From this weekend's coverage of the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa on MSNBC, another classic example of Villager, "both sides", false equivalencies. From AmericaBlog -- NBC’s David Gregory equates Perry’s secession talk to Obama’s push for national health care:

Yesterday, we saw a stunning example of how the traditional media types equate the views of Democrats and Republicans, even when the GOP idea is so extreme it would undermine the stability of the United States. NBC's David Gregory equated Rick Perry's treasonous call for secession with Obama's effort to provide national health care. Perry first talked secession back in April of 2009. Gregory seems to think they're equally extreme. This conversation occurred yesterday on MSNBC following the announcements that Michele Bachmann won the Ames Straw Poll and Rick Perry had entered the race. It's painful enough to watch Chuck Todd and David Gregory. But, this analysis from Gregory really shows how warped the media is:

Chuck Todd: Perry-Obama would be a picture of sharp contrasts.

David Gregory: You know, Perry talked about potentially seceding from the union. You think that's extreme. Well people on the other side think that introducing health care reform for the whole country is akin to European Socialism.

And as they noted, beyond just the ridiculous false equivalency, David Gregory just legitimized Perry's wingnuttery and secession talk. Thanks Greggers.

h/t Digby