Colinitis.

• Author: Douglas, Susan
• Position: Favorable media reports about retired General Colin Powell

Colin Powell's got most of the nation's press corps down on its knees. The same folks who have helped make cynicism, especially about politicians and the political process, a national religion have become ga-ga over "the General." Powellmania is here.

The most shameless performance so far belongs to Barbara Walters. (So who's surprised?) The same network that turned one of its "news magazines" into a one-hour infomercial for Sony and Michael Jackson donated another hour, this one on 20/20, to the Random House publicity department so that Powell could sell his book - and himself - to the country. Walters, whose normally unctuous style is already legendary - this is a "journalist" who treats Tom Hanks as if he were Moses - was locked in the genuflect position the whole time. Exhibiting approximately eighteen wardrobe changes throughout the interview, Walters gushed about Powell being, first and foremost, a man dedicated to his family, and parroted his characterization of the U.S. Army as one big happy family. Tough questions revealed that he loves his wife, loves the Army, and is a fiscal conservative who cares about people. Barbara's message to America? "Let's give it up for Colin Powell."

Who else likes Powell? Nearly everybody. He has been interviewed reverentially everywhere - on the nightly news shows, Today, Larry King Live - and treated with the awed deference that might be reserved for Queen Elizabeth, or the ghost of Martin Luther King Jr. This Week With David Brinkley, which now seems to have William Kristol and Bill Bennett on retainer as political "observers," devoted a whole show to Powell, in which we learned not one new thing about the guy, except that Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition (do we really have to see this twerp on Sunday morning?) isn't ready to denounce him yet. We did learn that Powell is "selling as fast as his book." "If books were votes," noted Jim Wooten, "Powell would be President."

Much of the commentary suggested that Powell doesn't have to talk about issues too much - issues, smissues - because Powell is "a leader." As Bill Bennett said, if Powell talks to the country about "duty, honor, country, service, God, and family - that is a pretty good agenda." George Will, who has been raining on Powell's parade for weeks because he isn't conservative enough and because Will is pulling for his friend Bob Dole, who employs Will's wife as a speech writer, pointed out that this wasn't an agenda at all and...