Words of wisdom

A blogger criticizes the national media for getting too chummy with politicians. While I don't agree with his contention that reporters can't gather facts for stories and for books at the same time -- and, no, I'm not working on a book myself -- he makes some painfully astute observations.

He singles out a recent incident that galled me, too, when I saw it: NBC's David Gregory yucking it up with Karl Rove, someone he's supposed to be covering, at the Radio and Television Correspondents' dinner last month.

How embarrassing. He looked like -- as the kids would say -- a complete tool.

Come on, David Gregory, when you were working as a summer intern, did you really picture yourself as the kind of person who would yuck it up with Rappin' Rove over a plate of rubber chicken?  Was this your goal?  How can you possibly not come away from these dinners embarrassed for your whole profession?  

If journalists want to send one clear sign to America that they have the least trace of concern for telling the unvarnished truth, this year's correspondent's dinner will be the last correspondent's dinner.