I wouldn't drop the term "complete" just because of two weeks coverage out of the last two years. But I won't quibble - "almost complete" free pass. But press coverage for two years has been an absolute embarrassment to the profession.

I've been in Hawaii for two weeks, so I haven't seen squat written about the Obama Blago connection, but news is sparse here, and my attention diverted.

But I did hear that he sent out a Christmas Eve press release stating that "nothing inappropriate happened." Have the press followed up? Or swallowed it whole? Can you imagine George Bush or Dick Cheney issuing such a release? The mad dogs would be howling.

Oh, and by the way. I doubt that Obama is part of any pay-to-play scam here. But do yourself a favor and google some IL politics stories. The Emil Jones/Obama/Blago connection is undeniable, and Emil and Blago aren't exactly saints. Even though Obama is not said to be close to Blago (post his campaign work for him 6-7 years ago), he is attached at the hip to Emil Jones. Its like working in the same office as a crook but keeping your mouth shut.

One wonders how long Obama will continue to get a complete free pass.

"Complete"? How many headlines have you read linking Obama and Blago directly, even tho PF says Obama (or his team) have done nothing illegal, are not a target in any way shape or form? How many articles have you read detailing the Obama/Blago "connections"? How many op/eds have you read demanding that Obama "come clean"? All this despite the fact that Blago is on tape saying, "Obama won't give us nothing but appreciation. F*ck him." And I haven't even brought up Rick Warren.

A "free pass" he hasn't gotten. In the meanwhile, keep your powder dry. Soon enuf some of his promises will hit the brick wall of reality, soon enuf he will screw something up... They all do.

The head-in-the-sand denials of partisanship, mostly liberal oriented, on the part of the vast majority of the media are all fine and well for bar room or internet site spitball fights. But as all those poll citing reporters should understand, a fed up consuming audience and their decision to tune out in favor of alternatives is undeniable and the ultimate poll. This was really a form of suicide, as it put these media outlets in a terribly weak position when the web (or other alternatives) came along. I suspect its too late for those media outlets to really recover, except as much diminished niche players.

It is ironic and somewhat amusing that one of the losers, and vocal complainers, about the complete collapse of journalistic integrity that characterized the recent Presidential campaign was Hillary Clinton, formerly a beneficiary. One wonders how long Obama will continue to get a complete free pass. His implicit and explicit (few as they were) campaign promises fall roughly into two buckets: 1) absurd on their face and 2) extremely difficult to fulfill given real world realities.

When this becomes apparent, as surely it will, does Obama get his turn to be "Hillaried" for the benefit of the next smooth talker coming down the line? His honeymoon with the media may be short lived, given their large egos combined with his tendency to be testy.

Now journalists are highly trained, mobile and, especially in Washington, more elite. We make a lot more money, drive better cars and have nicer homes. Some of us think we’re just a little more special than some of the folks we want to buy the paper or read us online.

Successful people tend to think they're better than less successful people? OMG! Stop the presses! Clearly this is something that has only ever affected those evil liberal elitists.

Seriously, when I hear anyone complain about 'elitists' these days it pretty much tells me I can safely ignore this idiot.

Back when I was thinking about what I wanted to do when I grew up (I still haven't figured that out) my parents hit on an intriguing strategy: they had me spend the day with a friend who made his living at whatever I was interested in. One of those was the Managing Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. That pretty well discouraged me from journalism.

My sense is that the problem's not so much that they think reporters make more than they do but that they don't really want to be reporters to begin with. Almost everyone aspires to be either a columnist or a do-gooder Investigative Journalist in the Woodward and Bernstein mold. Few are interested in hanging out at city hall or the courthouse or the police station doing beat reporting.

Most of the great reporters of yesteryear didn't even go to college and those that did didn't go to Hahvahd. Heck, neither did most of the great newspaper columnists, either.

Mike Royko didn't go to college. George Will, on the other hand, went to Trinity.