If you had any questions about the political leanings of the Associated Press, they were answered Tuesday when the wire service finally noticed nine days after the fact that a Democrat Congressman had made some despicable comments about President Bush, Adolf Hitler, and 9/11.

Of course, the AP getting around to this issue when the Congressman apologized for his deplorable remarks is icing on the cake.

As NewsBusters reported Monday, Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), speaking in front of an atheists’ meeting in his home state, said (emphasis added):

[9/11 is] almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that. After the Reichstag was burned, [the Nazis] blamed the Communists for it and it put the leader of that country [Hitler] in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted. The fact is that I'm not saying [Sept. 11] was a [U.S.] plan, or anything like that because, you know, that's how they put you in the nut-ball box -- dismiss you.

This occurred on July 8, and was reported that evening by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Yet, the AP – the world’s leading wire service – didn’t feel this was newsworthy until Ellison apologized nine days later (emphasis added throughout, h/t Glenn Reynolds):

The nation's first Muslim congressman said Tuesday that he erred in comparing the Bush administration's response to Sept. 11 to an event that led to Adolf Hitler's consolidation of power in Nazi Germany.

As Reynolds noted, “Well that’s big of him.”

Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs was similarly nonplussed by Ellison's "sorta, kinda, almost-like-an-apology apology":

"In hindsight, I wouldn't have used that reference point," Ellison told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Tuesday. "It was probably inappropriate to use that example, because it's a unique historical event, without really any clear parallels."

Why wait nine days to call this man? Did all the AP reporters have something more important to do? Would there have been such a wait if these comments had been made by a Republican member of Congress about a leading Democrat?

Doubtful, correct?

Making matters worse, Republicans on Tuesday called for Ellison to be reprimanded. As reported by The Hill:

Two House Republicans Tuesday called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to reprimand Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) for reportedly drawing a comparison between President Bush and Adolf Hitler.

“We call on you to swiftly and immediately reprimand Rep. Ellison for his flagrant and irresponsible comparison,” Reps. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.) wrote in a letter to Pelosi. “These comments inflame hatred and division at a time when we should be promoting our unity and reconciliation.”

This raises another question: why didn’t the AP report this in its story about Ellison?

Furthermore, why have virtually every major media outlet with few exceptions continued to boycott this story?

Think about it: a Congressman over a week ago made some disgraceful statements about a sitting U.S. president. Nine days later, he was asked by the Anti-Defamation League for an apology, and requested to be reprimanded by members of Congress.

And the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, ABC, NBC, and CBS still haven't reported it?

Would this be the case if Ellison had an “R” next to his name?

To put this in perspective, two days after Ellison's comments were first revealed, Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana) admitted having been on the phone record of an infamous D.C. prostitution ring. Think any major news outlets have missed this "vital" story?

Well, since July 8, CBS has done nine stories about Vitter. ABC seven. NBC six. The New York Times eight. The Washington Post fifteen. USA Today three.

Oh, that's right. A Republican Congressman involved with hookers is much more important than a Democrat Congressman comparing the President to Adolf Hitler while implying said President was involved in the biggest attack on America in almost 60 years.

I get it now.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.