Slate -- fair and balanced?

I'm a pretty frequent reader of Slate. Now, I've never felt they were middle-of-the-road (most of what's published is relatively liberal in nature), but I did think they were relatively even-handed.

Throw that one out the window.

I'm surprised how critical they're being of the Republican convention -- almost as critical as me. By comparison, they almost softballed the Democrats.

Here are some noted from Bill Saletan's blog at the end of July:

In 2000, when Al Gore was debating Bill Bradley, my wife told me that the less she had to look at Gore, the easier it would be to vote for him... I wondered how he ever got the nomination. Tonight he reminds me. He reminds us all. He electrifies the convention with the most powerful speech of the evening... Gore carries a hammer...

The crowd erupts as [Jimmy] Carter accuses Bush of "a virtually unbroken series of mistakes and miscalculations" since Sept. 11. Capitalizing on his saintly reputation, Carter scolds Bush for selling America's soul, betraying "freedom and justice" in the choice and conduct of a preemptive war.... What a sweet old man, if you're not a Republican.

I thought Gore's speech was terrific and well-received. But his reception was nothing like Hillary [Clinton]'s.... The place goes nuts as Bill [Clinton] strides forward. You have to see him standing where lesser mortals have stood—in this case at the podium 100 feet from me—to appreciate what an imposing figure he cuts. The frost that has covered his hair since he left office accentuates the effect. In the arena, far more so than on the TV screen, he looks so majestic you almost can't believe the trashy, pointless, inconsequential way in which he disgraced his office.... All speeches at this convention are supposed to be positive, or at least to look positive. Clinton illustrates the difference. He promises "a positive campaign," unlike the nasty, negative campaign Republicans are running.... The other thing Clinton represents is the intelligence Bush lacks.

... Next comes Jim Rassman, the green beret Kerry saved in Vietnam, followed by former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee. They describe how Kerry risked his life for his country and his comrades. "Ladies and gentlemen, there is no greater act of patriotism than that," says Cleland, driving the point home with his one remaining arm.... Even at a political convention, some things are so true and profound that nothing more can be said about them.

And there's more (like effusing praise for Dennis Kucinich, much to my pleasant surprise). To be fair, Saletan does rightfully point out some of the more vapid points, such as the dwelling on the "house divided" rhetoric and the meaningless of it all.

Compare that with his blog from this week:

[Arnold] Schwarzenegger begins by recalling his childhood in Austria, then under partial Soviet occupation.... He describes the joy and pride of finding freedom in America. Like so many passages in this beautiful speech, the story brims with Reaganesque reverence.... I'm a sucker for this stuff.... I agree with every one of these things. I can see myself as a Schwarzenegger Republican. But I can't vote for Bush.... Schwarzenegger resorts to the very unconservative tactic of inventing excuses.... Same goes for Bush's Iraq policy.... It's a complete failure. Unable to defend the policy, Schwarzenegger defends Bush as "a man of inner strength. He is a leader who doesn't flinch, who doesn't waver, who does not back down."... The only way to stop such a president is to vote him out of office. Fortunately, an election is coming.

We have a new contender for Most Revolting Politician in America. Kerry Healey, the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts...

And on it goes. Saletan also wrote two really tought pieces on how the Republican slander machine has made "Opposing Bush becomes unpatriotic" and the false heroism Republicans ascribe to him for his post-9/11 actions. (Call me crazy, but that's the sort of completely defendable statement that could've gotten a TV show cancelled two years ago.)

Look at "Lies, Damned Lies, and Convention Speeches: Setting Kerry's record right—again." by Fred Kaplan. I think the title kind of says it all. Kaplan was silent during the Democratic convention.

Compare Mr. Almost-Was in "The Deaniacs Live!" by Chris Suellentrop with Mr. Two Heartbeats From The Presidency in "Dennis Hastert on Dope" by Jack Shafer.

Or Surfergirl's analysis of some Chris Matthews moments: she points out him sticking it to Rick Santorum the other night, asking "Is this a cross-dressing convention?" And while she did discuss some of his more probing and off-the-wall subject matter last month, she brings this up:

During last night's pregame show, Matthews conducted a surprisingly in-depth 10-minute interview with Ben Affleck, whose frat-boy screen demeanor belies a sharp eye for current affairs. Matthews himself seemed stunned, even subdued, by the chops of his celebrity interlocutor, closing with the awestruck benediction: "You have a stunningly developed political mind, and I fear you."

Perhaps this last passage says more about Matthews, but there's definitely an overall theme. So is the coverage biased, or are Republicans that much worse? Of course, Nader supporters like myself might guess it's a little of both and mention that the competition shouldn't be for which candidate is least worst. But then, we're just sooo naive, aren't we?