Opinion: Fox’s photo phlub on national TV, explaining Clinton’s debate demand

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Here’s a screen grab of a shot they showed on ‘Fox & Friends’ the other morning. They were illustrating the repeated calls by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, reported in detail on The Ticket, for a Lincoln-Douglas style debate between the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates, Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama before next week’s Indiana and North Carolina primaries.

Remember we suggested in that item that it’s a sure sign of someone losing when he/she seeks a ‘Lincoln-Douglas style debate,’ meaning one-on-one, no moderator, as Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas did seven times in their fabled U.S. Senate race in 1858.

By the way, do you see anything wrong with this screen shot from Fox?

Hint: That’s Lincoln on the right, all right. (By the way, we know subjects were not supposed to smile in 19th century photographs. But do you think that mug would let Abe get elected in today’s made-up, beautified media world?)

So the fellow on the left must be Stephen Douglas, right? The winner of that 1858 race that left Lincoln free to prepare for his successful 1860 Republican presidential run. Wrong! Old Steve D. wasn’t African American for starters.

That’s actually a photograph of Frederick Douglass, the 19th century black abolitionist who sure wasn’t running for the Senate in 1858. Fox’s producers put up the wrong guy on national TV.

But who’s gonna notice on a chat-filled TV morning show? With a tip of the hat to our pals at the Swamp and MSNBC, which caught their competitor’s photo flub.

--Andrew Malcolm