NAB Show Panel Looks At Election

Presidential Election Subject Of NAB Panel

A panel of news veterans analyzed the presidential election at the NAB SHOW in LAS VEGAS TUESDAY in an "Issues Breakfast" that supplanted the traditional FCC and Congressional Breakfasts of years past. 

CNN's JOHN KING moderated the session, in which ABC's SAM DONALDSON effused that "not since (Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'s "I Have A Dream" speech) have I heard an orator" like Sen. BARACK OBAMA while POLITICO.COM Editor-in-Chief JOHN HARRIS recalled thinking at the beginning of the campaign that Democrats will have to work to lose the 2008 election, but now says "it's entirely possible that they're up for the job." 

CBS NEWS WHITE HOUSE Correspondent PETER MAIR praised OBAMA's campaign, but noted that the controversy over the "bitter" comments has taken OBAMA off-message for a dangerously long period of time. NATIONAL JOURNAL Contributing Editor LINDA DOUGLAS wondered how Sen JOHN MCCAIN will hold up once he is subjected to negative campaigning like OBAMA and Sen. HILLARY CLINTON have been throwing at each other, while NBC's RON ALLEN said that he does not expect the Democrats' bickering to extrapolate to the general election. 

On communications issues, DOUGLAS said that "all three of these candidates will give you heartburn" in their opposition to ownership concentration. MAIR noted that all three support shield laws.

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