What part of "free" in "free-market" does the Associated Press not understand?

The news wire's Glen Johnson is reporting today that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans on unveiling a plan to combat global climate change "while adhering to free-market principles."

Johnson explains:

McCain's major solution is to implement a cap-and-trade program on carbon-fuel emissions, like a similar program in the Clean Air Act that was used to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions that triggered acid rain.

Industries would be given emission targets, and those coming in under their limit could sell their surplus polluting capacity to companies unable to meet their target.

A cap-and-trade programs would certainly be a market, but it would be an artificial one imposed on manufacturers by government fiat. The key word in free-market being of course, free.

It would be correct to call a voluntary cap-and-trade program created by industry groups outside the pressure of government regulation a "free-market" solution, but the component of force by government here only puts an Adam Smith happy face on a Karl Marx mandate.

Covering the escalating battle between Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) for Florida's Republican convention delegates, AP's Glen Johnson offered a tepid description of the defining and definitely liberal magnum opus of the former's legislative career, the McCain-Feingold bill --formally titled the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 (emphasis mine):

Romney struck first on the day before the winner-take-all Florida primary. He attacked the Arizona senator for his legislation reducing the role of money in politics, for his position on immigration and for his support of an energy bill that Romney said would have driven up consumer costs.

Funny, seems to me political campaigns are flush with cash and that campaign finance has grown, not shrunk, since 2002. What McCain's bill did do, however, was to enact a ban on so-called soft money, as well as institute bans on third-party issue ads airing 60 days prior to a general election. The issue ad ban was overturned in a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, despite McCain's wishes to the contrary:

They May Have It Backwards

According to ABC News, it is Mitt.

Riled! Angry Romney Rips Reporter
Sparks fly as Mitt Romney tells reporters lobbyists aren't running his campaign.

According to anyone else who has watched the video, theirs is a difficult assessment with which to agree.

As we stated when we posted the video last night (video below as well), the Associated Press' Glen Johnson angily interrupts Romney on the podium mid-sentence, already visibly flustered, and only proceeds to become more so as he tries to drive home the semantic difference between a campaign "run"ner and a campaign "adviser".

Greased Lightning Bias

Try as I might, the Associated Press's bias is outpacing my best efforts.

No sooner do I extensively examine their weak week that was than I am delivered more media manna from Heaven, on video no less.

[Thank you very much, DaBird -- loved your work with the Celtics.]

Below the fold, the Reporter (a term we use exceedingly loosely) Glen Johnson explosion: