Coming on the heels of White House advisor Valerie Jarrett's ludicrous assertion that the Obama administration is "speaking truth to power" in issuing a fatwa against Fox News, it is time for another look at how dissent, which under the Bush administration was considered the highest form of patriotism, is now as fashionable as Aunt Edna's house coat.

For a conservative like myself, who is always ready to see left-wing bias under every media bed, the response of many Washington journalists to the White House's smash-mouth tactics has been heartening. Whether it be ABC's Jake Tapper, press corps doyenne Helen Thomas, or the bureau chiefs who refused to go along for an audience with the "pay czar" (and how creepy is that position title?), Washington's journalistic elite are increasingl…

American journalism is in trouble. Yesterday the New York Times, smarting after a series of scandals, accusations of bias, and bad business decisions, announced that it was cutting another 100 newsroom jobs. Meanwhile the Obama White House has stepped up its Nixonian campaign against its enemies in the press, especially Fox News. The message to other editors is clear: don't criticise us, or you'll find yourself beyond the pale as well.

One of the first rules of public speaking is, "be careful whom you quote". If you're a reasonably educated human being, therefore, it should be obvious that you don't cite Pol Pot if you're giving a speech about agricultural policy, and you don't look to Adolf Hitler, vehement anti-smoker that he was, for words to back up an address on the evils of tobacco.

A commentator over on Australian blogger Tim Blair's site asks a relevant question:  "How is it that when Righties quote Lefties, they have video, audio, and notarized confirmation from the Pope, but when Lefties "quote" Righties, they have Wiki entries contributed by ‘Cobra'?"