Media Magic: How it Became the Dem 'Culture of Corruption'

Doesn't it seem like ages ago when we were discussing the rampant corruption at the heart of the Republican Party? DeLay, Abramoff, Frist, Libby, Cunningham, the list goes on. But magically, the only corruption we hear about lately is Democratic. Rep. William Jefferson has dominated recent headlines and WinSmith at dKos reminds us how the word 'Democrat' is strategically placed for maximum effect:

"Note that Mr. [Philip] Shenon never mentios Delay is a republican, yet mentions democrats as well as implied democratic "affiliation" throughout the opening grafs of the article. Note that the very first time the word "republican" appears it is to confirm that it was "House Republican Rules" that forced Delay to step down.

You're shocked, I know. The liberal New York Times you've read so much about jumps at the chance to print the word "democrat" and "democratic party" in articles about William J. Jefferson but nary a mention with Tom Delay."

Let's not forget the concerted effort on the part of reporters to push the "bipartisan culture of corruption" line. And today, the AP's John Solomon continues the mission with a piece about Harry Reid. Paul Kiel at TPM Muckraker rips it apart and concludes with this:

"Solomon is so dead-set on illustrating bipartisan parity on corruption that he's blind to the weakness of the arguments he's making. If this is the best that he can come up with after several months, I have to say that Reid seems remarkably incorruptible."