Any liberal who foists on conservative friends and acquaintances that Fox News Channel is simply a publicity channel for the Republican National Committee should be strapped into a chair and forced to defend CNN’s piece on Harry Reid this morning. His nickname was Pinky? And he loves People magazine? And he has the Cowboy Junkies on his iPod? Dana Bash’s story makes Katie Couric look like Christiane Amanpour. (And no, they didn’t even mention his tendency to keep million-dollar real estate deals out of his financial disclosure forms.)

Andrea Koppel’s rubber-stamp story recycling Nancy Pelosi talking points earlier this morning (“Republicans labeled her a liberal from San Francisco,” when she’s really a row-house Catholic dame from gritty Baltimore) was only slightly less ridiculous.