Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Press Corps?

Matthew Yglesias thinks he has a dilemma:

Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall May 26, 2006 08:55 PM: As a relatively junior member of our fair nation's punditocracy, I face these little dilemmas in life. Jacob Weisberg is the editor of Slate. I see myself as the kind of guy who might write for Slate. Do I point out that he's being ridiculous here? I think that I do, but how's that going to work out for me in the long-run?... For the record... I have Rolling Stones songs and Beatles songs, which Weisberg appears to believe could not possibly represent anyone's authentic tastes.

If I were Matt, I wouldn't worry. Consider this:

Eric Boehlert reports on Slate:

The Blog | Eric Boehlert: Why Is The Press (Still) Unfair To Al Gore? | The Huffington Post: one Gore put-down in particular this week caught my eye.... Slate's John Dickerson reminisced about how Gore "struggled to beat a weak Bill Bradley in the 2000 Democratic primaries." Really?... did Gore really "struggle" putting away primary contender Bradley at the ballot box?... Gore won every primary contest against Bradley in 2000, and did it by an average of +47. Gore threw a shut-out in what was one of the most lopsided routs in recent primary history as Bradley, despite spending $40 million, was only competitive in a handful of New England states.

But now [Dickerson], [who] fawned over Bradley in real time, casually re-writes history to suggest Gore "struggled" against Bradley. That's pure fiction, as well as lazy and dishonest...

I like Bill Bradley. I thought Bill Bradley would have made a better president than Al Gore. I appeared in front of the camera with Bill Bradley and Barbara Boxer at one primary campaign event. And even I know that Al Gore rolled over Bill Bradley in the 2000 Democratic primaries.

In the long run, Weisberg needs Yglesias a lot more than Yglesias needs Weisberg.