Why Fox News is spreading the Rogers Ailes for president rumor

Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander, right? It’s kind of funny to think that in all the years when President Bush was dueling with the New York Times, no one ever suggested that Arthur Suzlberger Jr. should run for president (then again, Sulzberger never worked officially as a partisan hack, and the Times isn’t that clever). But with a strategic leak spreading that Roger Ailes is being pushed to run for president, Fox News is showing us that when it comes to the circus of modern American politics, they are the ringmaster, and not at all the sideshow:

Friends and associates are encouraging Fox News chief Roger Ailes to jump into the political arena for real by running for president in 2012, top sources tell POLITICO.

“Ailes knows how to frame an issue better than anybody, and that’s what we need now,” says one Ailes friend who is encouraging the Fox founder, chairman and CEO to seek the Republican nomination to run against President Barack Obama.

Ailes, 69, has an aggessive, winning personality that made Fox News a huge success — and a huge target for liberal critics.

Frank Luntz, the well-known Republican pollster, said Ailes could be a force if he makes the run.

“I have known Roger Ailes for 29 years,” says Luntz. “No one knows how to win better than Roger.”

Talk of an Ailes run, which informed sources said is based on more than mere speculation, could escalate the White House war with Fox war in wildly unpredictable – and fun – ways.

via POLITICO CLICK: Friends push Ailes for president – Mike Allen.

I mean, the idea that someone who wants to be taken seriously – i.e. Frank Luntz – would imply that Ailes could ever get elected president made me wonder if it’s actually April 1 today. This is an awesome prank that Fox News is playing. Saying Roger Ailes could be president is like saying that after 6 Rocky movies, Mickey Goldhill was going to rise from his grave and get in the ring to box Apollo Creed because Rocky Balboa just doesn’t know how to win a boxing match.

That’s who Ailes is. An earlier generation’s Karl Rove. Seriously, can you imagine this guy running for president?

No, this is total shenanigans, an effort on Ailes and team’s part to say that if the White House can make a big political stink that plays to the base of Democratic stalwarts, Fox News can do the same thing. Enjoy the circus everybody!

Update: Mike Allen asked and answered his own silly question in the same day!

Fox News President and CEO Roger Ailes is laughing off the entreaties of some friends and associates and will not run for president in 2012, an aide said Friday.

Ailes replied when asked about the possibility, according to the aide: “This country needs fair and balanced news more now than ever before, so I’m going to decline a run for the presidency. Besides, I can’t take the pay cut.”

Mike’s a great reporter, I just don’t understand why this took up any of this time given that it’s clearly a plant by Ailes-linked people to flip off the White House. Apparently Ailes believes America needs fair and balanced news more than it needs fair and balanced politicians.