What is wrong with these people? Atrios catches this marvelous bit of self-awareness on CNN:
MILES O’BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, there’s word the president could announce his Supreme Court nominee as early as today. Could that take some of the media heat off of the president’s top adviser Karl Rove?
Surprise, Miles! You are the media! It’s much like when, during the 2000 election campaign, the Times would fabricate stories about how Gore was untruthful and then publish news analysis pieces with phrases like “it is Mr. Gore who faces the most scrutiny as he tries not to say or do anything that will cement an image that he puffs up stories and is not to be trusted”—as if somehow this “scrutiny” appeared on its own and the Times was just reporting what was already out there. Or when the Washington Post published a long news analysis piece about wondering why the Downing Street Memos weren’t getting any major press coverage. It defies parody. If these folks want to analyze the media process, they can go work for Columbia Journalism Review; otherwise, report the goddamn stories.
UPDATE: Dana Milbank also seems curiously confused as to what, exactly, it is that he does all day:
[Roberts’ nomination] is going to dominate the news up until the court begins in Oct 1; that’s not to say the Karl Rove story won’t make its cameo appearance somewhat-of course it will and it’s likely to go on somewhat after this nomination ends, but this is clearly going to be the main game in town now.
Right, and it’s just a pity that one of the star political reporters for one of the most influential newspapers in the country can do nothing whatsoever about this sad state of affairs.
