Meeeeeejar coverage
I have just seen this on the wires
Tampa Florida (AP). In a move certain to alienate secular and progressive voters, God Almighty Himself took the form of an old, grey haired man today, to endorse another old, grey haired man, John McCain. In a spectacular event obviously designed to impress and intimidate voters, God, followed by a host of flying angles carrying flaming swords and threatening looking palm branches, walked hand in hand with McCain across the waters of Hillsborough Bay, coming ashore on a fashionable stretch of Bayshore Boulevard in front of waiting press cameras. Traffic on the busy thoroughfare was backed up for miles in both directions, forcing the temporary closure of a local seafood resturant and preventing honest commuters from getting to work and school. The flying host of angels forced Tampa Airport to close for over two hours, disrupting thousands of people's vacation travel plans, and snarling air traffic up and down the East Coat.
Of course this little piece hasnt just come in on the news wires, it was sent to me a few days ago. However it is a pretty good spoof & doesnt highlight how very balanced a lot of the media coverage of the US elections has been to date.
More under the fold...
McCain's open embrace of God was seen as the latest in a series of gaffes and missteps that have plagued the campaign. "In accepting God's endorsement McCain has tied himself even closer to the single most highly controversial figure in American Politics." stated Professor Richard Wanker of Beltway University. "God is a long term opponent of abortion rights, and is on record as making openly homophobic statements. God claims a Jewish heritage, but there have been rumors linking Him to various anti-Semitic causes for years, and His use of the title "Creator" won't stand well with people who believe in evolution or the separation of Church and State. Polls show that, depite His claims to be all about love and forgiveness, God is seen as a highly judgemental and polarizing figure by most voters; and His claim to be "King of King and Lord of Lords" exposes dangerious monarchist and totalitarian tendancies. I have to say that He is very much out of the mainstream, and I don't see how this can help McCain at all."
The spectacular and disruptive form of the endorsement was widely criticized as well. Media Analyst Cricket Felsenkopf from the Columbia School of Communications in New York issued a typical critique. "The way the two of them walked across the waters of the bay only highlights McCain inability to swim. It makes him look old and unathletic. The average voter doesn't walk on water, they swim. JFK knew that, he was a great swimmer. All the Kennedy's are great swimmers; Obama swims like a fish, he's full of youth, energy, and vigor. McCain? He walks across the top of the waves, holding hands with an old guy in a robe. Nobody does that. This only serves to emphasize how old and out of touch McCain is."
When asked to comment on these media reports McCain's press secretary could only roll his eyes and say "What is it with you people?" in a sarcastic and patronizing tone.