Dissent Not Tolerated: Reporters Thrown Off Obama's Plane

Drudge is running this at the top of the page. As he doesn't keep permalinks like blogs, I'm replicating the whole thing below.

PURGE: SKEPTICAL REPORTERS TOSSED OFF OBAMA PLANE Fri Oct 31 2008 08:39:55 ET

NY POST, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, WASHINGTON TIMES TOLD TO GET OUT... ALL 3 ENDORSED MCCAIN

**Exclusive**

The Obama campaign has decided to heave out three newspapers from its plane for the final days of its blitz across battleground states -- and all three endorsed Sen. John McCain for president!

The NY POST, WASHINGTON TIMES and DALLAS MORNING NEWS have all been told to move out by Sunday to make room for network bigwigs -- and possibly for the inclusion of reporters from two black magazines, ESSENCE and JET, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Despite pleas from top editors of the three newspapers that have covered the campaign for months at extraordinary cost, the Obama campaign says their reporters -- and possibly others -- will have to vacate their coveted seats so more power players can document the final days of Sen. Barack Obama's historic campaign to become the first black American president.

MORE

Some told the DRUDGE REPORT that the reporters are being ousted to bring on documentary film-makers to record the final days; others expect to see on board more sympathetic members of the media, including the NY TIMES' Maureen Dowd, who once complained that she was barred from McCain's Straight Talk Express airplane.

After a week of quiet but desperate behind-the-scenes negotiations, the reporters of the three papers heard last night that they were definitely off for the final swing. They are already planning how to cover the final days by flying commercial or driving from event to event.

Developing...

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. Either Drudge's scoop is wrong, or the Obama campaign is so supremely arrogant that it thinks it can act in such a condescending manner right before the election and not pay a political price. Within the past week, the Obama campaign punished two local television stations by cutting access to them after hard interviews. By tossing these major newspapers, it seems he is willing to take his intolerance to the next level.

The mainstream media has been handling Barack Obama with kid gloves this entire election. Now, when it is almost too late, they are discovering—to their horror, I'm sure—that the man they coddled thinks nothing of them if they aren't his cheerleaders. They are now discovering that he will angrily, impulsively freeze them out if their news organizations aren't sycophants.

The media often complained that Bush often froze them out, but Bush never threw legitimate news organizations to the side for their criticism, bringing in soft news infotainment magazines like Essence and Jet to replace them.

This sets a new standard of displayed political contempt for the media, but you can't say they didn't earn it.

Update: The Washington Times angrily confirms:

The Washington Times, which has covered the Barack Obama campaign from the start, was kicked off the Democrat's campaign plane for the final 72 hours of the race.

The Obama campaign informed the newspaper Thursday evening of its decision, which came two days after the Times editorial page endorsed Senator John McCain over Mr. Obama. The Times editorial page runs completely independent of the news department.

"This feels like the journalistic equivalent of redistributing the wealth, we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars covering Senator Obama's campaign, traveling on his plane, and taking our turn in the reporter's pool, only to have our seat given away to someone else in the last days of the campaign," said Washington Times Executive Editor John Solomon.

"I hope the candidate that promises to unite America isn't using a litmus test to determine who gets to cover his campaign."

Of course he is.

Now, imagine what it is going to be like if he somehow wins the Presidency.

Fox News has more.