It's obvious Kurtz, the Post's media critic, thinks the pre-emptive right-wing attacks on the show were bizarre since nobody actually knew what the content would be. But as I previously mentioned, Kurtz never actually wrote about that in the Washington Post itself. In fact, the Post newspaper has barely covered the controversy; a controversy, I think, that showcases right-wing media critics as loons.

Kurtz is back online today to make the same point; that it made no sense to attack a news show before it even aired:

My point is that if you don't like what ABC aired, criticize away. But the media-political culture that denounced the special beforehand is all too typical of today's partisan warfare of shoot first, lose interest later.

But note the language. It's a “media-political culture” that led to the attacks. It was just another symptom of our “partisan warfare.” Pretty general stuff. i.e. Everybody does this kind of nonsense.

Wrong. The loopy war that was declared on ABC News carried with it all the hallmarks of an irresponsible right-wing crusade. That's not something the left engages in. And before the emails start coming in, recall that the pre-emptive campaign against ABC's “The Path to 9/11” in 2006 was based on the fact that the final script contained obvious factual errors.

Kurtz seems to be awfully careful not to offend conservatives even though he thinks their attacks on ABC were baseless and pointless.

UPDATE: Kurtz did include this nugget, which is just more proof that right-wing bloggers and their errant stabs at media criticism provide more comic relief than anything else:

ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider tells me the network offered three prime-time specials to the Bush White House: on Iraq, school violence and No Child Left Behind. ABC was turned down each time. Those scoffing about the All Barack Channel might keep that in mind.