And what has happened in the intervening years?

As many have pointed out, once these reporters are considered "serious", they go to the utmost lengths to maintain that.

If you've read Ayn Rand you see her characterize "critics" as being vicious monsters that force you to conform. In fact it's the opposite. The pressure to conform comes from within a group. Klein now feels himself to be one of the priveledged members of the serious group that determines what's serious and what's not. How things should be framed.

What's funny, Klein doesn't seem to realize that he's called on for opinions and interviews because he's NOT going to say anything interesting. He will be the bland "liberal" voice that is not willing to take a stand, the guy that just wants us all to get along. The guy that will only mildy challenges the loud, forceful RW talking head. He's Colmes.

He is used because like Colmes, it helps paint the image of the boring, bland, quiet, non-aggressive Democrat. Bookish, wonkish, etc. Someone like Phil Donohue, who argues a position is sidelined, even if he's not half as flamboyant (loud) as a Hannity or a O'Reilly.

Okay, not many people know right now. We don't know if people will care until the info is out there.

Conventional wisdom (MSM) was nobody cared about Valerie Plame, it was overblown. Well, it got a conviction in Cheney's office. Polls show that most people "got" it, understood the basics (if not the technicalities) and did NOT approve of the pardon of Libby. All this without relentless, widespread media coverage of the event. Trust me, I heard way more than I wanted to about a certain cigar of Clinton's from the MSM.

The US attorney firings was the same way. The blogs were the reason that the "Clinton did it, too" meme didn't quite fly, not the MSM. As a result, there was quite a shake up at Justice. It's still going on. The hearings alone do not always lead to change. It is what gets put out there. Gonzo finally became an embarassment.

You can't say no one cares when the info isn't out there. Sometimes the info has to be pushed.

I notice conservatives do not try to tell Drudge to stop publishing crap/rumors that no one cares about.

The let them keep their AAA rating.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/bond-insurers-rally-after-moodys/story.aspx?guid=%7B56372187%2D4D2C%2D4114%2DA9E2%2D9AE7A68B792A%7D&dist=hplatest

I didn't mean to sound extremist, let alone CT about Moody's ratings. Here are some quotes from Marketwatch on this story:

Relief rally lifts bond insurers

Shares of Ambac, MBIA rise after Moody's reiterates triple-A ratings

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Shares of bond insurer Ambac Financial jumped more than 20% on Monday as investors breathed a sigh of relief after Moody's Investors Service affirmed the company's triple-A rating with a stable outlook....

Ambac's Aaa rating was affirmed because the insurer has enough capital. That's before the company announced last week that it was buying reinsurance from rival Assured Guaranty , Moody's said....

Moody's kept its Aaa rating of MBIA Inc. but downgraded its outlook to negative from stable.

Ambac shares gained 14% to $26.02 during afternoon trading on Monday, while shares of MBIA climbed 3.6% to $28.61. Ambac shares jumped more than 20% earlier in the day....

However, if the housing market deteriorates further, bond insurer ratings could come under pressure again. Because of that, Ambac and most other rivals are working on ways to bolster capital and secure their Aaa ratings, Moody's said...

Moody's actions late Friday are "great news" for Ambac and "good news" for MBIA, analysts at Goldman Sachs wrote in a research note on Monday.

Well, it seems Guiliani didn't come pleading/grovelling for Lieberman's endorsement either, so even with Rudy's impeccable foreign policy team (gag) Rudy didn't score this prize.

The press isn't that interested in second or third tier candidates...and that may or may not be reasonable, and can be very disappointing, but is hardly different than previous years.

The point I think Glenn is making is that the MSM is ignoring the very top tier candidates Huckabee and Edwards. And ignoring the top fundraiser in the Republican party, Paul. All three of whom tend to be anti-establishment.

If you just followed the coverage, you'd think that Guiliani, and to a lesser extent Romney, were the "given" for the national Repub nomination. You'd think that Hillary and Obama were the only serious candidates for the Dem nomination.

I think the results from the first few primaries are going to catch the MSM a bit flat footed.

I'm curious at to what will happen as a result of this rating. So far the headlines I find are accentuating that firms like MBIA and Ambac are keeping their AAA status, but with a warning.

This seems like this should be big news, or is it just because it hasn't been digested yet?

I've now found some decent articles, in addtion to yours, out on the web and the fact that ACA Capital kept it's "A" rating until today shows a major problem with the ratings agency.

ACA rose today in value because it looks like Bear Sterns and others are going to try and bail them out.

Snake swallowing their own tail is an apt analogy.

Arlen Spector on summing up what's wrong, and agreeing with it anyway.

Damn.