Well, to be honest, that Obama got elected to the Senate in the first place had a lot to do with the self-destructive behavior of the incument Senator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Ryan_(Senate_candidate)#

And the major newspapers covered up the illegal wiretappings for more than a year. Originally they were going to be released just prior to the 2004 election. I contend that if they had been released, then Kerry would have won overwhelmingly. This cover-up, along with a few others, such as Abu Ghirab, lead me to have no sympathy for the struggling newspapers - they abandoned us when we needed them.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2009/04/doj-nixed-inves.htm...