Choosing a Biased Word

Having made the case that the Financial Times is not above suspicion (at least in the reporting of news from Washington), I think it is also worth noting that another of their Washington reporters, Andrew Ward, in reporting the problems that are likely to arise during the Senate swearing-in ceremony, referred to Al Franken as "the comic-turned-politician," which carries the connotation that his credentials for service are questionable (like those of Jesse Ventura or perhaps Ronald Reagan?). "Satirist" would probably have been closer to a mot juste, although I, for one, never felt that any of his work on Air America could be classified in terms of satire or any other form of comedy. There is no reason to assume that Franken pursued his Senate campaign with a seriousness less than that of normative political practices; and, when the Minnesota results are so close and still disputed, the last thing we need is a supposedly respectable reporter resorting to biased verbiage!