Bob CollinsRep. Patrick Kennedy had a meltdown on the House floor today, calling the press “despicable” for not covering “the most important national issue of the day,” which he says is Afghanistan.
There’s two press people in this gallery,” Kennedy yelled during a debate over an anti-war resolution. “We’re talking about Eric Massa 24-7 on the TV, we’re talking about war and peace, $3 billion, 1,000 lives and no press? No press.”
It’s true, as I indicated on 5×8 this morning, that the 24-hour cable TV news crowd is weirdly obsessed with tickle fights, but he’s wrong that “the press” isn’t covering things. But after awhile, talking about ending a war isn’t quite as newsworthy as actually ending one.
And, by the way, most reporters who monitor all the talk on the House floor don’t do so in person. They do it by watching TVs in their cubicles.
As for “despicable,” here’s the front page of today’s New York Times:
And how many press releases on “the most important issue in the nation” has Rep. Kennedy posted on his Web site since his last election? None.
