Media's confused

With the way the media analyzes the race for the president, it's no wonder the Republicans and Democrats are seemingly out of whack.

It seems that whenever George W. Bush or Al Gore opens their mouths, the media are scrutinizing every word for the slightest hint of lying, subliminal messages, and characterizing the candidates as intellectually incompetent.

We all know subliminal advertising does not work. Bush's campaign is based on integrity, not goofy tricks  such as telling everyone he invented the Internet. Bush's so-called "subliminal" commercial could have been an honest mistake. After all, the word "rats" is a part of the word "bureaucrat."

And as for Gore, his sentimental story about his mother was simple an effort to convey his life-long loyalty to the working class. But, the media has lost sight of the real issues, focusing on sex scandals or becoming obsessed with a minor slip of the tongue every so often.

Speaking of slips of the tongue, the media is too hard on Bush, who probably delivers a dozen speeches a day, which must be a strain for the Texas governor.

From all Bush's speeches and interviews, the media have compiled his inevitable slip-ups and reviled his inability to name obscure world leaders. The media tells us little about the candidate's real message.

The media will make you eat your words if you routinely falter during a presidential speech or debate. But, we all know what Bush meant when he said, "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?" Will they ever let him live it down?

By their nature, political campaigns are sleazy. Neither Gore, nor Bush are listening to the will of the people and the media's unbalanced coverage unfairly vilifies one candidate over the other.