NRO pops Dana Milbank

This is something I’ve long believed. That Dana Milbank does little more than opinion pieces thinly described as news articles. NRO takes a look. A more in depth discussion of this from John J. Miller is available to NRO Magazine Digital version. Here’s a snippet:

*On April 17, two days before the official publication of Bob Woodward’s Plan of Attack, Dana Milbank of the Washington Post appeared on the Today show to discuss the book’s political impact. White House officials “have good reason to be worried,” said Milbank. “I think we finally found the weapon of mass destruction here.” He continued: “The administration will have a much tougher time knocking down Bob Woodward than they have had in dealing with some of their other critics.”

Yet the Bush team hasn’t tried to knock down Woodward — it’s been too busy pumping him up. On the president’s re-election website, there’s a “suggested reading list.” Plan of Attack sits at the top. There’s even a link to Amazon.com, for purchasing convenience. The GOP has been called “the stupid party” before, but encouraging people to buy a book like the one Milbank described would be about as smart as screening Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 at a Bush-Cheney fundraiser.

To be sure, Plan of Attack is no reverential tribute to Bush’s presidential leadership. John Kerry’s campaign has tried to exploit several of its details. By embracing the book, GOP strategists perhaps intended to smother some of its criticisms. But Plan of Attack is certainly not the full-frontal offensive of Milbank’s telling. “I don’t know whether [Bush has] read it,” said Woodward in a CNN interview. “Somebody who has talked to him said he’s looked at the book, and he’s happy with it.” *

Don’t believe Miller? Take some time to read some of Milbank’s pieces in the future. You’ll see what he means and what many believe.

BTW, I’m baaaaaaaaack! Sorry for the long hiatus. But I’m back for the duration from now til the elections and beyond (yes, that’s a word of warning )