In fact, now and then CNN seems to be taking a leaf from Fox News's book. They have been all over Obama about his problem pastor, and they still bring up the Wright thing... but they have yet to give equal attention to the issue of Sarah Palin and her problem pastor, Thomas Muthee.

Late last week, Fox News fired an accusation that "the liberal media" had given Obama a pass on the Bill-Ayers-is-a-terrorist question. The "liberal media" certainly didn't include CNN, which had been obsessively re-running different rounds of its own Ayers-terrorist allegations over and over, all day long. But CNN has had nothing to say about Sarah Palin and her questionable affiliations with New Apostolic Reformation figures -- despite some figures in this religious movement (like Thomas Muthee) openly advocating violence as a route to "apostolic" government in the U.S.

Yes, if anybody is getting a pass, it's Sarah Palin. The lady has been elevated to the status of folk hero -- even her hairdo is becoming a fad. Late last week, CNN fed the hero fires by featuring the conservative Christian women voters who have made Palin their darling -- the segment spotlighting these women was re-run ad nauseam all day long. One of them said that she supported Palin because "she's one of us."

An Alaskan legislative panel just finished investigating Palin on ethics charges for her actions during so-called Troopergate. The panel found that Palin had unlawfully abused her power as governor, according to the state ethics code. I think that further investigation is needed, to put a hot light on Palin's ethics as governor where the NAR is concerned. Sure, she has a right to her personal beliefs, however fringy they may seem to the rest of us. But she had no right to use her office to leverage her beliefs on others.

One new ethics question is about the faith-based nonprofit called Carry the Cure. Research organization Talk to Action, who are digging into her record, report that in 2007, Governor Palin appointed Rev. Patrick Donelson to the Alaska State Suicide-Prevention Council, ostensibly to help lower the high suicide rate among native Alaskan youth. Donelson, a well-known NAR figure, is affiliated with Carry the Cure. His appointment opened the door to Carry the Cure's evangelizing of native people in Alaska. By showing favoritism to the organization, Palin acted in what I think is a conflict of interest -- at that time, she was (and still is, at this writing) listed on the advisory board of Carry the Cure, which is supposedly dedicated to youth-suicide prevention. According to Talk to Action, however, the nonprofit's IRS tax returns show that Carry the Cure's actual stated mission is "religious - evangelical," not suicide prevention.

My own online survey of Donelson's ministry information tells me the same thing -- that their #1 interest in youth is evangelizing them to the NAR movement, which sometimes goes under the name "Joel's Army" and looks to recruit cadres of young people in every state. Indeed, thanks to Palin's gubernatorial act of opening the door for them, Donelson and his group are stating at church conferences that they made major numbers of converts among native Alaskan people.

The New Apostolic Reformation claims that its members raise people from the dead, overpower "demon powers" who prevent them from achieving their political goals, and aim to put an "apostolic" government in power in the U.S. by 2012 They admit openly that they operate by infiltrating themselves into government... and that includes getting their people appointed to sensitive positions.

According to Talk to Action, Governor Palin even traveled at taxpayer expense to a number of church conferences run by this extremist front.

It's my opinion that Americans should think twice about electing this woman as Vice President. Once in national office, she will likely continue the old favoritism on behalf of this movement -- meaning she will support the packing of key appointive and judicial positions with "her people," thus bringing the country closer to the "apostolic government."

Come to think of it, this is probably what Palin meant during the VP debate, when she said that the Constitution could be interpreted as giving the Vice President some extra power.

Where is CNN when we need them? Where is the valiant commentator with the mike, standing amid the falling pieces of America to tell us what's really going on?