We have put journalism on such a pedastal in this country that many media people have forgotten that it doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to perform their jobs. You get a notebook. You observe public events. You write. It’s not child’s play, but it ain’t brain surgery, either. The Nation gets around to summarizing the Yearly Kos convention in Vegas, and what it means for left-wing media critics. Matt Bai of the New York Times Magazine (and formerly of Newsweek) quickly compared journalists to intensely specialized professionals, like…brain surgeons.

Somebody at Yearly Kos–a guy I know and like–said to me, ‘We just want to help you be better at your job,’” says Bai, one of the rare journalists invited to speak at the convention. “It’s like me walking into the emergency room and telling the doctor how to do a better job. Based on what?”