RUSH: As you know, ladies and gentlemen, Gwen Ifill — formerly NBC, now at PBS — is totally in the tank for Barack Obama. There’s no question about that. She has a book. She has a book coming out, ‘The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.’ It’s set to be released on Inauguration Day. This is a conflict of interest. She has a financial stake in Obama winning the race, in addition to whatever other stakes that she has invested in Obama winning the presidential race. So McCain today (he didn’t know about this) he was on KMBZ today, our blowtorch affiliate in Kansas City, on Morning News with E.J. & Ellen. Ellen Schenk asked him a question about this. She said, ‘It’s reportedly very pro-Barack Obama this book about Gwen Ifill. Do you have a problem with her serving as moderator?’
RUSH: (laughing)
MCCAIN: I have no reason to think otherwise —
RUSH: No, of course not. Why would you?
MCCAIN: — she is widely respected.
RUSH: Hell no.
MCCAIN: — and so I had not heard about a new book or anything else, but I believe there’s so much at stake here that anyone — including Gwen Ifill — will be scrupulously fair to both of the candidates.
RUSH: Sure! Why suspect, Senator? Why suspect she’d be anything other than fair. She’s only got a book coming out about Obama winning the election. She stands to make a pretty big amount of money if Obama wins. Why would anybody suspect, anybody in the liberal media, Senator McCain, would be anything other than unscrupulously fair? He’s right. But nevertheless, let’s listen at the Republican convention, September 3rd, 2008, St. Paul. The anchor on PBS, Jim Lehrer, was speaking with correspondent Gwen Ifill about Governor Sarah Palin’s speech. Jim Lehrer said, ‘Gwen, your closing thoughts.’
IFILL: She belittled — and so did other speakers — Barack Obama at every opportunity, mocking the size of the state, his community organizer status, and every time there was an explosion in this room. We also heard, uh, I think the chant started earlier in the night with Michael Steele. Every time they talked energy search — energy, they started chanting, ‘Drill, baby, drill.’ That was the big cry of the night. She delivered her speech word-for-word.
RUSH: It doesn’t sound like she’s too excited here. ‘She belittled Barack Obama at every opportunity.’ Grow up, Gwen! It’s a political contest. Obama is a man-child. He deserves to be belittled and he deserves to be defeated. Ifill was on the front lines of the feminist assault on Palin’s ability to be a mother and vice president. September 2, 2008, NewsHour on PBS, Gwen Ifill interviewed Heather Wilson, and they had this exchange about Palin.
IFILL: There is also a big difference between running a state — or running — as long as she has run a state — and running for one of the biggest jobs in the country. What advice do you give her, how to balance it?
WILSON: Let me say something on that.
IFILL: She’s got five kids! She’s got challenges.
WILSON: That bothers me.
IFILL: Tell me why.
WILSON: No one ever asked John Kennedy whether he could be president and be a dad. Nobody asked Senator Obama whether he could be president and be a dad. But because Governor Palin is a woman, they’re asking whether she can be vice president and a mom.
RUSH: So here’s Ifill, on front lines of the feminist assault on Palin’s ability to be a mother and a vice president. But, (doing McCain impression), ‘She’ll be scrupulous! I — I — I have no question about that!’ The conversation continued.
IFILL: But she described herself in herself in her —
WILSON: It’s time to end the double standard.
IFILL: I understand what you’re saying. She described herself as a ‘hockey mom.’ That was her self-description.
WILSON: One of the greatest things about Senator Obama is he talks about the important of being a father and a parent, but nobody asks whether he can do both at the same time. We need to end the double standard — and the double standard, I think, is not being pushed by Republicans here at the convention. It’s being asked by people in the media who should know better.
RUSH: Including Gwen Ifill, which is the person Heather Wilson there was talking to (and about). So, you know, folks, we’re wishing for things that aren’t going to happen here. He’s not going to criticize. He’s not going to name names. He’s not going to criticize Ifill. We’ll just have to gut it up.