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Hey Glenn, you've really been on fire since coming over to Salon, but I think this post is a misfire. First of all, the post doesn't mention for those of us unfamiliar that you were talking about a self-described on-line political gossip column.
You say you weren't really criticizing Akers, but...you were. The stuff about the names being bolded like Page Six--well, now that I know that's precisely the type of column it intends to be, your ire seems misplaced and your post seems to have been "hiding the ball" a bit.
Secondly, you say:
She doesn't mention that Fred Ryan, in addition to being the COO of Allbritton and who -- in Akers' words -- "also happens to be chairman of the board of the Reagan library" (hey, what an unnoteworthy coincidence), "also happens to be" The Politico's CEO and a former official in the Reagan White House
Another way of viewing this is that Akers has revealed Ryan's control of both The Politico and the Reagan library! That she didn't go the extra step and mention Ryan's additional title of CEO, or that he was in the Reagan admin is, to me, completely unremarkable (esp. for a gossip column). The important thing, to me, is that she revealed the incestuous conflict of interest. You criticize her for "skimming over" the implications of the conflict she just revealed, but as previously pointed out, she tells her readers upfront that ain't what The Sleuth is about.
You later claim the post isn't really about Akers (but half of it really is about her), that it's about the glimpse of the Beltway underbelly, but I'm a little underwhelmed to learn that Fineman and Matthews were hobnobbing with B-list TV actors and the bigfoot who put together the GOP debate.
So, keep up the good work, but I think you veered a little of course with this one.
