Into the lions’ den

As Obama’s final push for healthcare reform approaches its final bend, he’s apparently decided to up the ante and do the unthinkable …

Hell has officially frozen over.

President Obama is going on Fox News.

He must really want to pass that health-care bill.

No, he's not going to get emotional with Glenn Beck. But Obama will sit down with anchor Bret Baier for an interview that will air Wednesday on the 6 p.m. newscast "Special Report."

This would be unremarkable -- the president is constantly on TV -- except for last year's White House campaign attacking Fox News as an arm of the Republican Party. Fox executives insisted there is an important distinction between its news operation and opinionated hosts such as Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. In sitting down with Baier, Obama -- who cordially greeted Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes at a White House Christmas party -- seems to be accepting that distinction.

Except that anyone who actually watches Faux News can tell you that there is no such prominent distinction. For example, a recent segment on The Daily Show exposed how biased and opinionated Fox’s supposedly objective news anchors can be, using their latest addition, Megyn Kelly from America Live, as an example. A later segment (which I can’t seem to find) depicts how the same anchor uses cherry-picked statistics to suit her obvious agenda, amongst other tactics.

People need to stop claiming or pretending otherwise: Fox News is not an objective news channel, and as time goes by, it’s wingnuttery is only growing worse. President Obama will likely receive no better (or worse) a treatment on the show with Bret Baier, whom I know nothing about, than with the Three Fauxketeers (Beck, Hannity and O’Reilly). Let’s just hope he will know how to stand his ground and remain in the dominant position – and not get sidetracked by the amplitude of distortions and propaganda aimed his way.

(via @washingtonpost)