White House Press Corps Fawns over Bush

Maureen Dowd mentions the secret barbeque that President Bush held for the press corps on his Crawford ranch the other night, and links to this piece by Froomkin over at the WaPo. The "reporters" cruised past Camp Casey to the Bush ranch where they munched on fried catfish, potato salad and chocolate chip cookies while chatting with the president about the twins and baseball. Only condition, anything the president said was off the record. It was this sentence that caught Dowd's attention and pretty much sums up the abject failure of the US press:

And later, a small handful watched askance as the rest fawned over Bush, following him around in packs every time he moved.

Need any more evidence that journalists have abdicated their responsibility so that they can bask in the power and celebrity of the president?