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By Greg Pierce

RADIO COALITION

A group called the Free Radio Coalition has been formed to fight the possible reimposition of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," Radio America President James Roberts said Tuesday.

Chairing the coalition will be veteran broadcaster, Radio America talk-show host and former San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock.

"The reinstatement of the misnamed Fairness Doctrine would constitute a massive assault on our cherished First Amendment rights and should be of concern to all Americans, regardless of their political or religious persuasion," Mr. Hedgecock said.

The group hopes to hold a summit conference of radio talk-show hosts and religious broadcasters in Washington to plan a coordinated strategy.

The organization also plans to organize expert testimony in the event that the Federal Communications Commission or congressional committees hold hearings on the Fairness Doctrine.

Mr. Roberts and others interested in the issue, including radio talk-show hosts G. Gordon Liddy and Blanquita Cullum, will hold a reception Wednesday evening for Mr. Hedgecock in Washington.

LEFT AND CENTER

"President Barack Obama is taking a beating from liberal critics who think his attempt to court Republican support is a political failure and a policy disaster. Yet this assault on Mr. Obama's bipartisan instinct is misguided and, ironically, threatens to undermine liberal goals," Matt Miller writes in the Wall Street Journal.

"The president has his eye on a bigger prize than winning a few Republican votes for his stimulus package or having a conservative in his Cabinet. He aims to move the political center in America to the left, much as Ronald Reagan moved it to the right. The only way he can achieve this goal is to harness the energies and values of both parties," said Mr. Miller, author of "The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Letting Go of The Old Ways of Thinking To Unleash a New Prosperity."