The AP: All the Credibility of Dan Rather, and Less

Over the last few years, the AP's reputation for 'quick and accurate' news has deteriorated--from their horrible "coverage" in Iraq right through the Presidential primary race.

Jed Babbin dissects their latest hit-job--done on Fred Thompson.

What AP tried to do to Fred Thompson is going to be repeated against any conservative candidate who exudes a whiff of conservatism in the primaries and whichever Republican gains the presidential nomination

Now, [an] AP crew [which mis-reported on a Rumsfeld/HRC contretemps] is contriving stories about Republican presidential candidates.

Case in point, this AP story about Fred Thompson. AP’s Libby Quaid wrote on December 21, “Thompson suffered a stinging setback Thursday, when conservative Rep. Tom Tancredo dropped out of the presidential running and endorsed another rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. ...The endorsement was a disappointment to Thompson, especially since his week had begun on a high note with the unexpected backing of another anti-immigration hero, Rep. Steve King.”

Says Babbin:

There is a small problem with the AP story: the facts. Tancredo did endorse Romney, but Thompson actually benefited from Tancredo’s withdrawal, possibly more than Romney did. Thompson’s campaign staff was stunned: not by Tancredo’s speech, but AP’s coverage.

As reported by The Politico, Bill Salier -- Tancredo’s Iowa state chairman -- is joining Thompson’s team: “He's a true-believing social conservative ...In short: He's the sort of worker bee a campaign likes to have on its side. If Salier puts his shoulder to the wheel for Fred, he could be a major asset.”

If Tancredo’s withdrawal caused his chief Iowa asset to shift allegiance to Thompson, how is Tancredo’s endorsement of Romney a “stinging setback” for Thompson? It isn’t. Which raises the same issue about AP that I raised in August 2006: which of its editors is responsible for the contrived stories?

This, my friends, is called "Editorializing in the News Story."

The really good news here is this: Fred Thompson is a target of the Left (AP). That tells you something about the dynamics of this race to which we alluded a few days ago.

The "Mo" is with Fred, who's playing 'mo' very, very well, indeed.