My Problem With Surrogates

There really is no purpose in quoting the surrogates of political candidates. They add nothing to the discourse and reek of hypocrisy. Case in point is Allan Bense attacking Charlie Crist for endorsing John McCain. Bense told The Miami Herald that Crist's endorsement will hurt McCain in the conservative Panhandle.

''I think we're conservative in this part of the world,'' Bense said in a conference call. ``Since the endorsement last night, I got 47 phone calls to my cellphone and home cell, either wanting to get [Romney] campaign signs or how to get to the rally that Gov. Romney will attend.''

Bense's candidate Mitt Romney courted Charlie Crist for his endorsement. The media or politically astute people know that Bense will not say a Crist endorsement hurts Romney in the Panhandle. Everyone knows the Bense attack is bogus and Bense would be praising Crist if he endorsed Romney. How does quoting Bense better educate voters about the candidates.

A third tier Florida politician gabs to the press. The media get their instant controversy. The general public ignores the Bense story because it's boring. Political surrogates feed the worst aspects of elections and political coverage. My fantasy is to make every surrogate testify under oath about the truthiness of their statements. These clowns would sweat.

The media should pound the surrogates and force them to stand by their statements. The Washington Post and New York Times should ask Andrew Cuomo if he still feels as passionately that Barack Obama was attempting to "chuck and jive." The surrogates would be less inclined to tar and feather a candidate if they faced consequences.