Have any questions about David Shuster's journalistic diligence? Ever wonder if he was in anybody's tank? Have you seen him drop an occasional ball? Wonder no more. We've seen him start going after bullshi***rs with a rare mix of humor and tenacity lately, and here he goes after Ben Porritt, McCain national spokesman. It's a thing of beauty.
Ben Porritt obviously sees it coming as soon as Shuster mentions the word "interview" in the context of Sarah Palin. Shuster decides to ask Porritt about Palin's now-notorious "First Amendment" comment, and Porritt braces himself. Shuster puts the question to him very pointedly of whether Palin thinks the First Amendment is there to protect politicians from the media. What follows is a study in a spokesflack trying to avoid the question with straw arguments, equivalency, and eventually, a complete surrender.
I won't spoil the beauty moment for you, but the question, "Do you want us to play it again for you?" should be enshrined forever in nailed-to-the-wall journalism. Whatever sins Shuster may have committed (and apologized for), he's validating himself with good, honest, tenacious journalism that sets MSNBC apart from creampuff CNN. (Let's not even think about Fox.) Let's try to embed this thing: