Big Shoes

"The affection that Russert stirred in millions was testament to his skill. But the coverage of his death was often overblown, self-congratulatory and self-indulgent. It was no way to treat a news icon."

Remember the chatter about the non-existent Michelle Obama tape, which prompted her husband to start an anti-smear Web site? National Review's Jim Geraghty cries foul:

"If the media is going to write about the debunked 'whitey' tape, particularly as a trigger for Obama's anti-smear site, there's really no excuse for not mentioning the two sources more responsible than anyone else for hyping the story: pro-Hillary blogger Larry Johnson and Democratic strategist Bob Beckel, who appeared on Fox News claiming a 'mighty big shoe' was about to drop regarding Michelle Obama. (Now Beckel accuses conservatives of spreading rumors about her.) Did conservative bloggers write about the tape as well? Sure, but with varying degrees of skepticism . . .

"The behavior of the mainstream media is sending a clear message to those of us on the right: do not ever help out the Obama campaign, even if you think the world would be well-served by debunking a ridiculous accusation, because no one will ever remember your efforts to get to the truth. Instead, you'll get blamed for spreading the malicious rumors."

Time's Jay Carney steps up and admits he got it wrong.

Al Gore went out on a limb last night, as the NYT reports:

"Former Vice President Al Gore made his season debut on the presidential campaign here on Monday evening, offering a vigorous endorsement of Senator Barack Obama as he urged all Democrats to rally behind the party's fall ticket . . .

"Mr. Gore had purposefully stayed on the sidelines during the long Democratic primary fight. He announced his decision to endorse Mr. Obama on Monday afternoon in a message to supporters on the former vice president's vast e-mail list. Their appearance at the Joe Louis Arena here touched off a flurry of curiosity among Democrats gathered in the crowd, with many quietly asking if Mr. Gore would be on Mr. Obama's list of prospective running mates."

Veepstakes! We just can't help ourselves, even when the man in question has already held the job for eight years. (What will his slogan be, Ready on Day One? A Perfect Number Two? He Already Knows His Way Around the Mansion?)

"Gore said all the right things in his endorsement speech," says the L.A. Times, "except he noticeably left out the last Democratic president, the one who chose to elevate Gore from has-been senator to his running mate and has been the only Democrat elected president twice since World War II, which is like the Middle Ages for today's voters."

The media's veep-vetting continues, with Richard Just in the New Republic:

"I am amazed at how many Democrats have fallen for Jim Webb. Suddenly, everywhere you look, people are touting Webb as the perfect running mate for Barack Obama. In recent days, as Webb has seemed ubiquitous (hawking his book, bantering with Jon Stewart, grinning at Obama's side), a disturbing number of my otherwise sane friends, family, and colleagues have told me that they view Webb as a perfectly acceptable choice--or, more disturbingly, a good one.