How did the media cover it all? Not well. Reading pretty much everything that was written about Bush on a daily basis, as I did, one could certainly see the major themes emerging. But by and large, mainstream-media journalism missed the real Bush story for way too long. The handful of people who did exceptional investigative reporting during this era really deserve our gratitude: People such as Ron Suskind, Seymour Hersh, Jane Mayer, Murray Waas, Michael Massing, Mark Danner, Barton Gellman and Jo Becker, James Risen and Eric Lichtblau (better late than never), Dana Priest, Walter Pincus, Charlie Savage and Philippe Sands; there was also some fine investigative blogging over at Talking Points Memo and by Marcy Wheeler. Notably not on this list: The likes of Bob Woodward and Tim Russert. Hopefully, the next time the nation faces a grave national security crisis, we will listen to the people who were right, not the people who were wrong, and heed those who reported the truth, not those who served as stenographers to liars.

A brave reporter and pundit unafraid to tell the truth how he sees it. Where are they in the Media now? There is one less at the Washington Post. But the Washington Post has largely been a journalistic and editorial disaster now for many many years. Any paper that keeps Fred Hiatt at the helm of its editorial pages is the heoght of hackery. There really is no worse page in the MSM than the Washington Post editorial pages.

In any event, thanks for the great work Mr. Froomkin. Godspeed.

Speaking for me only