Like Trained Monkeys

Atrios linked to this opinion by Ken Silverstein, who is being attacked by the Washington press corps for, you know, doing his job. Silverstein says:

I'm willing to debate the merits of my piece, but the carping from the Washington press corps is hard to stomach. This is the group that attended the White House correspondents dinner and clapped for a rapping Karl Rove.

Mr. Silverstein? They did more than clap. They danced for Karl Rove.



"Today" isn't a news program, so Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer yuck it up with trained monkey David Gregory. But to her credit, Viera actually does ask Gregory if he still has a press pass (and whether he can actually ask a tough question) after his little performance. It's laughed off in the name of good fun. Cable TV gets the blame for forcing NBC Chief White House Correspondent to look like an idiot, but I don't buy it. Silverstein is right when he says, "The values of the news media are the same as those of the elite, and they badly want to be viewed by the elites as acceptable." Gregory wants to look like a "good guy" to the right sort of people. After all, you don't get the house on Nantucket by making Karl Rove -- or your boss, Jack Welch -- uncomfortable.