New York – Analysts: Drudge Report Too Powerful, Will Make Or Break McCain

New York – The Drudge Report is no ordinary compendium of news stories. It is a heavily trafficked gateway to all corners of the Internet, a portal composed of links largely to breaking news from traditional media like The New York Times (as well as newer entrants like Politico). Most of the content is without any obvious ideological attachment. But operatives of both parties have long believed that his choice of links — along with occasional posts of Drudge’s own reporting — have reflected a rightward tilt, and they assumed a preference for Republican candidates.

Drudge himself is reviled by many on the left, but his news instincts are undeniable — and he has an uncanny ability to drive the national conversation with what he chooses to highlight on his site.

Now, while his links tend to stress the energy and scale of the Obama phenomenon, he has emphasized a particularly damaging aspect of McCain’s candidacy: his age.

Age and health are common features on the Drudge Report — everything from Hillary Clinton’s coughing (“Health Scare!”) to people with obscure diseases gets a headline — and McCain has fallen victim to this obsession.

Last week, Drudge excerpted just one portion of McCain’s speech on nuclear weapons, but only to dwell on McCain’s discussion of America as a “young country.”

And then there are the images themselves.

“He has a tendency to include photos — he understands the power of visuals,” observed a GOP strategist and close Drudge-watcher. “And his photos often played into the worst stereotypes of McCain: cranky, old or nuts — or all three in some.”

To Obama, meanwhile, Drudge has been admiring at times, featuring the tear-stained faces of Obama supporters with the headline “Screams and Tears of Delight.”