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And if she thought critics went overboard in analyzing her facial expressions during the Republican National Convention, then just wait. Tonight's debate will be a momentous moment in a long and illustrious career. Not for Gov. Sarah Palin, but for journalist Gwen Ifill, the moderator of the faceoff between Palin and Sen. Joe Biden. Ifill, host of PBS' "Washington Week in Review," has had a rough go of things lately. Not only did she break an ankle recently, but her journalistic objectivity has been called into question because of her new book, "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama." It hasn't even been published, but some critics have labeled it pro-Obama and claim it challenges her neutrality.
Word to the hotheads: Just because Sen. Barack Obama's name appears in the title doesn't mean that it's all about him.
From what I've read about it, "Breakthrough" deals with how the political landscape has evolved from a racial perspective since the Civil Rights era. And in addition to dealing with the so-called Obama phenomenon, Ifill discusses the rise of black politicians such as Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. She also includes insight culled from interviews with Jesse Jackson, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vernon Jordan.
In other words, it ain't all Obama. Here's how the book is described on Amazon.com. "In 'The Breakthrough,' veteran journalist Gwen Ifill surveys the American political landscape, shedding new light on the impact of Barack Obama's stunning presidential campaign and introducing the emerging young African American politicians forging a bold new path to political power."
Now, I'm pretty sure Ifill, also a senior correspondent of "The
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," doesn't use the book to beat up on Obama. But Ifill probably won't be as adoring of him as right-wingers would have you believe. As she told the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz, "I still don't know if he'll be a good president." And she also has pointed out, "Do you think they made the same assumptions about Lou Cannon [who is white] when he wrote his book about Reagan?"
And I might add, where was the uproar when George Stephanopoulos, who used to work for the Clinton administration, moderated a Democratic debate earlier this year? The fact that Ifill has written this book isn't new. "Breakthrough" is mentioned on her official biography, and there have been numerous mentions of it in the press, including one on Fox News' Web site dated July 21.
"I've got a pretty long track record covering politics and news," she said. "I'm not particularly worried that one-day blog chatter is going to destroy my reputation. The proof is in the pudding. They can watch the debate tomorrow night and make their own decisions about whether or not I've done my job."
This is a phony nonissue dreamed up to smear Ifill. After all, if Don Imus calling her a "cleaning lady covering the White House" couldn't knock her down, don't expect this to, either.
She has the chops to deal with it - and then some. *
Have you peeped a hot trend that hasn't been reported? E-mail heyjen@phillynews.com and let me know what you know. To discuss this column and to also see what else we're talking about, log onto my blog at
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