Editorial: AP portrays progressives as "wary" about Petraeus report

The traditional media, with the exception of Fox News of course, is neither conservative nor liberal -- they are just out of touch and often times lazy.  They brand each political party with certain archetypes, and keep reinforcing those same archetypes even when circumstances change.  To them, the Republicans are the strategically superior party, while the Democrats are a bunch of wimps without direction.  Look at the opening two paragraphs from an AP story late last night:

Democrats are warily anticipating a September report on the Iraq war , realizing that opponents will use any upbeat assessment to portray them as defeatists just as glimmers of hope appear.

While many of their party colleagues find the notion fanciful, theyacknowledge that top Republicans hope the report will show just enoughprogress in Iraq to persuade millions of Americans to be patient abouttroop withdrawals and less critical of how the war is being run.

More than fifteen days before Petraeus gives his report, the AP is already proclaiming the event to be a GOP political victory.

Maybe AP writer Charles Babington forgets that the progressive netroots is the new mainstream face of the Democratic Party.  So Charles, do we look "wary" to you?  Do we "acknowledge" that Petraeus' speech, which will be written by the White House anyway, will be a success?  I think not.  In fact, we will be ready to confront any statement made about the war that contradicts what has been reported.

Petraeus is giving a political speech, and we will treat it like one.  We are not going to sit back comfortably as a Bush loyalist attempts to extend this war even longer, and personally cost more soldiers their lives.  Doesn't sound like wariness to me.

But Babington did not ask for our take.  Instead, he selectively quoted blue dog Democrat James Clyburn from a statement he made last month:

In late July, House Majority Whip James Clyburn ,D-S.C., said an upbeat assessment from Petraeus would carry significantweight with his party's most conservative members. They would "want tostay the course, and if the Republicans were to stay united as theyhave been, then it would be a problem for us," Clyburn told TheWashington Post.

The traditional media has already made up its mind on something before it happened.  They need to understand this is not the 2002, 2003 oor 2004 Democratic Party that acted as if they were in timeout every time they voted against an pork-inflated defense bill.  This is the new blue movement -- a movement orchestrated by people, not high-priced Washington consultants.

Babington will be in for a shocker.