Malcolm Cutchins: Media distorts Obama’s poor TV performance

Malcolm Cutchins
Columnist
Published: August 21, 2008

Presidential nominee Barack Obama did so poorly in the Presidential Forum at Saddleback Church over the weekend that his media friends have been in a frenzy ever since to distort coverage of the event.
Anyone who watched the original Saturday night CNN two-hour broadcast (an hour for each candidate) or the replay Sunday had to recognize, if honest, the Democrat’s poor performance.
The post-broadcast coverage has not dealt with the issues on which John McCain excelled in contrast. Instead, they have tried to discredit the event using three words from a brief (two seconds!) joke during the very well run two-hour event. NBC News even reported the name incorrectly, using the words religion and faith, which were not used in its actual name, the Presidential Forum.

The FOX News special on Obama last Monday night raised even more red flags about his background. The announced special on McCain had not yet aired as I wrote this to meet my deadline. Voters should watch both. The next 30 days are going to be very interesting with the naming of two vice-presidents, the holding of the two major-party conventions, and the growing contrast in ideology between the competitors for the job of Commander-in-Chief of our country.

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The pride in their own country shown by Olympic athletes from all over the world should be an inspiration to all U.S. citizens but an anathema for one-world advocates. How boring would it be to have a one-world Olympics? “Today, there was a sweep of the 100-meters, and the gold medal count for One World reached a new high.”

It was especially good to hear high-profile athletes like Kobe Bryant of the U.S. basketball team praise love of country and emphasize the emotion associated with playing for the U.S. even in the face of an American commentator trying to belittle it. There has been some criticism related to not enough emphasis by our networks (with the exception of coverage of Michael Phelps) on U.S. medal winners.

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For the seventh anniversary of 9/11 three weeks from today, what does it take to fly our flags again? Remember when all the U.S. flags showed up in the days after Sept. 11, 2001. Did those almost 3,000 victims murdered die in vain? What about those brave defenders who have protected our country so well?

Twenty-four tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center have now been melted down at a foundry in Amite, La., and a new attack warship, the USS New York, has been built from it. It is designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

The ship’s motto is “Never Forget.” For those who don’t fly a U.S. flag on Thursday, 9/11, Patriot Day, what should neighbors conclude?

Dr. Malcolm Cutchins is an emeritus professor of engineering of Auburn University and writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News.