Barack Obama to meet unconditionally with dreaded 'Fox News Sunday'!

Sen. Barack Obama, who has promised as president to meet unconditionally with American enemies such as the heads of Venezuela and Iran, has finally agreed to sit down for an interview with even Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday."

Actually, the session will be more like "Fox News Saturday" since the Illinois senator will pre-tape the interview that day while campaigning in Marion, Ind.

Just as many conservatives view CNN as liberal-leaning, many Democrats see Fox News as a conservative enemy. Last fall, former presidential candidate John Edwards led a successful boycott of a party debate because it would have been broadcast on Fox.

According to Wallace, the "Fox News Sunday" host, more than two years ago Obama promised to appear on his program. When, week after week, the Obama camp declined, blaming scheduling conflicts, as a promotional gimmick the program began a weekly Obama Countdown Clock, showing how long it had been since the promise.

Obama's reluctance to appear on Fox has been the subject of numerous online discussions and comments, including here at The Ticket, where readers wondered how strong a president he would be if he was afraid to meet with an American TV anchor.

This Sunday the clock will stop at 772 days.

In a website story today, Fox News tried to credit....

its clock with finally forcing Obama to appear. The story quotes Wallace as saying, "It may have been obnoxious, but it was also effective."

The fact is, the change in attitude may be more attributable to internal Obama political calculations about Pennsylvania's voters, who gave Obama's opponent, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a nearly 10-point win Tuesday.

Despite differences with Fox, which include her husband, the ex-president, growing visibly livid under questioning by Wallace during one 2006 interview, Sen. Clinton has made a point of appearing on all the networks. She was last questioned by Wallace on Feb. 3.

And Tuesday she showed special strength among Pennsylvania's more conservative Democrats and even attracted votes from numerous Republicans, the kind of people who might be expected to watch Fox News and perhaps give her credit for walking into the perceived enemy's camp.

If Obama's current delegate lead does eventually give him the nomination in August, he'll need to do better in November among those so-called Reagan Democrats, who might be tempted to vote Republican this time for Sen. John McCain.

--Andrew Malcolm

                                                                Photo Credit: Fox News

Comments

[N. Holton]

Those conservative "Democrats" are going to vote for McCain no matter what. They hate Hillary Clinton. Ever heard of Operation Chaos?

[Kristian]

CRUSH FOX!

Obama '08.

[dmh]

Fox news /is/ the enemy of America... At least as much as chavez and Iran. If the dude can make peace with them, making peace with Tehran will be a piece of cake.

[Rick]

A few years ago, the New York Times, a self-described "Liberal" newspaper, labelled the fairly mild-mannered Chris Wallace as "one of the best things on television." That made Bill Clinton's contrived explosion a few years ago all the more suspicious. The real topic here is that Obama avoids all manner of media most of the time, not just FOX, certainly in comparison to John McCain. That will probably catch up to him at some point.

[Teresa Bongartz]

By agreeing to be on Obama accepts that Fox News is actually news, and not a hatch shop for the Republican Party.

[dave]

or maybe we might expect an altogether different scenario that will not even be between the now-alleged presumptive dem and gop nominees, but take into account the exponential increase in numbers of people from all backgrounds waking up to the fact that there is a viable alternative in the final presidential race vastly more qualified and suitable for office than any of the media-hyped 'front-runners' - expect RON PAUL to quietly assume the lead.

[JENNIFER]

THE FACT THAT OBAMA HAS AVOIDED FOX NEWS IS VERY TELLING SEEING THAT THEY ARE NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM LIKE CNN AND MSNBC AND SEEING HOW ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED HE GOT IN THE LAST DEBATE BECAUSE THE COMMENTATORS WERE NOT FALLING ALL OVER HIM AND WORSHIPPING HIM LIKE CAMPBELL BROWN DID IN THE OTHER DEBATE. ALSO WITH REVEREND WRIGHT SHOWING HIS FACE AGAIN, OBAMA WILL BE BACK ON THE HOT SEAT AND THIS TIME HE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET OFF WITHOUT BEING INCINERATED!!!

[tlsmith1963]

I cannot believe that Obama actually decided to be on Fox News. "Thug News" is what I call it. I never watch that channel. It's a joke. Of course, I haven't watched the other news channels for awhile either. Since Bush became president, we haven't gotten the truth about anything.

[Dave]

I hope Obama talks about real issues that affect everyone, like how the Pentagon embedded pro-war "independent" analysts with major media like FOX News to promote the drumbeat for an illegal war. Obama can also talk about his concerns that a citizen of communist China (Rupert Murdoch) uses his U.S. media properties as a vehicle to promote anti-American values, such as the launching of illegal wars, the subversion of justice processes, the torturing of detainees, the draining of the Treasury, and so on. These are major concerns for most patriotic Americans.

[John F. Foust]

i think Fox news is anything but fair and balanced, Mickey Mouse Wallace is just another Shallow George and Shallower Charlie at ABC.

I think Obama should ignore these bait and switch prompter readers, who call themselves journalists. What a joke, I wonder if their wives have a telepromtor over the head board of their bed, and on the kitchen table in the morning.

It is clear to me they are still living in the old world of humiliating people with irrelevant issues, these anachronisms of the news business should go out behind the barn dig their grave and jump in.

They live in the past, it is gone, and so are they. No one cares about Fox News they are a low class, outfit. John F. Foust J.D., CPA Farmer

[jodi]

Like it or not fox news had been the only media giving any negative information about Obama. msnbc's Chris Matthews only gave negatives about Hillary and buried all negatives about Obama. Their job is to give the news good, bad or indifferent and only fox has done that. Obama has been playing the race card since SC when Bill Clinton gave a historical fact, "Jesse Jaclson won SC too." I have heard Chris Matthews say that Obama has not played the race card and so I wonder if he doesn't know what race baiting is or just works to confuse Obamamites into voting Obama.

I will respect the first media to complete the staterment they all have said: "Obama's name was not even on the MI ballot"........(completed would be ) Because he himself removed his name from the MI ballot when it was not required or suggested. And he removed his name so that he could whine that his name was not on the MI ballot. The only reason to do as he did was because he knew he would lose the state whether his name was on the ballot or not and whether the voting took place today or earlier. This was all a plan just like the way the Obama's play the race card. Obama has known from the start that MI and FL would be at the DNC credetials committee in June to reinstate their deligates.

[John Quimby]

After the ABC debate, FOX is going to have to work pretty hard to keep it's position as the most partisan news network in America.

[Evans]

Its easier to win Irans and middle East Vote of confidence in America than winning fox and the 'holymoly' wagon's Know-it-all... just watch.

[hassan]

look at the long texts you guyz write I dont even read them Obama 2008!!!

(True, 11 whole paragraphs can be a real challenge for some people.)

[me]

People who type in all caps usually tend to be fanatically insane.

[joseph marcucilli]

Jennifer, calm down.Using all caps in your lettering is obnoxious.By the way,according to Elizabeth Drew , the most respected journalist in Washington, this race is already over.The delegates are looking at the incrased voter registration caused primarily by the Obama campaign.

[goldenstate]

Howard Dean is telling superdelegates to vote for the person they think can beat McCain in November. Party leaders are having doubts about Obama because he can't connect with the Reagan Democrats. He's not winning any of the swing states. He's afraid to debate Hillary. His negatives are higher than Hillary's. Rev. Wright, Bill Ayers, Rezko, bittergate, flag-gate, etc will come back to haunt him in November.