Hillary, Iraq, Iran and the Mainstream Media

Jim Taricani

If you’ve been following the presidential primary contests you may, or may not, have noticed that Hillary Clinton’s positions on the war in Iraq and possible military action against Iran are very, very close to those of President George Bush.
She voted for the war, she refuses to say she would bring the troops home in short order if she is elected, and she recently voted for a bill that in essence would open the door for Bush to make a “ pre-emptive “ strike if Iran gets a little to brazen with aquiring bomb-grade nuclear material.
While Hillary’s positions on these issues have been reported, it seems that the mainstream media is treating her with velvet gloves. With the exception of NBC’s Tim Russert, most of the national reporters are hardly hammering diva Clinton on her one degree of separation from Bush on Iraq and Iran.
I’m not supporing any of the republican candidates and I’m not supporting Hillary. I haven’t made up my mind yet on who I would vote for. I’ve voted for democrats and republicans for president in the past.
But I do find it interesting that many of the commentators who have the freedom to go after whomever they want with their biased opinions, are painting the GOP’s Rudy Giuliani as if he’s the reincarnation of Dr. Strangelove, and Hillary as the serious, thoughtful, cautious candidate when it comes to saber rattling.
The national media, the Fox News Network not included, is perceived to have a liberal bias-Fox, of course, is perceived to have a conservative bias.
The way the national press is covering Hillary Clinton only strengthens that perception.
The New York Times editorial page has been brutal on President Bush on the Iraq war, and any number of other issues.
But it has yet to go after Hillary on her stance on troop withdrawals from Iraq, or her vote that opens the door to obliterating Iran.
Hillary does differ on Bush on many other important issues, most notably health care.
But how is this front-runner cruising through the press without being questioned daily about her positions that are so close to the man in the White House?
Many of the other democratic candidates have made clear their very different positions on the war from the president’s.
Most striking is Barack Obama.
He voted against the war in Iraq, and is looking for a diplomatic solution in Iran, where that wild and crazy guy, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to be trigger happy.
I’m not supporting Obama either, but fair is fair, and the mainstream press needs to take a much closer look at Hillary Clinton, who has a very real chance of becoming our next president.