Lacing The Sugar

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Last Sunday it was Mark Warner. This Sunday, it’s Obama.

Is the NYT systematically looking to depreciate the “new” Democrats?  What’s particularly duplicitous about this Week In Review article/multimedia piece is that it’s The Times hoisting Obama onto the pedestal at the same time they’re warning of a fall.  And what’s with the dart board, or that “Perils of Perfection”  tag line on their loaded Obama slideshow?  Simply, The Times is lacing the sugar.

This latest fuss and bother comes about as a result of the the recent Washington Gridiron dinner.  Even Bush hopped the bandwagon that night, comparing Obama to the Pope.  Give credit to the Senator though, who acknowledged the press this way:

“I want to thank you for all the generous advance coverage you’ve given me in anticipation of a successful career.  When I actually do something, we’ll let you know.”

Obama will have to remain artfully self-effacing if he is going to play down all the overdrawn and outsized comparisons.  The two black-and-white slides above (expand window for full view) ran back-to-back in the NYT’s “send ’em up” AV show.

(illustration: Rodrigo Corral; Photograph: Karin Cooper/Face The Nation via AP. March 19, 2006.  nyt.com. image 1: Charles Rex Arbegast/A.P. image. March 19, 2006.  nyt.com.  2: Cornell Capa/ICP Collection. March 19, 2006.  nyt.com.)