Politics: White House has nothing to gain in Fox bashing

"Uncle Earl" Long, one of the shrewest politicians ever to grace the halls of power in Louisiana, had an earthy aphorism summing up his philosophy of political debate. Said The Earl of Louisiana, "Don't get into a spitting contest with a skunk." Only, like John Nance Garner and his famous valuation of the office of the American vice presidency, he didn't say "spit."

Not to try and identify which party is the skunk in the recent national spitting contest between the Obama White House and Fox News, both sides would be well advised to take a deep breath, channel Uncle Earl, and knock off the childishness.

Anyone who has not been asleep, drugged, or in solitary confinement without benefit of outside contact for the past couple of years, knows that the Obamacrats and the commentariat at Fox News occupy opposite poles of the political spectrum. So what? It's as American as apple pie, to coin a phrase, for politicians and media to use each other as punching bags, for whatever reason they choose. Remember Earl Long and the "damnlyingnewspapers?" And the damnlyingnewspapers enjoyed open season on Earl's sore back forever. Everyone in Louisiana above the age of consent understood what was going on, and either enjoyed the spectacle of it, joined the public rant on whichever side they believed it, or ignored it.

It is a measure of the Obamacrats' political immaturity to publicly announce a freeze on dealings with Fox. Didn't they have a clue that this would only provide the "enemy" with enough material to fill airtime for days, yea weeks, months even, with the wounded cries of "No Fair! First Amendment!" and confirm in the minds of opponents that the Constitution is in peril, the Ship of State is listing dangerously to the left--focussing outrage like little else could accomplish? Haven't they heard The Rush say ad infinitum, "I hope he fails"?

Heads up, Obamacrats! There's Afghanistan. There's Iran. There's Recession and Unemployment. There's Health Care. There's even a few problems we could name with housing, which cascades down to our little corner of the world in forestry and agriculture. Don't spend time swatting flies. Get something going. Even Fox will likely notice. And even if they don't, well, we will down here in the Piney Woods Hill Country. Or you could give The Rush his wish.

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