Trash talk

We are a masochistic bunch in the media.



Let me change that. Those of us who cover school board meetings, or high school basketball, or grimy boro politics and get paid $30,000 a year for doing so have got to be a little sick.



Or maybe we actually like what we do-and think we are doing something useful.



Yes, we make mistakes on the job. So do you. We don't put ourselves, generally, on a pedestal, and expect you to worship us. And when we make a mistake, you, the public, call it to our attention. Then our editors force us to apologize.

I wonder what actually happened to Peggy Noonan, a member of the conservative "elite" media-or is it only the liberals who are "elite"? Yesterday, while talking into a mike she thought was dead, she make some comments about the Republican Convention and McCain's pick for VP, Sarah Palin.

Within hours, the "populist elite media" made sure her comments were on the Internet for everyone to exegete.

See the link above to see if you can figure out what the heck she thought she was saying. My own instinct in this kind of situation is that the less you say, the more people tend to believe you.

I feel a little sorry for Noonan. God forbid she was caught off message. But I also think that even during the next couple of months, when the Republicans bid fair to refight the culture wars for all they are worth in November, it's helpful to remember that even loyalists occasionally ask questions.

Newsflash, Peggy-your elite friends on the liberal side do too. Miked or unmiked.