Buckley was before my time, but his passing has led me to review some of his commentary. He was as wrong as Limbaugh, but at least he had class and respect for his debate partners. The political environment in which I became aware featured no one as eloquent. I was never well acquainted with his commentary, but I nostalgically miss it.
The media I grew up with has far less to do with substance and everything to do with style. "News" outlets are far more concerned with the latest gotcha headline than they are with covering issues that matter. How can we expect a competent political system if we don't demand a competent and responsible media to inform the voters?
You can sense that all sides are fed up with it, but no one speaks out against it until a good shot of gotcha smacks them in the face. Clinton has a legitimate grievance against the glowing coverage her opponent has received, but she has been an eager participant in the media's nonsense. I recently thought the media would pounce all over the hypocrisy of Clinton repeating the ridiculous charges of plagiarism leveled at Obama during the Texas debate, then moments later play off Clinton's and Edwards comments as her own. If we have to play the gotcha game we should at least evenly apply the rules.
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