[The White House bullying] along with the patriotic mood after 9/11; the absence of congressional oversight; the fact that much of the information in question is classified; the campaign on the Internet, cable TV and talk radio to equate criticism with disloyalty; and maybe our concerns about our declining popularity and reputation may have combined to make the mainstream media less aggressive about challenging the case for war in Iraq and other issues than we should have been. |
This administration has devoted a lot of energy to intimidating its own officials so they won't talk to reporters without scripts and bullying reporters so they won't risk losing their access by asking rude questions or trying to play blame games, |
You never stop, except occasionally to put a fork in your mouth. |