The Democratic presidential nominee chose to bestow his first public appearance since touring Europe and the Middle East on 6,000 journalists in Chicago for the 2008 Unity: Journalists of Color conference. The standing ovations at the beginning and end were to be expected. Gratitude toward heads of state willing to show up before journalists ready to repeat their every word and gaffe is immense. But the applause and beatification went on a bit much. Some in the audience were so rabidly in the Illinois senator's corner that they applauded like seals evens as Obama turned abrupt or defensive against questions he didn't like.

Here is the golden rule of journalism: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. When Obama moves seamlessly from a phased withdrawal in Iraq to shoring up Afghanistan and still having enough energy and money left over to fix our nation's public schools, vet that plan asap. There will be time for ethnic, civic and personal pride after we finish doing what the public expects of the Fourth Estate. This isn't a double standard. It is the only standard.

The public must be able to trust that we've fully vetted Obama, Sen. John McCain and everyone else. We all have personal beliefs and biases but if we're too busy swooning as political leaders lay out a vision we like, we won't remember to hammer them on the nuts and bolts or inform the public when a vision is out of step with reality. Anyone remember how the national press laid down for President Bush after 9-11? Generations after us will be trying to get back the civil rights we allowed the Bush Administration to take away.

Truth is power. Our job is to empower citizens by giving them the whole truth. Not the parts we managed to hear amid the applause.