Mainstream Media: This Time We’re Going To Focus On What Obama Says Rather Than How He Says It

With Obama already launching his 2012 bid, Politico’s Roger Simon says he and his fellow reporters aren’t going to get fooled again. This time, they won’t get so caught up in the hopey changey love fest and will, instead, try to put substance over form.

This, of course, right after Simon says that he and his fellow reporters “stipulate that Obama is the greatest orator of modern times.”

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST: So is the press starting to sour on the stalemate in Libya?

Joining us now here in Washington, Roger Simon, chief political columnist for Politico; Dana Milbank, columnist for “The Washington Post,” and in San Francisco, Debra Saunders, a columnist for “The San Francisco Chronicle.”

Roger Simon, are the journalists and the anchors we just saw now aggressively challenging and acting openly skeptical about the Obama policy in Libya?

ROGER SIMON, CHIEF POLITICAL COLUMNIST, POLITICO: Yes, and that’s a good thing. We’re supposed to be openly skeptical.

The bloom isn’t entirely off the rose between Obama and the press, but reporters are starting to concentrate more than ever on what he says rather than how he says it. We will stipulate that he’s the greatest orator of modern times, but now we’re looking beyond that in every speech for what he’s actually telling us.

You just can’t win with these people, but I guess it’s nice that they’re at least going to try and act objective this time.

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