That’s a real, I Am Not Making This Up headline by Will Lester of Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – In dueling holiday addresses, President Barack Obama appealed for public support of his domestic programs and Sen. John McCain said Americans should side with Iranian election protesters.

The 2008 rivals for the White House both cited the spirit of the nation’s founders in their Fourth of July radio and Internet broadcasts on Saturday.

Some points that seem to escape Lester:

1. The election was eight months ago, and Obama won. He is the President of the United States.

2. Therefore, Obama is no longer “dueling” with John McCain. No one is currently challenging Obama for his office.

3. There is no “shadow president” in the United States leading an opposition cabinet, so McCain is not Obama’s counterpart on “the other side” of the story. McCain is just one of 100 senators, many of whom will make speeches today, some even online or on the radio. None of them are the equal of the president.

4. Since Obama is not facing another candidate at the moment, there is no need to invent the “other side” purely for the sake of looking like you’re trying to be fair and balanced. I do not recall AP going out of its way during Bush speeches to publicize anything that John Kerry said.

This is what “working the refs” gets you—Lester and AP are so scared that Republicans will yell at them for reporting on the President’s address that they decided, out of thin air, to treat a speech by his defeated rival as if it were of the same stature.

What liberal media?

(In happier news, see here for Independence Day material.)