A definite must-read article from Nicholas Confessore about his fellow NY Times editorialist Paul Krugman Comparative Advantage: How economist Paul Krugman became the most important political columnist in America This article of special significance for the clues it provides about the continuing corruption and decadance of the mainstream media in America. Our political reportage is dominated by a combination of right-wing fellow travellers who aren't afraid to be blatantly partisan in their work and who are in turn teamed up with "liberal" commentators who, predominelty came from a more objective tradition in journalism that forces them to speak for both sides, even though the other side is alread well represented. Yet, the worse of it is that these self-same "liberals" are the most enamored of the idea that facts are not as important as not being seen as boring or a nag. Mickey Kaus says it best in this article, when asked to comment on Krugman's continued harping on the lies of the Bushies with respect to the tax cut: "He is obviously a very smart guy, basically liberal, with complicated views, who once recognized when his own side was wrong. And at some point he switched and became someone who only sees what's wrong with the other side, in fairly crude terms," says Mickey Kaus. "The Bush tax cut is based on lies. But it's not enough to criticize a policy to say that it's based on lies. You have to say whether it's good or bad for the country." Which just proves that master Kaus has completely lost sight of the fact that a lie can itself be bad, regardless of how good may be the policy one is lying about may.