So all of these news organizations have reporters travelling with Obama, and suddenly the reporters are receiving strange queries from their news editors about an allegedly chaotic "mob scene" at an Obama appearance. Now, you might wonder why these editors are asking about something that none of their reporters who were actually there have reported. Why? Because Matt Drudge said so. You know, if I ran a news organization, I'd let it be known that I take a dim view of journalists using The Drudge Report as their homepage. Alas, most of them really do use Drudge as their homepage. As Atrios says, he's still America's Assignment Editor.

The Talking Dog has an interview with Steven Wax, "author of Kafka Comes to America: Fighting For Justice in the War on Terror, a Federal Defender's Inside Account documenting his work on behalf of Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield, accused of a connection to the 2004 Madrid bombings, and Adel Hamad, a Sudanese national formerly detained at Guantanamo Bay." Some of his Gitmo clients are a fine example of the Worst of the Worst: "Nazar Gul, was taken into exile in Pakistan by his parents when he was three after he lost an eye to a Soviet bomb. He returned to Afghanistan only after Karzai came to power and got a job working for the Americans. He was arrested on a case of mistaken identity."

Last night Dale Leo Bishop was put to death, even though he didn't kill anyone.

Ron Kuby interviewed Howell Raines the other day, and Raines said what the oil companies are saying about high prices being entirely a result of supply and demand is, well, bollocks. He also talks about how reporters aren't what they used to be, which I think is pretty rich coming from someone who could have decided to hire reporters who are what they used to be if he'd really wanted to - but apparently didn't want to. (via)

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