Here’s a Q and A about the above photo of George Bush that I just now captured from Google News.
Q. Why did they use a photo with that facial expression?
A. Because the Google News people don’t like George Bush, and they don’t want you to like him, either.
Q. Isn’t that rather childish?
A. Yes.
Q. Wouldn’t they use a photo like that of Barak Obama or Bill Clinton, too?
A. No. You can google it.
Q. I thought Google used a computer program to pick news stories and photos.
A. So? That’s the oldest dodge in the book. And notice that they never claim that their computer program tries to be objective, or that it does a random sample or anything that would remove bias from the selection process.
Q. But there is a link to the Boston Globe under the photo. Didn’t they just reproduce a photo from the article it links to?
A. No. The article doesn’t contain that photo.
Q. Is Google exempt from the provisions of McCain-Feingold?
A. Good question.
Q. Do the Democrats have to count this portrayal as a campaign contribution?
A. No.