I read the Air Force News page every day, and noticed that a young Air Force C-17 pilot named Lyndsey Goodman auditioned for the TV show “American Idol” recently. That’s cool - as much as I dislike the show, it’s always good to see the Air Force get some good press.

But would you believe that some people interpret Goodman’s failure to impress the judges as evidence of political bias on the part of the Idol judges and/or producers? I call *bull* on that. Look, I understand the left-wing bias of most mainstream media, but I don’t think that this is a case of that. The Idol judges eliminate the vast majority of applicants, and I honestly don’t think that politics plays any part in their decision. And after watching the Youtube clip of Goodman’s performance, it’s pretty clear that the judges did like her - they complimented her and noted that she does sing well, but not in a suitably “pop” way. And seriously - if they thought that Goodman had a chance of becoming a pop star, they would have whisked her to Hollywood in a heartbeat. A pop-culture mega-hit such as Idol transcends politics and ideology, and doesn’t have to worry about political leanings - it concerns itself solely with the bottom line and massive exposure.

If Goodman wasn’t bankable based on her overall “pop” appeal, then that’s it: game over. I don’t think her affiliation with the Air Force - and, by implication, support for President Bush and the military policies of the administration - factored into the judges’ decision at all.

And my two cents: Goodman is a TRUE American Idol. I salute her service.