MSM have forfeited their right to cry foul (updated)

Dana Milbank comments on the prearranged question asked by HuffPo's Nico Pitney:

Pitney asked his question, as arranged. Reporters in the room looked at each other in amazement at the stagecraft they had just witnessed. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel looked at the first row of TV correspondents and grinned.

The reporters are "amazed" that Obama is rigging a question or two? After greasing the treads for their candidate by averting their gaze from potentially immense news stories, smearing his opponents, and spinning everything in his favor they're surprised when he doesn't play by what's left of their rules? Pleeze.

Still, the private agreement -- to call on a questioner under condition that he ask his question on a particular topic in a particular way -- is very close to what the left justifiably deplored when there were accusations (denied by the media) that the White House was pre-screening reporters and their questions before news conferences.

And Pitney was not the only "plant" at yesterday's [sic] news conference. Later, Obama passed over the usual suspects to call on Macarena Vidal of the Spanish-language E.F.E. news agency. The White House called Vidal in advance to see if she was coming and arranged for her to sit in a seat usually assigned to a financial trade publication. "Okay, Macarena Vidal," Obama called out, as the regulars adopted baffled expressions. She asked about Chile and Colombia. [emphasis added]

The irony is delicious. Did the media lapdogs really think that Obama would respect them in the morning? Even this bit of favoritism and flagrant violation of their vestigial integrity won't make honest men and women of them. They'll continue to put out for their Sugardaddy-in-Chief.

Related: Obama still giving peace a chance in Iran

Cross-posted in the Green Room.

*Wednesday morning updates:

See Ed Driscoll's Life In The Dinosaur Media.
Please read all of Caroline Glick's The Obama effect:

It is hard to think of an example in US history in which the media organs of the world's most important democracy so openly sacrificed the most basic responsibilities of news gatherers to act as shills for the chief executive.
[. . .]
THE MOST IMPORTANT repercussion of the US media's propagandistic reporting is that the American public is denied the ability to understand events as they unfold.

h/t: Andy McCarthy

*From Milbank's fleshed-out Wednesday morning column:

As if to compensate for the prepackaged Huffington Post question, Obama went quickly to Fox News for a predictably hostile question from Major Garrett. "In your opening remarks, sir, you said about Iran that you were appalled and outraged," Garrett said. "What took you so long?

"I don't think that's accurate," Obama volleyed testily, calling his toughening statements on Iran "entirely consistent."

The host of "The Obama Show" dispatched with similar ease a challenge from CBS's Chip Reid, asking whether his hardening line on Iran was inspired by John McCain. "What do you think?" Obama replied with a big grin. That brought the house down. And the studio audience laughed again when ABC's Jake Tapper tried to get Obama to answer another reporter's question that he had dodged. "Are you the ombudsman for the White House press corps?" the president cracked.

Maybe he is, or should be; at least he's trying to hold Obama and his media-toadies accountable.

But wait, there's more hilarity:

The laughter had barely subsided when the host made another joke about Tapper's reference to Obama's "Spock-like language about the logic of the health-care plan."

"The reference to Spock, is that a crack on my ears?" the president asked.

And the crowd roared. They can't get enough of his lame stand-up material.

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