Tucker Carlson tries to set up Ron Paul?

Not thrilling news considering that whole little issue of the media isn't supposed to show bias...

A recent Associated Press story about Ron Paul carries a headline that was carefully crafted to turn off many American voters. The headline proclaimed: "Paul Endorsed by Nevada Brothel Owner."

The AP story began: "Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, an underdog Texas congressman with a libertarian streak, has picked up an endorsement from a Nevada brothel owner," Dennis Hof.

"Picked up," however, is the wrong phrase, since it implies, incorrectly, that Ron Paul had solicited Hof’s endorsement. In actuality, it was a member of the media, MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson, who had done the soliciting. Carlson not only contacted Hof to ask him to check out Ron Paul while Paul was in Nevada, but he even arrived at Ron Paul’s Reno news conference in the company of Hof and two of Hof’s prostitutes. Hof’s presence, which surprised the Ron Paul campaign, then gave Hof the opportunity to be interviewed by the media.

Tucker Carlson's involvement is acknowledged by AP, though not until the end of the story. The AP story notes that "Hof was accompanied to the Paul news conference by television news personality Tucker Carlson." It then finally quotes Carlson as admitting that "Dennis Hof is a good friend of mine, so when we got to Nevada, I decided to call him up and see if he wanted to come check this guy [Ron Paul] out." The AP article, though, fails to point out that the Ron Paul campaign was surprised when Carlson emerged from a limousine with Hof and two of Hof’s celebrity prostitutes to attend the news conference. (That part of the story was covered by the Reno Gazette-Journal.)

Sad to say I used to like Tucker...