When one or more of us praise something or another the White House or some specific right-ish elected official does or says, we are immediately accused of being in the tank for said administration or official, of writing from talking points, of fishing for cool-party invites. When we criticize, or–despite being one of the staunchest defenders of Tom DeLay–make a prudential judgement about what in the end might best benefit those ideas that we’re all about (as far as Congress goes anyhow) we get the likes of this:

…isn’t the praise of NYelite liberal media what we seek?
Isn’t it the approval of those who control perceptions and debates what we seek?
Isn’t that who NR writes for?
And who our reps in DC seek guidance for their votes?
I believe its called “battered wife syndrome”.
For who among us wants to be despised, mocked, and berated like President Bush and Tom Delay.
Write another editorial slamming Delay or the President, and even Katie or the NYT might give you praise!
And that would be a coup.

I think it’s safe to say if all we wanted was praise, we’d be doing something else.