In Defense Of Howie Kurtz

This "Reliable Sources" episode was very good:

But again: the assumption here is that the Trig maternity story was obviously untrue. How do these reporters know that? I'm a little tired of being the asshole at the dinner party, but the truth is: we still don't know for sure. We only have a letter released a few hours before voting began from Palin's doctor, Catherine Baldwin Johnson, asserting that Palin was the biological mother of five. That letter could have been released in August, but wasn't. Why? Then we have three photographs showing Palin somewhat pregnant but certainly not seven or eight months pregnant. And that's it. Kurtz himself was part of a McCain-originated campaign to target other journalists to stop inquiring into the story. The circumstantial evidence was easily enough to have a mainstream journalist ask her about it. And yet none had the balls. Even when her own campaign told us she's a "whack-job." In the end, Palin herself brought it up only to dismiss it and none of the "journalists" followed up.

Matt Lauer and Greta Van Susteren really are embarrassments to their profession.