How pathetic was Dana Milbank’s apologia? The fact that some liberals accuse him of conservative bias and some conservatives accuse him of liberal bias does not prove that he is doing a good job. The fact that Ari Fleischer notes that the press was tough on Clinton does not disprove (and is not even pertinent to) the idea that the press has a bias on issues. The fact that the RNC and DNC cite stories in the Washington Post when they support their positions does not prove that (and is barely pertinent to the question of whether) the paper is even-handed.

Then there’s this: “Would liberals really favor the absence of a press that calls into questions the Bush administration’s claims about Iraq’s weapons and ties to al Qaeda? Would conservatives really favor the absence of a press that brought the Clinton scandals to light?” Um, has anybody, on either side, who complains about bias been saying that we shouldn’t have a press at all?