Post's Broder Criticizes His Paper's Obama 'Fiction'

David Broder uses his column in the Washington Post today to slam his own paper's role in the "remarkable fiction" now in vogue about the White House: Essentially, Rahm Emanuel is an all-knowing political god, and a wimpy President Obama should have listened to him more. Two columns by Dana Milbank (here and here) as well as a front-page "purported news story" on the same subject are largely to blame, complains Broder.

He calls Milbank a "friend" and doesn't think Emanuel himself is the direct source of his columns. But Emanuel has likely vented to pals in Congress who are talking. "None of this would rise above the level of petty Washington gossip except that some of Emanuel's friends are so eager to exonerate him that they are threatening to undermine the president," writes Broder. He has this advice for the White House: "The absolute worst advice politicians ever receive comes from journalists who fancy themselves great campaign strategists." (More Dana Milbank stories.)