As tired as this argument already is--and it is: people have been trumpeting Fox News' legitimacy horn for a long time now--I still feel it's necessary to chime in.

Unless the Obama administration has some ulterior motives (which is highly likely in any game of manipulation, especially that of political manipulation) the smart idea is to simply back the hell off.

Fox News is not a news reporting organization.  If it is, than we can go ahead and classify The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and SNL's Weekend Update as the same, all offering the same level of fact-based news reporting.

Read the rest of my rant after the break!

Again, Fox News is NOT a news reporting organization.  Moreover, everyone knows it.  It's entertainment, cut and dry.  They trade, as do all news organizations, on sensationalism and controversy.  Where they diverge from the traditional news reporting organizations is that they legitimize their stories by labeling them "Fair and Balanced".

That's like you believing this video is the riveting third act from High School Musical simply because I say it is.  Even though it isn't.

But the legitimacy of Fox News shouldn't be the argument here.  It's entertainment, and when viewed through that lens, Fox News--now bear with me here--is truly one of the most honest news channels out there. 

Everybody needs their entertainment.  Moreover, everybody LIKES their entertainment.  I certainly don't condone Fox News for their interpretation of fair and balanced news reporting, but I'll still tune in occasionally to see what Glenn Beck is ranting like a rabid mongoose about.  That shit is always hilarious.

Earlier I mentioned that the White House's attack on Fox News was uncalled for UNLESS their motives include something other than simply to ostracize and shut down the channel.  Obviously, if it were me, the end-goal to such an attack on Fox News would simply be to reframe how the majority of America regards the organization.

The argument that Fox News is illegitimate and should be shut down is extreme and impossible.  But it opens the door to the concept that it's simply NOT a news reporting agency and, more simply, should NOT be viewed as such.

Fox News is entertainment.  Hell, it's even more rewarding than schlepping to the multiplex for whatever politically-biased garbage Hollywood wants to shove in our faces.

Think about it: Tom Cruise has NOTHING on Glenn Beck.