Just ask ABC News, which uses the media's preferred yes/but angle to look at the latest round of Obama polling data. Yes, his numbers remain quite strong and he's trouncing Republicans in terms of approval polling, but he hasn't achieved complete and unprecedented bipartisanship.

ABC headline: “A Strong Start for Obama – But Hardly a Bipartisan One”.

As we noted before, the press always judged new presidents on whether or not they were able to pass their early legislative initiatives. But with Obama, the press, artificially obsessed with the issue of bipartisanship, has changed the rules and decided it's how those bills get passed is what's key. And if Republicans in Congress, or Republicans voters, are somehow not happy, than Obama is to blame.

In other words, all Republicans have to do is disapprove, and Obama has failed. Notes ABC:

Barack Obama's month-old presidency is off to a strong start, marked by the largest lead over the opposition party in trust to handle the economy for a president in polls dating back nearly 20 years. But the post-partisanship he's championed looks as elusive as ever.

The fact that Obama has not, in his first month in office, completely dismantled all vestiges of partisan fighting, which has been building within the Beltway for decades, means trouble for the new president.

No new double standard there, right?