Why on earth would ANYONE be surprised that the liberal media establishment is endorsing Kerry? It would only be news if they hadn't.

Actually, GUEST, you are exactly wrong about this. Once again, Republican talking points emerge from a progressive source...shame on you.

When it comes to endorsements, there IS NO "Liberal Media Establishment." Endorsements are decided by publishers, who are executives in media conglomerates, and are overwhelmingly Republican. In only two modern presidential elections before this did the Democrat get more endorsements than the Republicans: Clinton in 92 and Johnson in 64. In all other cases, including Dole in 96 and Bush in 2000, the Republican has gotten many, many more endorsements. In fact, according to Editor and Publisher, which tracks these things, Bush got about TWICE the endorsements Gore got from Daily papers in 2000.

The joke of all this is that the Bush campaign says "well, of course Kerry gets more endorsements; the media is liberal and there was NO WAY a Republican would get more endorsements than a Democrat," when they know damn well they got far more endorsements than Gore in 2000, and that Republicans nearly ALWAYS get vastly more newspaper endorsements. Then gullible people like our GUEST repeat their talking point because it supports their position: Kerry's endorsements are only to be expected.

In fact, Kerry's endorsements mean this: Bush's actions have frightened away a LOT of newspapers that endorsed him in 2000.

E & P has this to say:

"Kerry now leads Bush 125-96 in endorsements in E&P's exclusive tally, and he leads by about 16 million to 10 million in the circulation of backing papers.

And more setbacks for Bush: The Detroit News, which has never endorsed a Democrat, and which backed Bush in 2000, announced that it would sit out the 2004 election, not happy with either candidate. The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, another Bush backer in 2000, said the same thing today in an editorial titled "No One to Champion." A third Bush supporter in 2000, The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., also declared neutrality today.

The Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily News in Los Angeles, the Orlando Sentinel, and The Commercial-Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., were among the 24 papers that backed Bush in 2000 but today chose Kerry."