[Hoot Gibson]

In a general election campaign, assuming that Hillary gets the nomination, I agree that the media will fervently avoid reporting news that would be detrimental to her campaign while combing through the Republican nominee's muck pile, no matter how small, with a fine tooth comb.

However, Hillary has not won the nomination yet and there are many Democrats who don't think that she is liberal enough or just dislike her intensely. If the media believes that there is a viable, more liberal alternative to Hillary, they will go after her just like they did when she campaigned against Obama in 2008.

Let's face it, anybody who runs against Hillary in a primary election will have a squeaky clean record in comparison, whether it is Warren, O'Malley, or Webb. If somebody new looks like they have a better shot of beating the Republican nominee, the media will cut Hillary off at the knees if it means putting another, even more liberal candidate in the White House.