The MSM

just doesn't get it. Dana Milbank is today's illustration:

The Christian Science Monitor had assembled the éminences grises of the Washington press corps -- among them David Broder of The Post, Maureen Dowd of the New York Times and columnist Mark Shields -- for what turned out to be a fascinating tour of an alternate universe.

First came Harold Ickes, who gave a presentation about Hillary Rodham Clinton's prospects that severed all ties with reality. "We're on the way to locking this nomination down," he said of a candidate who appears, if anything, headed in the other direction.

But before the breakfast crowd had a chance to digest that, they were served another, stranger course by Clinton campaign spokesman Phil Singer. Asked about an accusation on the Drudge Report that Clinton staffers had circulated a photo of Barack Obama wearing Somali tribal dress, Singer let 'er rip.

"I find it interesting that in a room of such esteemed journalists that Mr. Drudge has become your respected assignment editor," he lectured. "I find it to be a reflection of one of the problems that's gone on with the overall coverage of this campaign." He went on to chide the journalists for their "woefully inadequate" coverage of Obama, "a point that has been certainly backed up by the 'Saturday Night Live' skit that opened the show this past Saturday evening, which I would refer you all to."

The brief moment explained everything about the bitter relations between Clinton's campaign and the media: Singer taunting the likes of Broder, who began covering presidential politics two decades before Singer was born, with a comedy sketch that showed debate moderators fawning over Obama.

"That's your assignment editor?" responded Post columnist Ruth Marcus.

"That's my assignment editor," Singer affirmed.

That Clinton's spokesman is taking his cues from late-night comedy is as good an indication as any of where things stand in the onetime front-runner's campaign. To keep the press from declaring the race over before the voters of Ohio and Texas have their say next week, Clinton aides have resorted to a mixture of surreal happy talk and angry accusation.

This is really a very funny article, in a dark, morbid kind of way, although I'm sure Milbank didn't intend the humor the way it comes out. Can I just point out that a substantial number of Americans get their news from "The Daily Show"? When you rely on comedy venues for accurate information -- well, Singer's not so far off base, is he?

That Singer is "taking his cues from late-night comedy" doesn't say as much about the Clinton campaign (which in my own humble opinion has been bungled almost from the start) as it does about the Washington press corps. Most of us are taking our cues from late-night comedy -- it's a hell of a lot more accurate than Matt Drudge has ever been. (And do note Milbank's sniffy comment about the length of Broder's career -- but when's the last time he was right? About anything?)

If you need a type specimen of the faults in press coverage of this election, this is a good one. It's the sort of nasty, mean-spirited, biased crap that's been choking the media for far too long.

(Thanks to BooMan.)