As some wags have noted, President Obama has finally found an enemy he's determined to wage a long-term war against.
It's not the Taliban, or the mullahs in Iran -- it's the Fox News Channel!
Get ready for the Silly War -- President Obama versus Rupert Murdoch's cable TV news channel.
Here's what Anita Dunn, White House communications director, said on CNN: "What I think is fair to say about Fox -- and certainly it's the way we view it -- is that it really is more a wing of the Republican Party."
One has to assume that Ms. Dunn would not say that unless her views were sanctioned by the president of the United States. So we'll direct our query to President Obama: What in the world are you thinking?! A White House war against Fox News benefits only Fox News. Its "combat" with the Obama administration will be trumpeted on its night-time entertainment/opinion shows and only increase its overall ratings, which far exceed competitors CNN and MSNBC; the latter of which is as liberal as Fox is conservative.
The Silly War harms the Obama administration, which looks whiny, overly sensitive and frankly, weak. The first rule of public relations is don't attack an organization weaker than yourself. By its war on Fox, which includes jabs on its taxpayer-funded White House blog, the White House is boosting Fox News to a status higher than it deserves.
Is the White House honestly telling us that it can't get its voice heard above what it perceives as Fox News' din without attacking a popular cable news network? If so, that's pathetic.
President Obama is experiencing more negative press than he has been accustomed to. He would be wise to not be so thin-skinned and listen to the advice of political veteran David Gergen, who has served in many administrations. Gergen, commenting on Dunn's attack, told CNN: "If you're going to get very personal against the media, you're going to find that the animosities are just going to deepen. And you're going to find that you sort of almost draw viewers and readers to the people you're attacking ... The press always has the last barrel of ink."
In our opinion, anyone who only watches Fox News, or MSNBC, to get their political and cultural views is making a mistake. Watch or listen to a wide variety of news and opinion viewpoints, read your daily newspaper, be involved in the community. Learning about and understanding all sides of an issue is what it takes to be an informed citizen.
That requires a lot more work than sitting in front of a TV set nightly and letting Sean Hannity or Keith Olbermann invade your brain without a duel of minds.
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