An ugly, grim spectacle occurred this weekend.

We call it the “nerd prom,” hoping that a dose of irony will inoculate us. But there’s no use denying it: The White House Correspondents’ Association’s annual dinner is a deeply narcissistic event.

I realize IÂ’m jumping on the bandwagon late here -- and any bandwagon that carries both Tom Brokaw and Sarah Palin is by definition crowded. This year it got so full that the current officers of the association started to sound like Miss America wishing for world peace: All they wanted to do, they said, was raise money for scholarships for aspiring journalists.

An inordinate amount of time was spent congratulating themselves for having raised more than $100,000 for journalism students. The return on investment is laughable. The weekend costs media organizations millions of dollars.

Fine. Agreed. Now watch her defend the media, as usual.

...

The criticism that the dinner constitutes an exchange of favors between the political, celebrity and journalistic classes misses the point. The politicians see the dinner mostly as an obligation....

The better criticism of the dinner is financial, not political: While hundreds of our colleagues have lost their jobs and news budgets have been slashed, we are spending a kingÂ’s ransom to create the illusion that we are important.

This is SOP for someone working in the media. The deadly charge is that the event illustrates that the media has become too close to government, that they see themselves as part of a conspiracy against people outside of the media-government complex.

Carlson poo-poohs that with a wave of the hand -- she doesn't even explain why such criticism is misplaced, just that it is misplaced; you're just going to have to trust her on this -- and claims the major problem is that media companies are spending money on the party when they could be spending that money to hire back some of her friends who've been laid off.

The event is narcissistic, which, in a way, is a good thing. The entire media-government complex is narcissistic; this event brings their narcissism and comfy-cozy relationships with each other into stark relief. Were they to end this event, their narcissism would of course remain; they just wouldn't show it off at a high-profile event.

The event is a symptom, not the disease itself. Putting a band-aid on the symptom will not make the patient well.

The media's reaction to any and all criticism is to reflexively defend and claim they're doing everything right (except, Margaret Carlson will allow, perhaps they shouldn't be spending money on parties).

They never pause for even that tenth of a second of hesitation to ask themselves if perhaps the criticism has some merit.

Posted by: Ace at 12:25 PM | Comments (123)
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Although the non-French press usually describes Bruni as an ex-model, she is in fact currently one of France's top singer-songwriters, and not just in joke sort of way, as a novelty recording by Lindsay Lohan is. Her songs and albums are usually in the top ten and even seem to have some merit. Well, at least I like that song. (The title and refrain means Someone Told Me You Might Love Me Again, Could That Be Possible?)

She's released a song goofing on a figure she calls "The Penguin," calling him ill-mannered, awkward, rude, weak, and vascillating. It is widely believed that President Francois Hollande is "Le Pingouin" of the song, because he was criticized for having treated Sarkozy and Bruni rudely at the transfer of power (it's customary for the incoming president to walk the outgoing president to his car at his departure; Hollande decided to skip the walk) and because the song mentions one of Holland's nicknames (the song calls the Penguin "neither yes nor nor," and Hollande's nickname is "Monsieur Neiher Yes Nor No.") Bruni won't say if the song is about Hollande, offering vague answers.

It's actually A Thing over there, a big controversy (especially as the song is and Hollande's opponents are using "The Penguin" as a political attack.

I have to say I'm sort of envious. We always knock pop culture people getting into politics, because we have to: Except for country musicians, they're always on the left. But it sure is a useful bit of soft political power to have on one's side.

Posted by: Ace at 09:55 AM | Comments (213)
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Florida law apparently provides for a hearing, pre-trial, in which a judge may decide the defendant has the immunity granted by the Stand Your Ground law, and thus may dismiss all charges entirely.

Zimmerman has chosen not to avail himself of that hearing, and will go to trial instead.

Why? Well, in the hearing, the self-defense and Stand Your Ground issue is decided by a judge, and I imagine George Zimmerman is tired of having his fate determined by politicized prosecutors and judges who've determined that he will have to spend his life in jail, not because he's guilty (he's not), but just to avoid riots.

At trial, at least, the issue will be determined by a jury, which might actually deign to examine the facts of the case, rather than rushing to the foreordained Avoid the Riots lynching.

Posted by: Ace at 08:58 AM | Comments (278)
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Update: Reports are 3 college students will be charged with harboring or aiding after the fact.

Hmmm....2 of 3 were in custody over "immigration violations". Nothing to see here folks.

Three additional suspects taken into custody in Marathon bombing case. Details to follow.

— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) May 1, 2013

That's all there is at the moment.

Let's see. If my math is right, that's 5 "lone wolfs" in total. So far.

3 college students according to the editor of the Boston Globe.

More:

The three people were connected to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the surviving bomb suspect at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where Tsarnaev was a student. They allegedly helped him after the bombing, a different source told the Globe.

Pro tip: If your friend drops a whole "Yeah, I'm the most wanted man in America" thing on you, just smile, nod and call the damn cops.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:19 AM | Comments (576)
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Well, this could get interesting.

Utah representative Jason Chaffetz suggested that whistleblowers with “personal, firsthand knowledge” of last September 11’s attacks in Benghazi will speak at a congressional hearing next week. Fox News’s Bill Hemmer pressed Chaffetz on whether these individuals would come out publicly for the first time at the recently announced hearing. “I think they will be appearing,” Chaffetz said, “some of them, some of them.”

And from "The Most Transparent Administration Ever"(tm): You can take the community organizer out of Chicago politics but you can't take the Chicago politics out of the community organizer/President.

At least three State Department employees and one CIA employee have faced pressure as they prepare to testify at upcoming hearings on the Obama administrationÂ’s response to the Benghazi attack before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, according to an attorney for one of the witnesses.

Federal law prohibits any effort to obstruct or intimidate witnesses in a congressional hearing.

Victoria Toensing, an attorney for one of the witnesses, said these were not direct threats. Rather, she said, administration officials have insinuated witnesses could lose their jobs or get passed up for promotions if they testify.

“They’re not telling them they’re going to put them through the guillotine tomorrow,” Toensing told the Washington Free Beacon. “It’s subtle intimidation.”

“People understand that if they talk, they’re going to lose a job or not get the next promotion, or if they’ve been there long enough they should retire,” she added.

Yesterday Obama was asked about these whistleblowers and he said he hadn't heard anything about them. He also didn't say, "of course people should be free to tell what they know". He just said he'd look into it.

I guess he was too busy talking to Jason Collins ("Who?"--99% of Americans) to keep up on a little thing like an investigation into the death of one of his ambassadors.

*I changed the headline. They may not be survivors but people who were on duty that night in DC or elsewhere. We'll see.

Posted by: DrewM at 07:01 AM | Comments (93)
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Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:12 AM | Comments (273)
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Happy Wednesday.

I got nothing for ya this morning, but scroll down to John's post for some overnight action.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:46 AM | Comments (349)
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