Surely all that's happened since the 2000 presidential election - its questionable legitimacy, waging war in Iraq on false information, the Partriot Act, the smear concocted by Swift Veterans against Kerry - isn't all this to some degree a consequence of the mainstream media's failure to fulfill its responsibilities. It certainly should have been more agressive in reporting and investigating these issues, especially as a nation on the verge of waging war. Too often, the mainstream media has been intimidated by charges of a "liberal bias" or appearing unpatriotic. "Liberal bias" is a real joke considering who owns the media in this country, and partriotism should remind us about Jefferson's assertion of the news media's vital role to keep the electorate well informed in order for a democratic republic function successfully. Doesn't the media bare a major part of the resposibility for the mess the country finds itself in today?

The "questionable legitimacy" of the 2000 election? What about network failure to label Florida as "too close to call" early on in the process? As far as I know, Bush won every recount for which the media called.

"Swift boat veterans" were a private org who tried to demean Kerry's War record. "Dan Rather" was a major network personality who tried to do the same to Bush's record. Swift boat veterans certainly were questionable, but Rather was flat-out factually incorrect. If you ask me, we, the media , could better spend our unpaid overtime policing ourselves instead of attacking crazy nonprofit groups--especially in light of Jason Blair, Jack Kelley et al.

If you recall, of the number of "recounts" conducted by media organizations in the wake of the 2000 election mess in Florida, there were several that had Al Gore winning the state by as many as some 400 votes.

Additionally, the media went after Bill Clinton following his "I tried marijuana, but I didn't inhale" comment.

Why wasn't George W. Bush equally grilled about his drug use and alcohol abuse? Why did the media just let it go?

Why is the media unwilling to take this administration to task for the Iraq war, which drew attention from the real war on terror and the failure to capture Osama bin Laden?

Why isn't the media paying more attention to voter intimidation, with churches endorsing candidates? What about churches kicking out members who voted for Kerry?

This country was based on freedom and the right to question our leaders and their decisions. Actually, that is our duty. When that right is supressed, we have something to worry about.