The Washington press corps is aghast that Fox News Washington managing editor Bill Sammon purposely misled viewers by hinting that President Obama is a closet socialist. During the Presidential campaign, Sammon gleefully jumped all over comments like the one made by Obama about spreading wealth around during his Lincoln/Douglas-like showdown with "Joe the Plumber" in Toledo.

It was pure red meat, manna from heaven for Bill.

Media Matters has now discovered a tape of Sammon—made during an `09 Love Boat cruise of the Mediterranean with a hoard of conservatives—saying he personally thought the socialist charges were a bunch of bunk.

That has triggered a storm of righteous outrage among veteran D.C. newsmen. Joe Walcott, who ran McClatchy’s bureau, rapped Sammon because deception is never accepted in journalism. Walcott is on the mark. He only errs when he credits Fox with doing journalism. Entertainment, for sure. Propaganda, you betcha! News, not really.

Fox makes no bones about being an arm of the far-right wing of the GOP. Run by Republican hatchet man Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch’s pride and joy made no mention of parent News Corp’s $1M contribution to the Republican Governors’ Assn. coughed up in the run-up to last year’s election. It was just business as usual for the Tea Party, birther and anti-immigrant cheering Fox.

Until very recently, the fair and balanced network was home to anyone who even fleetingly thought about running for the Republican presidential nomination. Newster and Crazy Rick got bounced as contributors only after they hit the campaign trail in earnest. The Fox Queen remains holed up with advisors in her Alaska ensconcement [Note: I promised a buddy that I would use the word “ensconcement” after she included it in an email that she sent to me earlier this week. This is the only and last time that I will ever use it. Thanks, Gayle.] to decide whether she will forgo millions to run for President and then lose by a McGovern-like landslide.

Sammon fits right in with the gang at Fox. What’s the big deal? Fox should be rechristened “Red Fox News” to more accurately reflect its GOP bias.

It’s Americans who have to wise up about Fox fare.