Let’s play our favorite game: What do you think the popular reaction would be if President George W. Bush tried to stare down a reporter and intimidate him out of asking a tough question, had his Administration stiff-arm the media concerning the coverage of important events–thus undermining transparency, and had his press office bungle a key off-the-record briefing?

I think it is safe to say there would be a fair amount of outrage. Now, to be sure, there appears to be at least some outrage among the chattering classes given the fact that tous ces faux pas have been committed by the Obama Administration. But there hasn’t been nearly the amount of derision, sneering, contempt and incandescent fury that would have existed if all of this occurred during the previous Administration’s watch.

Yeah, I get that we are still in a honeymoon period. But the last Administration didn’t get much of a honeymoon and the press helped lead the way towards cutting any honeymoon short. If the Obama Administration wants to act outright as if the press is its lapdog, it deserves the same treatment in response.