There Is Some Bad Publicity

I was watching Fox News Channel’s Glen Beck Show today, and discovered that, actually, there is such a thing as bad publicity. On this blog, I’ve picked on President Obama, majority leader Senator Reid, Speaker Pelosi, and Senator McCain, all on serious issues. Still, that’s not completely balanced, so this is too good to pass up.

It seems Senator Thad (pronounce the “th”) Cochran (R-MS)’s office didn’t want Mr. Beck to use an email they sent him, and they called up just before his show started and began yelling at one of his staff—challenging them that they better not dare call out the Senator for an earmark he inserted in the $400 billion bill just passed. (That would be the bill David Axelrod insists doesn’t count against President Obama’s “no earmarks” pledge, because it should’ve been passed under President Bush. Oh. I guess Mr. Axelrod didn’t get President Obama’s memo that a President—ANY President—doesn’t run Congress. They’re co-equal branches, Mr. Axelrod, and I seem to recall that the legislative branch was under Democrat control--with Mr. Obama as a member! You’re really going with that "It's Bush's fault" story? Really?)

Oops, back to the balance.

Senator—and let me say it explicitly, Republican Senator—are you really going to double-dog dare a member of the press just before he goes on the air? Seriously? And you think that’s going to work? You think you’ll get a result other than ridicule by the journalist? Sir, that’s why we have the First Amendment. You’ve gone from 15 seconds of mention, among NINE THOUSAND other earmarks, to a full-length segment in which you make your whole party look like hypocrites.

Sir, your phone is ringing. It’s Michael Steele.