Mr. Bush’s plan offers, at least, the prospect of extending recent gains against al-Qaeda in Iraq, preventing full-scale sectarian war and allowing Iraqis more time to begin moving toward a new political order. For that reason, it is preferable to a more rapid withdrawal.

That kind of delusion at a major media organization perfectly explains why Post media writer Howard Kurtz felt that Fox News was entitled to masquerade as a news organization and operate as a cheerleader for Bush. I guess Fox is just being more up front about it.

Thankfully, the editorial of the New York Times is more rooted in the real world that the GOP and the Washington Post willfully ignore.

After all, it seems the burden of ending the war will fall to the next president. Mr. Bush was clear last night – as he was when he addressed the nation in January, September of last year, the December before that and in April 2004 – that his only real plan is to confuse enough Americans and cow enough members of Congress to let him muddle along and saddle his successor with this war that should never have been started.

The results show that in paper after paper, state after state, and region after region, conservative syndicated columnists get more space than their progressive counterparts. As Editor & Publisher paraphrased one syndicate executive noting, “U.S. dailies run more conservative than liberal columns, but some are willing to consider liberal voices.”

Though papers may be “willing to consider” progressive syndicated columnists, this unprecedented study reveals the true extent of the dominance of conservatives

The GOP’s distaste for Bill Frist’s presidential aspirations ranked higher for them, on A8…

In the past 24 hours, we learned of allegations that Ben Domenech plagiarized material that appeared under his byline in various publications prior to washingtonpost.com contracting with him to write a blog that launched Tuesday.

An investigation into these allegations was ongoing, and in the interim, Domenech has resigned, effective immediately.

This prompts larger questions about conservative “journalism”.

This is a guy who

• Wrote for National Review
• Edited books for Regnery (Hugh Hewitt, Michelle Malkin)
• Was a speechwriter for a U.S. Senator

And consistently got kicked up the conservative food chain. Yet the minute he got work in the supposedly liberal mainstream media, that was the first time anyone scrutinized his past work (and the Post was asleep at the wheel, too) and it turns out he was a serial plagiarist.

I know this is another chapter in the fine history of conservative “scholarship”, but come on. When are you guys going to get real?

I don’t get it. One conservative blogger? It’s not like The Post doesn’t have a left-leaning blogger, or liberal columnists. Is the New York Times a GOP mouthpiece because it employs David Brooks and John Tierney?

Who is the Post’s liberal blogger? They don’t have one. They hired Domenech because they wet their pants over the right’s bitching about Dan Froomkin’s column, a press roundup column that dares to say tough questions should be asked of the President (somehow around Novemeber of 2000, this suddenly became a “liberal” thing to do and the regular interrogations of Mike McCurry, Joe Lockhart, etc. were simply forgotten). The Washington Post does not have a liberal blogger, but they have a Republican one. Mr. Kurtz should actually read his employer’s site some time. Furthermore his comparison to the NY Times editorial sort of unravels the minute you scrutinize it. David Brooks? Paul Krugman. John Tierney? Frank Rich. Now, whether Brooks and Tierney have a habit of playing fast and loose with the facts and rhetoric is another topic altogether, but they don’t have the sandbox all to themselves as Domenech does.

But Howard Kurtz clearly admits that he doesn’t get it.

And neither does the once-great Post.

What’s that you say? They don’t have one? Oh, okay then.

Lord bless the unique brand of intellectualism the Post has picked up. Ben Domenech on evolution:

I believe the commonly taught theory of evolution is a total crock

When I was growing up my hometown paper was The Post. The bastion of journalism that uncovered Watergate and printed the Pentagon Papers is devolving into yet another mindless oultet of the conservative cult.

It s been almost 3 years since the Iraq war began. How do I know? Because I was constantly reminded of this fact by CBS s “The Early Show” this morning.

Oh no, they said the war has lasted three years — BZZZZT – obvious liberal bias! Or, it could be possible that the war has lasted for three years.

Crazy talk, I know.

No, even Newsbuster’s resident bias pimpologists acknowledge that

After presenting the administration’s view that Iraq is not falling into civil war, CBS White House correspondent Jim Axelrod showcased how, over still shots of Murtha, in uniform, getting a medal and in Iraq:  Democratic Congressman John Murtha, a former Marine colonel who’s among the most outspoken critics of the war, says the administration is misjudging.”

So you mean CBS gave the White House first say… then showcased an opposing viewpoint?

THOSE BASTARDS!

HOW DARE THEY!

DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE REALITY FORMED BY OUR DEAR LEADER?

HELTER SKELTER, MAN! HELTER FREAKING SKELTER!

It is easy to make the oil companies villains, when they’re making dough. It hardly seems to rate when they are not.

The oil companies need no lobby. Sometimes I just wonder if they need something else: a fair shake.

Who, who will stand up for the poor oppressed oil companies? They may not break the record for profits by a U.S. company for the third quarter in a row! And poor Rex Tillerson may not have as much money to dispense into RNC pockets. The tragedy of it all.

Last week NBC Nightly News had 9.8 million viewers, ABC had 9.18 million, and the much hated CBS had 7.97 million.

People on the left and right infuse way too much power into the idea of the old media just dying off at the mercy of a band of bloggers. Things are changing and that’s good, but the hype train needs some big time slowing down.

In fact, as this study reveals, conservative voices significantly outnumber progressive voices on the Sunday talk shows. Media Matters for America conducted a content analysis of ABC’s This Week, CBS’ Face the Nation, and NBC’s Meet the Press, classifying each one of the nearly 7,000 guest appearances during President Bill Clinton’s second term, President George W. Bush’s first term, and the year 2005 as either Democrat, Republican, conservative, progressive, or neutral. The conclusion is clear: Republicans and conservatives have been offered more opportunities to appear on the Sunday shows – in some cases, dramatically so.

But the upside is – this has got to be the first time in history a press secretary has been asked: “When did the president know the vice president had shot someone?”

Now THAT S an interesting concept  mainstream media buying into Republican spin. That happens as often as hell freezes over.

Dude, the mainstream press regurgitating Republican spin is why I’ve got a job. And trust me, we ain’t running out of material any time soon.