“That's all right, sweetie, that's my district, and I'm going there soon to beat your Democrat colleague, honey. I'm going soon. 2010 is my year. Announcing it right here,” McGlowan said to fellow contributor Bob Beckel on the May 14, 2008, edition of America's Election Headquarters.

Despite her stated intentions, McGlowan continued to be employed by Fox News until her contract expired in February 2010 and she “officially” announced her congressional candidacy in Mississippi. Between May 2008 and February 2010, McGlowan made dozens of appearances on Fox Business and Fox News, according to a Nexis search. During that time, she frequently spoke like she was already a candidate for office. In a January 15 appearance on Fox Business' Cavuto, McGlowan said she “had four health care town hall meetings in the state of Mississippi” and “a lot of people don't want this health care bill. They want health care reform but they want the right type of reform.”

On the February 6 edition of America's News HQ, McGlowan -- still a contributor -- defended the tea party movement and fished for Mississippi voters, stating: “What I'm doing in essence is I'm concerned about Mississippi and the issues.”

When she finally became an “official” candidate, McGlowan made appearances on America's Newsroom and Hannity. During the campaign, McGlowan regularly touted her Fox News affiliation and also received a late endorsement from Fox News contributor Sarah Palin.

McGlowan's strategy -- using her Fox News employment to position herself for a run for office -- isn't an isolated example. In Ohio, former Fox News host and contributor John Kasich is running for governor after spending nine years on Fox News, which paid him $265,000 in 2008. Like McGlowan, Kasich made waves about running for office years before formally announcing his bid on June 1, 2009.

A February 20, 2007, Columbus Dispatch article quoted Kasich stating, “I've made it clear to people that I'm going to look at the governor's office. I hope that Ted Strickland will do a good job so I won't have to go around the state doing this stuff.” On March 27, 2008, the Dispatch reported that Kasich announced “he is paving the way now for a gubernatorial bid” and quoted Kasich stating, “I'm going to go forward even more aggressively, and we're going to continue to ramp it up (for a gubernatorial run).”

Despite his announced intention, Kasich continued to appear on-air as a Fox News contributor and host. Between March 28, 2008, and June 1, 2009, Kasich was a regular fixture on Fox News' primetime programming, especially as a guest-host for cable's top rated news show, The O'Reilly Factor. According to a Nexis search, Kasich guest-hosted or appeared as a guest on Fox News in at least 123 segments.* Indeed, the day after the March 2008 Dispatch article, Kasich guest-hosted for O'Reilly.

During those appearances, Kasich regularly spoke about his own background and accomplishments, and the home of his potential voters, Ohio. Fox News personalities also lauded Kasich as a potential candidate. On June 17, 2008, Fox News contributor Frank Luntz said he's “hoping that Kasich runs for governor of Ohio. I think John would be an outstanding candidate.” On July 15, 2008, Hannity told Kasich: “I'm advocating that you run for governor one day. And you're not ... You're not going along at all.”

The adulation continued after Kasich officially became a candidate. Hannity repeatedly referred to Kasich as “governor” and “soon-to-be governor,” and reportedly held a pricey fundraiser for him last October. Kasich received two $10,000 contributions from Fox-parent News Corp. head Rupert Murdoch and his wife, while News Corp. gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, which helps elect candidates like Kasich.

Kasich has also regularly appeared on the network for softball interviews. On The O'Reilly Factor, while Kasich made a fundraising appeal, Fox News put the URL for Kasich's website onscreen. Hannity, meanwhile, told Kasich on July 8, 2009: “You do me a favor. Go get elected governor, although why you would ever want that job, you're out of your mind, but good luck. And I'm supporting you in the effort.”

The Fox strategy also extends to people who have made frequent guest appearances on the network. Republican Florida attorney general candidate Pam Bondi -- who does not appear to have been a “Fox News contributor” -- made at least 100 appearances on Fox News between 2002 and December 1, 2009 (the day of her announcement), according to a Nexis search.

The Palm Beach Post noted that Bondi's “frequent appearances on FOXNews over the past decade have turned her into a quasi-celebrity among the conservative faithful and translated into friendships with Sean Hannity, the mere mention of whose name elicits applause from conservative voters on her bus tour, and other FOX favorites.” The Post added that “Bondi's not shy about dropping the names of her FOX friends. She touts her connections with Hannity and Palin's endorsement at each of her stump speeches and in Ocala delighted the audience with her praise of the network."

Since officially announcing her candidacy, Bondi appeared on the April 13, May 14, July 1, and August 17 editions of Hannity, where she was introduced as “our friend.” Bondi recently appeared on Greta Van Susteren's program on September 13 (Bondi's opponent appeared after her).

To be clear, simply being associated with Fox News isn't a magic bullet for victory. While Kasich is in a competitive race and Bondi won her primary, McGlowan finished third in her congressional primary. Still, both McGlowan and Kasich used Fox News as a publicity platform and collected Fox News paychecks even after announcing their intentions to run. McGlowan told the New York Times in February that her tie to Fox News “helps with getting ready to run, and it helps with name ID. ... But me having been on Fox News is not going to win this candidacy for me.”

The Fox News strategy will continue in the next election cycle, as the channel houses no fewer than five Fox News contributors who are considering runs for president and are already trying to curry favor with conservatives through Fox: Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and John Bolton.

The week in conservative hypocrisy

This week again proved that consistency isn't prized among the conservative media.

Earlier this week, Fox News and Rush Limbaugh criticized President Obama for supposedly being responsible for huge deficits. However, both recently attempted to defend former President Bush's for not paying for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars or his tax cuts - two things which, of course, greatly increased yearly deficits.

Fox News personalities have also repeatedly attacked President Obama for purportedly not sending as many troops to Afghanistan as the military requested. The crew of Fox & Friends called it “unbelievable” and “wrong” that Obama didn't listen to “the military experts.” However, President Bush dismissed Gen. Eric Shinseki's recommendation that “several hundred thousand troops” would be needed in Iraq and Fox virtually ignored the story. When Fox News eventually covered the story, a contributor suggested that critics “shut up and let daddy drive.”

Right-wing media like Fox & Friends and conservative blogs also attacked President Obama's reported comments that the United States can “absorb a terrorist attack” and that the country “absorbed [9-11] and we are stronger.” Conservatives used the reported remarks to suggest that Obama was “inviting another 9/11” and that he “doesn't care about Americans dying.” Yet when conservatives - including President Bush - made similar statements, the right offered not so much as a murmur of complaint.

Finally, on Wednesday, Glenn Beck -- a noted hypocrite -- promoted Eustace Mullins' book Secrets of the Federal Reserve. Mullins, who died earlier this year, was a 9-11 Truther and was described in his obituary as an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist” and a “nationally known white supremacist.” Beck, however, heavily criticized former White House green jobs adviser Van Jones for purportedly being a 9-11 Truther.

Stay tuned next week for the same consistent inconsistency.

This weekly wrap-up was compiled by Eric Hananoki, a research fellow at Media Matters for America.

*CLARIFICATION: This post has been updated to clarify that Kasich appeared in at least 123 segments on Fox News. When Kasich guest-hosted The O'Reilly Factor, Media Matters counted each segment.