I've received a few e-mails asking what "barbecue media" means. First, this:
It's a concise, snarky way of describing the love affair between the media and Senator McCain -- also, the media and the Republicans.
That video so perfectly summarizes the root of everything that's wrong and awful about the state of the Fourth Estate -- the flagrant unapologetic glad-handing between the Republican Party, corporations and the media. The dangerous turning-of-the-cheek when it comes to Republican crimes and lies and propaganda.
The utter lack of integrity displayed in that video is staggering. Imagine for a moment (and set aside the fact that Senator Obama doesn't own a 'vacation cabin') if a similar event had been videotaped and released on YouTube by the Obama campaign.
So... barbecue media. If you can think of a better way to quickly summarize this phenomenon, let me know.