Soccer Dad

The watchdogs that didn't bark

The media portray themselves as the watchdogs of government. And yet in the matter of President Obama's appointments the two most influential papers have shown themselves to be incurious about the president's motives.

Take for example the editorial in today's New York Times:

The primary weapon for a president who really intends to clean up Washington is credibility -- and that requires integrity. Mr. Obama showed that he has both of those things in abundance with his refreshingly frank admission that he "screwed up" and his assurance that he had learned from his mistake.

I'm sorry, saying that he "screwed up" does nothing for his credibility on ethical issues. These issues were found during the vetting process and ignored. For folks who made such an issue over Sen. McCain's supposed failure to vet Gov. Palin properly, the editors of the New York Times are shy about expressing their concerns about President Obama's vetting that ignored these ethical issues.

The Washington Post for its part stubbornly clings to its idea that Daschle wasn't ethically compromised:

As fascinating as it is to debate the relative tax transgressions of Mr. Daschle, Ms. Killefer and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, and consider whether Mr. Daschle would have fallen had Mr. Geithner not had his problems, the success or failure of the Obama administration will not hinge on their fates. These are a series of unfortunate events, not -- at least on their own -- a sign of serious disrepair.

I'm sorry but what did Goldfinger say about happenstance, coincidence and enemy action? It's Richardson, Geithner, Daschle and Killefer ( who paid the back taxes before she was selected, what the heck is a "performance czar" anyway?) who all had serious ethical, if not legal lapses.

The Post in its endorsement of Barack Obama noted that he had betrayed a promise to accept public financing and unfairly attacked Sen. McCain's health care plan. As a candidate Barack Obama turned a blind eye towards anonymous donations, many of which could have been illegal. He had dealings with a convicted influence peddler. There were many signs that the Barack Obama even before his election as President was not going to lead the most ethical administration in history. Some were signs that the Post (and Times) acknowledged and some were just ignored. But to anyone who cared the signs were there. Why the silence from our media watchdogs? I think that Andrew Malcolm nails it (via memeorandum):

Once elected, the representatives moved to the Washington area (Republicans generally to Virginia, Democrats to Maryland), got home mortgages there and, most likely, sold their home back home. Unless they have so many they can't keep track.

They lived in Washington and became part of a bipartisan permanent political aristocracy because they knew, even if they ever got un-elected, they'd be staying on to work in the lucrative legal-lobby-association complex that permeates that one-time swamp that Maryland gave away as worthless for the federal capital. (See video report on Obama's TV interviews about the Daschle withdrawal below.)

Pretty soon, even well-meaning elected folks began to represent Washington during their home district visits, instead of the original way. It takes a very strong personality to resist the self-import that comes from living and working and socializing in the national seat of power.

The same applies to the media whose elites thrive on the access and exposure there. And it is a heady experience to address the president and others as unelected representatives of their audiences. Once assigned there, you may notice, few rotate back out into the field where most Americans live.

And so the District of Columbia becomes a club, mainly a fraternity still, with all the rights and privileges assigned to membership thereto.

While I still think that a Republican administration wouldn't have gotten away with similar appointment without at least looking bad, this is a matter of a club looking out for its own members.

The watchdogs aren't barking.