"Its funner to to yell conspiracy then to actually think, it brings you much more attention from your peers and sub-peers, and its much easier than thinking. Just like the pundits. Just like the right wing bloggers."

Ahem.

Just like the people who see the mainstream media as hating Clinton more than any other stumbled frontrunner?

The lack of perspective these days, particularly here at Salon, is depressing.

Maureen Dowd is a columnist, not a news reporter. So her dislike of Clinton is as within the boundaries of acceptable journalism as Conason's equally pro-Clinton piece here (or Paglia's anti-Clinton article a few clicks away.)

The "Media hate the Clintons" spin, also the subject of Conason and Gene Lyon's THE HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT, is real. But it's also often overblown, and it gets trotted out as a defense by the Clinton camp (of which I would consider Conason a member) to get out the faithful every time their political viability gets called into question.

Go look at Dubya's post-NH coverage in 2000. Or go as far back as Eugene McCarthy and LBJ. When the candidate deemed inevitable -- this is a favorable thing for the press to continually say this about Clinton, mind you -- is suddenly derailed by a bad primary or caucus, the same rush to judgment always happens. Individual pundits will say dumb things, but there was nothing different about Clinton's coverage in NH this time 'round.

Go back to 2000, and look at the coverage George W. Bush received after losing big to John McCain in New Hampshire. It was exactly the same. Heck, go back to McCarthy beating LBJ in '68.

The point being, when a seemingly inevitable frontrunner stumbles badly, the media types pounce. It's an obvious story. That's how the political game has always been played.

Senator Clinton was never singled out because she was a woman. (Although I'm sure she's ecstatic that many women seem to think so.) She was singled out because she was the inevitability candidate, a media portrayal she had zero interest in challenging when it held up for over a year.

Speaking as a man who thought -- hoped, even, although I guess the word coming down these days is that we're not meant to hope -- we were further along than this, I find it all quite dismaying. Orc awards all around.

I wonder, should I -- as a man -- rush to the defense of Biden, Richardson, Dodd, or even Edwards because the mainstream media showed them the door once Iowa was lost?

That's how politics has always worked. I was heartbroken in 2000 when the media turned on Bill Bradley. I didn't ascribe it to his being male.

"And as for polls, weren't all the polls saying everyone was undecided until the last minute? What needs to be explained there?"

The exit polls (which - also - had Obama up 5, and somehow got the GOP race exactly right.)

From where I'm sitting, it all seems a dismally depressing case of the Bradley effect.

More "in the tank" musings. So deadly sick of it. Along with all the recent "2 X Good, 1 X Bad" commentary spouted here recently, it all seems such a sick charade.

If Senator Clinton's *questionably* tearful moment really changed things, it's the most successful calculated display of emotion since John Turturro in Miller's Crossing.

I've been trying to nurture my hopeful side in this election. But all evidence seems to suggest that The Wire was right. A new day is not dawning.

Well, that's surprising.

Even the Fox News EXIT POLL had Obama up 7.

Looks like the Bradley Effect is all too real.

After reading the myriad other dismayingly pro-Clinton columns posted on Salon since Iowa, I've been seriously thinking of not re-upping my premium membership. But this article gives me pause (as do Stephanie Zacharek's consistently fun and thought-provoking film reviews.) It's good to see at least one writer here who's far enough removed from Clinton to see there's something happening here that could be paradigm-changing.

never lose it, White boys, never chose this way.

Sorry, a bit of Duran Duran humor.

To quote from the National Journal's hotline, 12/13/06: "Sen. Hillary Clinton has dinner with tonight with several of her husband’s top political advisers – James Carville, Paul Begala, Joel Johnson and Joe Lockhart...The “White Boys” – as this group of Bill Clinton top aides informally bills itself, tongue in cheek – are unique assets for Clinton."

They tried to break us, looks like they'll try again.