Bob Dole's A [Cough, Cough] Jackass... Pass It On.

We at TS, by a vote of three-to-one, have declared that Sen. Bob Dole's piece in today's Times on the Lugar-Pence bill is (how you say?) a self-serving white wash of crap. The war hero (who, we can't resist mentioning, questioned the veracity of John Kerry's war wounds) says: As someone with a long record of government service, I must admit that I did not always appreciate the inquisitive nature of the press. This is true. But it's no surprise that, in the wake of the unmasking -- and justified canonization -- of Deep Throat, Dole won't come entirely clean. For that, we'll have to take advantage of Amazon's good nature and consult former Post editor Ben Bradlee's autobiography. To the Batmobile! Now, in this light, doesn't this next graf seem, well, ridiculous? But I do understand that the purpose of a reporter's privilege is not to somehow elevate journalists above other segments of society. Instead, it is designed to help guarantee that the public continues to be well informed. Which is precisely what Bob Dole spent the Watergate years trying to prevent. And let's not ever forget about that little-remembered speech that Dole -- who, according to this Op-Ed, is worried that "dozens of whistle-blowers [won't be able to] share information about government wrongdoing" -- gave in Baltimore in which he said (care of The Good Life) The Washington Post was, in their attempts to uncover the truth, a "partner in mud-slinging"? Hardly sounds like the right guy to shill for Lugar and Pence, no? UPDATE: Whew! Crooked Timber and Romenesko readers, make yourselves comfortable.