"[T]hat [WSJ] editorial wasn’t kidding when they said there’s a separation between the news and the editorial pages at The Wall Street Journal." -- John Harwood, reporter, Wall St. Journal

Last week, in the midst of the hysterical and politically-motivated attacks on the New York Times that even had Wall St. Journal reporters scratching their heads and going out of their way to differentiate themselves from editorial writers, the Tallahassee-Democrat published a ridiculous cartoon.

The cartoon depicts uncle sam holding a copy of the Times and remarking that he hates to get the blood of soldiers on his hands.

Like many of the T-D's readers, I said to myself: What the f*%#?

I applaud Tallahassee-Democrat associate editor Mark Hohmeister for his ability to take criticism on the decision to publish but come on.

I'm going to pick on Hohmeister but he's just a stand-in for the larger phenomenon of "liberals" going so far out of their way to not appear biased that they wind up printing or repeating the most outlandish, sickening and un-American drivel they can get their hands on.

"Look!" they say, "I'm not biased, I published your most idiotic smears!" It's the mindset that prevents otherwise intelligent human beings from doing an hour's worth of work and then publishing a story on how the Swiftboaters, for example, are liars with demonstrable connections to Bush.

Back to this cartoon. The press is now, officially, user-friendly. If someone takes "a side" it's guaranteed to get press -- irrespective of its validity.

Someone may feel that the Times is treasonous, but that don't make it so. The fact that certain well-organized groups know how to play the press and make well-meaning liberals practice editorial pilates to appear "fair and balanced" is another roadsign on the path to a major revision in this nation's editorial decision making.

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