Tying one hand behind his back.

Barack Obama has an edge over John McCain in almost every reputable poll that has been released lately. Which is bad news on one front for Obama. The Big Money Media want a good race, not a blowout, and they will do what they have to do to get one. That means a lot of "make your head explode" stories that demonstrate the decaying state of modern journalism. Here are some recent examples over at talkingpointsmemo.com and some other blogs:

• Please, Please, Reporters with Brains which was followed by News Orgs Already Getting It Wrong On Obama's Iraq Remarks which was followed by Au Contraire ... which was followed by Paying Attention? and finally AP On McCain: We're Loven It!
• Digby nails Gwen Ifill for her craptastic defense of her profession.
• Paul Krugman looks at the lies that eventually become the conventional wisdom thanks to shoddy journalism.