Some Live Chats Are More Fun Than Others

These are not gentle times. In a live chat this morning, congressional reporter Charles Babington took some pretty harsh abuse from the left:

Bethesda, Md.: With the cozy, incestuous relationship between the Washington media establishment and the Administration becoming a national disgrace, what will the Post do to try to rehabilitate its image? It was - and remains - as complicit as the Times in the Administration's lies on Iraq. For instance, I can't recall once that you've juxtaposed the president's "fighting terror in Iraq" mantra with the numerous analyses showing that most of the insurgency is a Sunni rebellion. Any defense?

Charles Babington: "cozy, incestuous relationship between the Washington media establishment and the Administration becoming a national disgrace"?? Can you please tell me what you mean?

and

West Coast: Re: "bethesda"'s remarks over the Washington Media becoming a national disgrace.

I think he/she means that deference to the office of the Presidency needs to be earned, and not be created through the craven manipulations of Karl Rove, using fear and the use of smear tactics to gain a false sense of gravitus.

In short, what is meant is that the press in D.C. FAILED to perform its proper degree of due diligence in regards to the PHONY calls for an illegal Pre-emptive war of choice, and now look where we are at!

Can it get any clearer?

Your comments?, Kind Sir!

Charles Babington: As to WMD reporting before the Iraq invasion, I think it's well established that the news media could have done a better job. Many of us would like a do-over on that... Beyond that, I don't understand your point. Karl Rove used smear and fear tactics "to gain a false sense of gravitas"? Do you mean he threatened reporters? I've not heard of that, and I'm certainly not aware of journalists responding to such threats.

There are other examples, but fewer than there might have been since this was one of the shortest live chats I've ever seen--at least measured by the number of questions. Who knows  what kind of abuse he was taking from questions he didn't respond to. Babington signed off with this:

Charles Babington: Thanks for the good questions and comments. Everyone take a deep breath. It's one thing to challenge someone's policies, goals, diligence, smarts, etc. etc. etc.. It's another thing to challenge motives, and should be done judiciously, carefully, not tossed around like straw... In the news biz, at least. Cheers.