I haven't weighed in on Sinclair Broadcasting's decision to pre-empt regular television programing to air their anti-Kerry propaganda piece mainly because I am ambivalent, and so it seems is the WingNuttistan.  I do respect the "freedom to speak one's mind" above all else.  If you need to catch up, Josh Marshall is (as always) all over this.  Start Here and keep scrolling up.

Besides, from the account I have heard/read about the "documentary," Stolen Honor, its effectiveness should not hold that much weight.  It merely sounds like the Swift Boat screed writ large.  Nothing new here, nothing to see. But as close as this election is, maybe it's best not to be so glib.  Columbus, among others regions, is a swing city in a swing State, and has two Sinclair outlets.

Since I don't believe I live in one of Sinclair's markets it won't effect us here in Toledo, and with the volume of TV ads we are subjected to here, it would be impossible to tell this show from any other -- a commercial interrupted by programming or visa-versa, who cares, who can tell?

Another reason is that if it is perfectly permissible to broadcast this film, it should open the door for Fahrenheit 9/11 to be seen on a nationally broadcast network within the same time-frame.  Since I haven't seen Michael Moore's film (yet -- being inherently cheap and part of the choir anyway), this looks like the perfect opportunity to witness that little bit of history. 

And why not.  Surely F-9/11 would cream the Swifties in the ratings -- put 'em on head to head and let the pundits make sense of Neilson versus Gallup rankings. 

Mind you, except for the occasionally shrill Holocaust Deniers accusation, I haven't seen too much support for Sinclair from the usual suspects in Blogtopia who were also remarkably quiet on Kerry's nuanced "nuisance" quote.  Maybe the lynch mob looking for Dan Rather's head are hearing footsteps on their "six."  Is it possible that today's talking point from the GOP said "back off, you're not helping?"  Nope, that's not it.

Except for a few exceptions, many on the right are at least making the attempt to find what's left of their objectivity.  After blasting F-9/11 so voraciously and having fought the Vietnam thing to a draw, they know their guy's number is up -- if only because after they watched his miserable performance at the debates, (made all the worse if microwaved answers had been beamed into his skull, yet Bush still looked the fool -- even as they were accusing Kerry of cheating) and watched as their every defense of Bush's Iraq policy crumble to dust in the last 10 days, they just know the only hope they have is to rig another election -- and don't have the stones to try it again with everybody watching -- or do they?

ADDENDUM: Even Command Post recognizes Bush's rhetoric from Shinola, wondering if Bush's plan really is perpetual war.