They've never had their backs this close to the wall before, ever. Part of this is due to President Bush turning their 'Vietnam' paradigm upside down. Vietnam was the high water mark of mainstream media power, and it has been a sabre they could rattle for 30 years. With Afghanistan and Iraq on their way to freedom and prosperity after a judicious use of force, the MSM fears that their precious trump card will be thrown in the dustbin of history.
Another part of this is technology rendering them obsolete. Unlike ideas, which can come and go, innovation is here to stay. Talk radio, the internet, and cable news are breaking the power of old media. As overextended as they may seem in trying to spike and sink the Swift Boat vets, they have no choice. Their survival as the kings of media is at stake.
So, both ideologically and economically speaking, the liberal mainstream media is in mortal danger. They see Kerry as an old school liberal messenger who will respect their authority and restore their world to how it once was. They will pull out all the stops to support him. This may be the MSM's Battle of the Bulge, so expect them to fight like it.
Very interesting information from both of you - sort of like older days on FR. And, no shouting matches needed.