Why must we assume that the media is a negative force in the current elections battles? Isn't our democracy founded on a free press? If a reporter or TV network wants to ridicule a candidate, it can be done without legal danger up to, but not over the line of slander. When a TV broadcast shows Barack Obama in an African costume, who suffers? Certainly not Obama, a 20-year member of the Church of Christ, because he probably garnered a million sympathy votes from that photo.

Did Hillary and/or the sneaky aides who found and distributed the picture suffer? Well, maybe a little from expected African-American anger. The Clinton plan may have been that, despite the negative first impact, they hope they've succeeded with the original intent. They want that photo to scare away voters from Obama, the implied secret Muslim menace. We may see how well it worked as early as this week's group of primaries.

So far, Obama and his staffers have scrupulously stayed away from trying to make political gain by attacking Hillary in her two most vulnerable areas. Her often shrill language and poor-little-girl rhetoric about how she's being abused by other candidates could be used to accuse her of being much too weak ... feminine ... to ever serve as an effective Commander in Chief of America's Armed Forces. And, of course, lurking behind her, there's Bill Clinton, the very flawed ex-President who made many personal and political mistakes in his Presidential years. As the campaign heats up, and if Hillary survives the critical primary races, we can be sure those two vulnerabilities of Hillary will become prime meat for the Obama staffers. And, if she wins the Democratic nomination, we can certainly expect John McCain to go after her mercilessly.

The comedians, politicians and pundits have already started on John McCain. Letterman has compared the Senator's age and physical condition with that of the ailing Fidel Castro. Leno joked that the hit movie, "No Country For Old Men" described his chances to win the election. Action actor and TV health pitchman Chuck Norris, age 68, has come out publicly that he fears if McCain, age 71, is elected, his health is so bad, he may not survive the four years of his Presidency. Some far-right-wing blogs have accused the ex-POW hero of having been brainwashed in North Vietnam prisons, and could actually be a Communist stooge, a latter day Manchurian Candidate, who will deliberately wreck the United States.

In fact, all three (as of today) of the current front-runners have appeared voluntarily on comedy shows, such as Leno, Letterman and Saturday Night Live, where they knowingly participated in skits and parodies that allow them to ridicule themselves. The political thinking of the candidates and their handlers is that such appearances show them to be regular folks, just like the rest of the citizens, who are smart enough to enjoy a laugh or two on themselves. Of course, their deeper thoughts are that, by making such appearances, they beat the opponents to the punch, thus negating all the political mud thrown their way during the heat of the campaign. By November, we'll see how well it worked.

The media's handling of the candidates, to me, is not negative, but a very positive indication that the United States is a land of absolutely free speech, where the press and even the most serious Presidential candidates have the right to make fun of the political process. Leaders in Venezuela, Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea or Russia would not do it, although all of those guys are already silly caricatures of humanity.

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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