The NYT covers the completely contrived controversy about the LA Times not releasing a video that shows Barack Obama at a going away party for a university professor. (A professor who has “publicly criticized Israel,” as the AP reported.) Republicans, led by online dead-enders, have convinced themselves the tape, if seen by the public, will finally reveal all that is evil about Obama.

As we noted yesterday, since when do politicians have the right to demand that news gathering orgs “release” anything? (Paging the First Amendment.....) And since the LA Times obtained the suddenly hugely/wildly/unbelievably important tape last spring (and wrote about it last spring; so much for suppressing the story) from a source on the condition it not release it, the point here is mute. The paper's not going to break its agreement just to satisfy the GOP mob.

Nonetheless, the NYT treats the story as very serious, and presents McCain's demand as a plausible one with lots of quotes from those involved. What the Times does not do, until the closing graph, is provide any kind of context regarding the GOP's outlandish request.

But that's typical of how the mainstream press treats right-wing crusades. Scared about being tagged for having a liberal bias, the press plays dumb about all kinds of right-wing attacks on the press.

BTW, the Boston Globe does a somewhat better job handling the LA Times story, mentioning, for instance, that McCain offered no proof for his claim that Bill Ayers was present to the now hugely/wildly/unbelievably important going away party; a collegiate party that McCain likened to a “neo-Nazi” event. Nice touch.