We've been pointing out the obvious for months now, that Fox News has stepped well beyond the norms of traditional journalism and has transformed itself into a purely political--and partisan--entity in 2009. That Fox News has basically supplanted the RNC as the center of the Republican Party.

But boy, when the White House tried to point that out in September, the Beltway press rushed to defend Fox News. The Beltway press played dumb on a massive scale, pretending it couldn't tell the difference between Fox News, and say ABC News. The White House was way off base in its attempt to fact-check Fox News and its attempt to point out the obvious partisan path its taken this year, the pundits sang in unison, as they refused to cover Fox News as the political entity it has become.

So how does Fox News thank the Beltway press for attacking the White House and defending Fox News? It thanks the Beltway press by making them look like fools. It thanks the Beltway press by proving Media Matters' point.

From the New York Times:

Glenn Beck, the popular and outspoken Fox News host, says he wants to go beyond broadcasting his opinions and start rallying his political base — formerly known as his audience — to take action.

To do so, Mr. Beck is styling himself as a political organizer. In an interview, he said he would promote voter registration drives and sponsor a series of seven conventions across the country featuring what he described as libertarian speakers.

In light of these revelations, I can't wait to hear from all those very serious, important pundits who defended Fox News, and who belittled the White House in recent weeks. I can't wait to hear as they step forward again and explain how, by semi-endorsing specific candidates, registering voters, and holding conventions, Fox News is still just a regular news org. How it's just like MSNBC.

Good luck with that.