Obama Shills For NBC

And why not, really? After all, their news department and slutty cable sister (MSNBC) has been whoring themselves out for him for years already.

But this is still another barrier crossed. I'll let the New York Times explain:

Mr. Obama... went even one step further for the network – participating in a spoof interview segment for “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” during his formal question-and-answer session with the NBC News anchor Brian Williams at the White House.

In the segment, shown on “Tonight” late Tuesday, Mr. Williams asked Mr. Obama whether he almost canceled his overseas trip this week “to stay and watch” Mr. O’Brien’s “first week as host of ‘The Tonight Show.’’’

Mr. Obama was fully game and, referring to Mr. O’Brien’s succession this week of the former “Tonight” host Jay Leno, joked, “This is something we discussed several times in the Oval Office, how to manage this transition between Leno and Conan. And I think he’s up to the task. But I just want him to know that there is not going to any bailout coming out from Washington if he screws it up.”

Somehow I doubt that. The way Obama subverted the law to make sure his union buddies got the best of the GM/Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings is the same way he'll make sure an "impartial" media continues to function as his PR arm, no matter what the cost to taxpayers. And who knew blowing hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money was so damn funny, anyway?

The Times asks the right questions:

There was a time when such cross promotion between a network news division and its corporate entertainment sibling – during a presidential interview, no less — would have caused rebellion in the newsroom. It will be interesting to see what reaction, if any, there will be to this bit of stunt programming at NBC News.

It will also be interesting to see if there is any political blowback, especially from those who believe that some in the news media are too chummy with the president and his administration.

With Brian Williams bowing before Barack Obama and MSNBC serving as his equivalent of Baghdad Bob, it is unlikely there will be any stress in the halls of NBC. And the self-serving media - loathe to anger their Patron Saint of Bailouts - will laugh off the obvious impropriety as nothing more than"more wing-nuttery" from the right.

And the Republic will suffer yet another blow.