L.A.Times Uses Car Racing Report to...Bash Palin?

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, you are a car racing reporter and you have a big story about the news that BMW has pulled out of the Formula 1 race scene. So, what better way to start off your report by saying that BMW is the "Sarah Palin" of F1 racing?

Revealing a complete lack of understanding of politics and Palin's situation, sports writer Dan Neil has decided that BMW is "just like" Sarah Palin ostensibly because it quit the race scene in a piece headlined "BMW quits Formula 1. It is now the Sarah Palin of F1 and the future of KERS."

In his first paragraph he takes his jab at Palin, then goes on with his story without mentioning Palin again.

BMW will bug out of Formula 1 racing at the end of the 2009 season, company officials announced today, to which we say – in a collective exhalation of stunned amazement -- Wha…? Perhaps a Scooby Doo-like “Huh-hhhh?" The premium German automaker, based in Munich, attempted to put the best face on the announcement, not unlike a certain former Alaskan governor.

It appears that BMW is halting its F1 racing program for the stated purpose of reevaluating its "green" commitment but it seems more obvious that it is because of the expense of it all. But any second of thought put to BMW's actions will reveal no comparison at all to Sarah Palin's situation.

After all, did Palin step down as Alaska's governor over "green" policies? Did she do so because of the expense of racing? Did she do so over cars or sports?

No. Not at all.

What we have here is nothing but an excuse to jab at Sarah Palin and place that jab in a situation that has absolutely nothing to do with Palin or even politics, for that matter. And the fact that Neil does not mention Palin except in the first paragraph makes his inclusion of her in the headline a failure of logic. I mean, Palin is prominent in the headline, but mentioned only once in the piece? Shouldn't something that appears in a headline be featured prominently as an important part of the article?

It's obvious that this was just a sensational way for Neil to try and finally get noticed for his sports "reporting." Unfortunately for him, even if this stunt does get him noticed, few will notice his sports writing! Epic fail.

That ol' Palin Derangement Syndrome raises its ugly head again.

- WTH

Note from JP: You can read more of Warner Todd Huston at his own PubliusForum.com and also at Right Wing News, where he has recently joined the staff of contributors.