Someday the Democrats may learn an important lesson about the collective wisdom of the media in the nation’s capital: On important questions of policy and politics, the Washington press corps is almost always wrong. They are full of firm opinions about everything from clothing, haircuts and marital problems to political tactics, but the safest course is to ignore their advice.Of course, the US Attorneys' firing has turned out to be one of the most significant stories of the Cheney-Bush administration. It was the blogosphere, and Josh Marshall TalkingPointsMemo.com in particular, who pursued the story early own, while our cynical and dysfunctional "press corps" dismissed it as no big deal. Hey, if there are no Presidential blowjobs involved, why would they care?
At the moment, the most popular line among the certified pundits is that the congressional Democrats are too zealous in probing Bush administration corruption — and specifically the apparent politicization of the federal law-enforcement system by the White House and the Justice Department.
Conason writes:
But then the Washington punditry has been reliably wrong about everything of consequence for many years, from Whitewater to weapons of mass destruction. For any sane politician, the "biggest risk" is listening to these people. ...That our Establishment press: major, big-time dysfunctional.
The Washington press corps is just as remote from American views and values as when it was howling for President Clinton’s head. By now, the Democrats should know that when these soothsayers warn against your present course, it is best to keep going straight ahead. And when they complain that you’re barking up the wrong tree, it is time to bark louder.
Tags: establishment press, joe conason, mainstream media, mainstream press, us attorneys purge
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