Bob Somerby's always informative Daily Howler has been running a story this week about Senator Bob Kerry, and his treatment by the media. It is beginning to appear that Mr. Kerry is going to be tarred with the same "liar" label that hounded Al Gore. Why does our vaunted press corps act like this? I suspect that they have been co-opted by the GOP. A few of the more egregious bits about Kerry:

KERRY: I am lucky, because on Saturday I hope to be back in Washington…But I intend to be back and at it pretty soon. Glen?
QUESTION 1: Senator Kerry, why didn’t you answer truthfully ten days ago when you were asked directly if you were sick, given that you were diagnosed with prostate cancer on December 23 and it’s now mid-February?

KERRY: Very simple, Glen. Very simple reason. Because my doctor was away and I thought it was very important for him to be able to be here and be able to explain what was happening, because I hadn’t finally resolved completely what the course of action would be. And finally, because members of my family, most importantly, had not yet been told. This had developed very rapidly in the course of February. I believed that members of my family deserve to learn not reading the newspapers but deserve to learn from me. And that’s why I made that decision. I could parse the word “sick,” I’m not going to. But I thought my family came first…

QUESTION 2: You’re running for an office where trustworthiness and truthfulness is perhaps one of the key ingredients or one of the qualities for the people seeking that job. Do you think people should draw any broader conclusion about your truthfulness based on the answer—

KERRY: No, I think every American would understand, Glen, that if a reporter sticks his head into your car door as you’re leaving to drive away and asks you if you’re sick, that you don’t owe them necessarily an answer at that moment about what’s happening…

As you can see, attack dog Glen Johnson of the famously liberal Boston Globe is out to prove something. Just what that is, I don't pretend to know. Kerry just today went back to work after having his prostate gland removed due to the aforementioned cancer.