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Certainly John McCain has been tested in his life. He spent five years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp nearly losing his life. But in a very real sense, a political sense, John McCain is untested in the way that most nominees will ultimately be tested, by the media. For years McCain has received the adulation of the establishment Washington media. Now that he will soon be the Republican nominee many in the press will greatly increase their scrutiny and criticism of McCain. How will McCain fare in this test? Obama, likewise, is untested. The media has not only avoided asking the tough questions of Obama but some have openly advocated his candidacy as irresistible and compelling. The historic nature of a black candidate running for president has rendered many in the media into fawning fans of Obama. The media, however, will turn on him at some point if he secures the nomination. How will Obama fare? One might expect Senator McCain to receive harsher treatment than Obama. This is probably true but Obama will receive his going over in the conservative media too, which is becoming much more powerful. In the end both candidates will be tested. We can safely say we do not know how either will fare once scrutiny is put to them because neither man has been truly tested by the media before. We're essentially working with two blank slates as far as the media is concerned. The Ref | 2/17 | Permalink
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