of the talks. In the months that followed, said a source, Fournier spoke about the job possibility with members of McCain's inner circle, including political aides Mark Salter, John Weaver and Rick Davis.

-snip

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014385.php