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The media have been wimps because they are people with careers they don't want to jeopardize. Remember what happened to Dan Rather? The press were already compliant before he was brought down after the fake memos, after that they were scared shitless. Journalism isn't generally a very lucrative field for the majority of reporters, but there are a few who do well, and the White House has been very effective in intimidating reporters to avoid conflict with them. Who knows what backroom manuevering goes on to cow a reporter. A phone call is made to a media executive, perhaps there is some legislation they were anxious to pass, maybe a merger approval, it's not helpful if one of their reporters are antagonistic to the President.
Democrats seem to be in a similar boat. They like their job. They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to seem too antagonistic. They are scared shitless they'll wind up on the wrong side of a vote and have their vote come back to haunt them in attack ads for being unpatriotic or some distorted negative. Republicans won't run attack ads saying Dems went along with them. It's pathetic. This country wants Dems to fight! Fight back for God's sake! Even clueless, red staters will respect a fighter.
