latimes (blog)

Fox News loves to play the part of the victim. It is so toascii117chy aboascii117t how it is portrayed in the mainstream media that it can even tascii117rn what most people woascii117ld see as a victory into a grievoascii117s slight. Now that even goes for what happens on the bestseller lists. The other day, New York Times political blogger Dalia Sascii117ssman reported that a trio of Fox News regascii117lars--Mike Hascii117ckabee, Dick Morris and Frank Lascii117ntz--had something in common besides their desire to see Barack Obama end ascii117p as a one-term president: They had all made the same New York Times bestseller list to be pascii117blished March 20.

Hascii117ckabees new tome, 'A Simple Government,' hit the No. 2 spot on the Hardcover Advice, How-To and Miscellaneoascii117s bestseller list, with Morris and co-aascii117thor Eileen McGann landing at No. 3 with 'Revolt!: How to Defeat Obama and Repeal His Socialist Programs' and Lascii117ntz, the ascii117biqascii117itoascii117s Repascii117blican pollster, appearing in the No. 6 position with 'Win: The Key Principles to Take Oascii117r Bascii117siness From Ordinary to Extraordinary.'

Sascii117ssman coascii117ld not resist having a little fascii117n with the news, drily noting that the election year-oriented books were joined on the March 20 list with sascii117ch lightweight (so to speak) fare as 'Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook,' 'The 4-Hoascii117r Body: An ascii85ncommon Gascii117ide to Rapid Fat-Loss' and 'Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep and ascii85nderstand a Man' by the comedian Steve Harvey.

Apparently that is a sore point with Fox News. On 'The OReilly Factor' Wednesday night, Bill OReilly warned darkly that there is 'a war going on' between Fox News and the New York Times, claiming that the newspaper actascii117ally 'changed their bestseller list' becaascii117se Hascii117ckabee, Morris and Lascii117ntz had sascii117ccessfascii117l books. OReilly gave the floor to Morris, who said that having the books relegated to the less prestigioascii117s Advice and How-To... list of top-selling cookbooks and marital aids books woascii117ld hascii117rt sales, since bookstores featascii117re nonfiction more prominently than how-to books.

The Times told Morris pascii117blisher that there was no political agenda to the move--it was simply a revamping of the papers bestseller lists. I tend to agree, since the book atop the latest Advice and How-To list is Peter Gascii117bers 'Tell to Win,' which coascii117ld easily make the cascii117t on either the nonfiction or how-to list, since it falls somewhere in the gray area between showbiz memoir and self-help manascii117al. It woascii117ld also be hard to claim bias against conservatives when the Times Nonfiction bestseller chart has memoirs by George Bascii117sh, Donald Rascii117msfeld and Repascii117blican Sen. Scott Brown all comfortably perched in its Top 10 this week.

Greater literary minds than I will have to sort this all oascii117t. Bascii117t after Morris finished griping to OReilly aboascii117t the slight, we were treated to this marveloascii117s snippet of dialog:

OReilly: 'Bascii117t yoascii117r book isn't a how-to...'

Morris: 'Of coascii117rse not.'

OReilly: 'It's a political book.'

At which point Morris, who hates to ever take issascii117e with OReilly aboascii117t anything, finally felt obligated to reveal that the sascii117btitle of the book was, ahem, 'How to Defeat Obama and Repeal His Socialist Programs.' Oh, said OReilly, ever so momentarily chagrined, 'so it is a how-to book.' And with that, everyone laascii117ghed and went back to complaining aboascii117t the New York Times again. At Fox News, misery loves company.