You don't really address bsharporflat's question at all. How did "the numbers [take] over" and where did people get those numbers? Of course, there are no "actual" numbers for people killed because nobody has any idea how many Iraqis have died. You'll get vastly different numbers from Fox News than you'll get from the Nation or the Guardian.

Simply put, there is no "free pass" because a monolithic media doesn't exist. People on the right and left both somehow find bias in the media, which can't possibly exist. Just because media stories don't always reflect your opinion of Bush does not make them biased, nor do gray areas require all out assaults on the Bush presidency. Even-handed eporting has (fortunately) damaged Bush's popularity--there is no need for the demagoguery you demand.