Hillary Shakes Off Anti-Fox Posture

Hillary Clinton is breaking the Fox barrier -- and the left wing isn't happy.

Clinton's top strategist, Mark Penn, said this morning that she his candidate has agreed to a series of debates, including one scheduled to be held Feb. 11 on Fox News.

This is a risky move. Clinton, like the other major Democratic candidates, has so far bowed to pressure from groups like MoveOn.org, which fret that giving equal access to Fox will legitimize what they see as deeply partisan propaganda machine. Both candidates have made appearances on Fox, but agreeing to a full-fledged debate is another thing entirely.

I wonder whether the timing of Clinton's decision to cozy up to Fox is connected to MoveOn's endorsement of Barack Obama three days ago. Perhaps she figured she had nothing left to lose by alienating the activist left?

That's how Markos Moulitsas reads it as well. "Apparently having realized they've lost the netroots and not giving a damn anymore," he writes," the Hillary campaign has decided they want to legitimize the right-wing propagandists on Fox News after all."

I've emailed the Obama press operation to see whether he plans to accept the Fox debate invitation as well, and if he has anything to say about Clinton doing so.

EARLIER: Why Democrats should go on Fox News.