I headlined this entry with the words of the late, great Edward R. Murrow, one of the greatest television journalists ever, to spotlight what had to a performance by two of the worst television journalists ever.

Of course, I'm talking about ABC News' Charlie Gibson and George Snuffleupagas at what was billed a "debate" last night in Philly.

The couple spent a good amount of time hashing over the B.S. agenda of this campaign, reducing the selection of the next leader of the free world to a game Trivial Pursuit, only with less substance.

The pair lobbed ridiculous questions at the candidates. They asked Barack Obama about not wearing a flag lapel pin, his relationship with his pastor and, in a question that came from right-wing moron Sean Hannity, about Obama's less-then-specious connection with a '60s radical. They asked Hillary Clinton, yet again, about her exaggerations about her Bosnia trip as first lady.

This nonsense has been hashed over to death, for one thing. And for another, are they really issues that anyone cares about? What about health care and jobs and, oh, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the mortgage and housing crises, and education, and taxes, and well, just about everything else?

The ironic thing is these same morons -- my sincere apologies to morons for comparing them to these clowns -- will then bloviate about how the candidates aren't discussing anything of substance and decry the trivial nature of this campaign.

Sheer idiocy.

The news media has received a lot of criticism for its performance during this presidential campaign. And, judging from that "debate," it's all deserved.

In 1958, Murrow told a convention of broadcasters: “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and lights in a box.”

If Edward R. Morrow were alive today, he'd never stop throwing up.