VP Debate Moderator Ifill Pens Pro-Obama Book

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 12:10 PM

By: Jim Meyers

Gwen Ifill, the supposedly “impartial” moderator of Thursday’s vice presidential debate, is in fact the author of an upcoming book that expresses admiration for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Her book “Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama,” sheds “new light” on Obama and other “emerging young African-American politicians” who are “forging a bold new path to political power,” according to the official promo for the book, scheduled for release on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.

Ifill, an anchor on the Public broadcasting Service program “Washington Week,” did not return a phone call from WorldNetDaily asking if her book’s success “would be expected should Obama lose,” WND reported.

But in an online video promoting the book, the African-American newswoman states that she is enthusiastic about “taking the story of Barack Obama and extending it.”

Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin expressed outrage over Ifill’s selection as moderator.

“Ifill and her publisher are banking on an Obama/Biden win to buoy her book sales,” she wrote.

“Try as she might to deflect questions about her impartiality, her biases — and her conflict of interest — are clear…

“My dictionary defines ‘moderator’ as the ‘nonpartisan officer of a town meeting.’ On Thursday, PBS anchor Gwen Ifill will serve as moderator for the first and only vice presidential debate…

“But there is nothing ‘moderate’ about where Ifill stands on Barack Obama. She’s so far in the tank for the Democrat presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out.”

Malkin pointed out that Ifill recently wrote a “fawning cover story” about Barack and Michelle Obama for Essence magazine.

And Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren reported that John McCain did not know about Ifill’s book and observed that the campaign “should have been told before the campaign agreed to have her moderate. It simply is not fair — in law, this would create a mistrial.”

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Wow....the moderator in this debate is writing a book about Obama. I don't know whether Ms. Ifils can fairly moderate this event or not. Many of the people who know her say that she can handle moderating this debate without a problem. In my opinion, it just doesn't look good that she is announced as the moderator and then it comes out that she's writing a book that predominately features one of the presidential candidates in the title, much less between the covers. It looks like she might favor the Democratic side of the ticket over the Republican side.

I think she should have disclosed that she was writing this book as she now has a financial stake in who wins the election. How do I come to this conclusion?

The book will debut on inauguration day. If Obama wins, her book sales will skyrocket. If McCain wins, it will become anaother book about Obama and probably not much more than that.

I've said it before: everything is a matter of perception. It doesn't matter how well she can handle the duties of moderator. There will be people watching every question posed and whether she does anything that appears to favor the Democratic side. Whether she wants to or not, she will have to go the extra mile or more to make sure that she doesn't appear to favor the Democratic side. And there will be people watching to make sure that because of this issue she doesn't go too far to the other side and treat the Republican side a little better than the Democratic side. It doesn't really matter how "middle of the road" she will be. Someone will be bound to cry foul because they think (perceive) she treated one side or the other unfairly.

Does she have the right to write the book? Of course. Does she have the right to moderate the debate? Of course, if it can be determined to be a "right" as such.

Ms. Ifils knew she was writing this book when she was approached to moderated the debate, and when she accepted. It would have been much better if she had either turned down this opportunity, or at least brought it out into the open when her connection to the debate was announced. I can only imagine the hue and cry had she been writing a book that was entitled Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of McCain.

As I said before, time and time again, perception is everything.