Every single media outlet reporting on the Chertoff nomination this morning has adopted the Bush administration line that Bernard Kerik withdrew from the Homeland Security position because of a "nanny problem."
CNN:
Bush's first choice for the post, former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, withdrew his name from consideration last month after discovering that a former household employee had a questionable immigration status.
MSNBC:
Former New York City police chief Bernard Kerik withdrew as nominee last month, citing immigration problems with a family housekeeper.
After failing to disclose the nanny problem during an initial screening, Kerik acknowledged it during a subsequent vetting phase as he filled out a clearance form.
Surpisingly, Fox News is a little bit better, but not much:
Bernard Kerik (search) -- the former New York Police commissioner who was in charge during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- was the president's first pick for the job but Kerik withdrew his name from consideration after news surfaced that he had an illegal nanny, among other questionable dealings.
The "single nanny theory" was pushed by the Bush White House to avoid blame for their failure to vet Kerik properly, whose myriad of problems was best summed up by long-time New York City Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, in his regular e-mail newsletter to friends and supporters:
"Officials have gotten into trouble for sexual misconduct, abusing their authority, personal bankruptcy, failure to file documents, waste of public funds, receiving substantial unrecorded gifts, and association with organized crime figures. It is rare for anyone to be under fire on all seven of the above issues."
And all this was extremely public, and not in the least bit disputed. Yet not one media outlet has seen fit to acknowledge these facts; instead, they all mindlessly parrot the Bush-certified version of events.
Sigh. Why can't we have a real media?