Chris Wallace discussed Medicare yesterday with spokesmen for both the Obama and Romney campaigns on Fox News Sunday. However, while the guest lineup may have been fair and balanced (never a given), the scrutiny over Medicare platforms was not.

Right now, Republican Todd Akin is the 6th hottest Google search in the United States, thanks to an uproar over his anti-abortion comment, "If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole (pregnancy) thing down." But you'd probably not know that if you get your news from Fox. In fact, some might say the 'fair and balanced" network is deliberately ignoring a very bad day for a Republican senate candidate. UPDATED

Juan Williams guest hosted on The O’Reilly Factor Friday night (8/17/12) where he welcomed Scott Taylor, one of the OPSEC swift boaters against President Obama, for a chat so friendly that Sean Hannity (and Roger Ailes) would undoubtedly have approved. In fact, I suspect Bill O’Reilly would have been tougher on Taylor than liberal Williams. Nevertheless, after ignoring evidence of the group's ties to Republicans and their hyocrisy about keeping sensitive national security matters secret, Williams thanked Taylor for "standing up."

Rape is a horrific crime regardless of the race, creed, or sexual orientation of the rapist. But Fox Nation, in keeping with Fox News's patented anti-Islamic bias, has decided that the religion of five men, charged in a Colorado rape, is relevant. The headline, "Muslims Gang Rape Colorado Woman," links to a Colorado TV site which does not identify the men as Muslims but as Iraqi nationals three of whom have the name Mohammed in the names - a name that is used by both Middle Eastern Muslims and Christians - some of whom are Iraqis. But Fox Nation had decided that they are Muslims. And Fox Nation decided to highlight this rape when there are many that are committed at any given time - many by Christians. If Catholics or Evangelicals gang raped a woman, would Fox Nation include the religious descriptor? If Fox Nation were to ever report on GOP fund raiser Greg Peterson, who will be tried for four rapes and kidnappings, would they identify him as a Mormon? Just saying...

One can only imagine the type of exuberant coverage that Fox Nation would give to a story involving a possibly alcohol infused Democratic Congressman who, in the presence of women, dropped trow and plunged into the Sea of Galilee. I suspect that it would be a big, fat lede on Fox Nation with a headline that vilified the congressman in no uncertain terms. This morning, Politico broke the story about a Kansas GOP Rep. who did just that. Congressman Kevin Yoder, on a 2011 trip to Israel, was just so infused with the spirit of the lord (and some communion wine?), that he took a plunge into the Sea of Galilee clothed in only the skin that Jesus gave him. But it's no big deal for Fox Nation which has this headline: Media Ignore National Debt, Go Nuts Over Skinny Dipping." I don't think Fox Nation would be quite this blasé if Democrats had been involved in these kinds of Holy Land hijinks. Ya think!

In a lapdog interview with Fox’s “Campaign” Carl Cameron that was little more than one opening after another for Paul Ryan to spout talking points, Ryan offered up what he thought was his foreign policy experience: voting for war in Congress. (H/T Crooks and Liars and Mediaite)

During his interview with Romney spokesman Ed Gillespie today, Chris Wallace didn’t just ask when we can expect Mitt Romney’s 2011 tax returns to be released, he all but pulled out a calendar with an “X” on October 15^th and a big red circle around the date of “Friday after the Democratic convention.”

On Happening Now last week, host Jon Scott spoke about Congress having a 10% approval rating, and how this Congress is the least productive ever. But on Fox News, the least productive Congress is the best Congress! 

There was a time that you couldn't turn on Fox without seeing proud Tea Party members. But on at least one occasion, the Fox host neglected to mention their guest's Tea Party affiliation in an attempt to present the guest as just one of the folks who is mad as hell and isn't going to take it any more. There was also a time that you couldn't turn on Fox without seeing 9-11 family members who spoke out about the so called Ground Zero Mosque. What the Fox audience wasn't told was that some of these folks, who didn't represent all 9-11 families, were members of very right wing anti-Islamic, anti-Obama groups. Last Friday, during Megyn Kelly's defense of the so called Ground Zero Cross, she featured a  9-11 family member who appeared to be another member of the just folks crowd who hates atheists cuz they're trying to destroy America. (A view that dovetails nicely with that of Roger Ailes.) What Megyn didn't mention was Joe Connor's Tea Party affiliation and activism directed against the Obama administration. Just folks, indeed!

On yesterday’s America’s Newsroom, Martha MacCallum, Juan Williams, and Mary Katharine Ham debated Mitt Romney’s refusal to release more tax returns. MacCallum predictably stuck up for Romney and repeatedly announced that his tax returns were not anybody’s business.