Essential Estrogen

While zipping around the 'tubes' on the 'internets' today I came across the following news item from KRQE News 13 out of Albuquerque:

Call it the second-tier lament.

At a recent house party in the early voting state of New Hampshire, Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd became exasperated as he talked about being overshadowed by front-runners Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.

Dodd, Clinton and Obama are senators from Connecticut, New York and Illinois respectively.

Another Democratic hopeful, Gov. Bill Richardson, was similarly frustrated campaigning in Iowa last week.

He said Iowans resent that the media has created a myth that two candidates are the only serious ones.

Dodd, Richardson and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden have stellar resumes, decades of experience and an inviting style on the campaign trail.

So far, though, this presidential race has been dominated by the celebrity treatment of Clinton and Obama and to a lesser extent John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina.

That has left the second-tier hopefuls struggling to be more than blips on the national political radar.

The article is credited to the AP without an individual byline. So, this is the work of one of the largest news-gathering organizations in the world? Boy, are we in trouble.

The unknown reporter seems to be working toward the real crux of the issue -- that the media has unfairly treated the full field of Democratic (and Republican) hopefuls while spending most of their time fawning over a select few -- when she quotes Gov. Richardson stating that Iowans resent the myth created by the media.

Striking so close to the truth, however, must be painful because the article ends with no new understanding for the author or for the readers. Despite having these wonderful candidates with "stellar resumes, decades of experience and inviting style on the campaign trail" they will continue to be frustrated blips on the national political radar. I wonder why that is?