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

Mark Anbinder of Hotline writes:

Hotline On Call: GOP Playbook: Studds, Studds, Studds: You've heard Tom DeLay refer to it. The Indiana Republican Party chair held a telephone news conference to talk to about it. It's the talking point of the day for Republicans -- and yes, it is a talking point. Gerry Studds (D-MA) had sex with a 17-year-old male page. In 1983*, he was reprimanded. Republicans wanted to censure him. But 79 Dems voted against upgrading the condemnation. The GOP wants you to know that some in the Democratic Party, in 1983, apparently did not find Studds's conduct to be deserving of a full censure, which carries significant penalties...

Billmon comments:

Whiskey Bar: Hot Studds: Studds was censured, not reprimanded -- even though the latter was the penalty recommended both for him and for GOP page bender Dan Crane by the House Ethics Committee.... The vote to upgrade [Democrat] Studds' reprimand to censure was 338 yeahs to 87 nays.... But the vote to upgrade [Republican] Crane's reprimand to a censure passed by only 289 yeahs to 136 nays.... In both cases, the final vote on censure was overwhelmingly lopsided -- 421 to 3 in Crane's case, and 420 to 3 in Studd's. (My source on all this is "House Censures Crane and Studds," Washington Post, July 21, 1983, page A1. I looked it up using Nexis, but haven't been able to find a copy on line.)

I should also note that under House Democratic Caucus rules, Studds was forced to give up his chairmanship of a House Merchant Marine subcommittee....

At this point I'd suggest that Ambinder renounce "journalism" and go pursue his true calling as a Republican Party flack, but since that's what the National Journal and Hotline do most of the time anyway, why bother?