May 3, 2007 5:24 AM

Eleven Words For Thompson’s Entire 20 Years on K Street

Honestly - this is getting really embarrassing for the Beltway press corps. Yesterday, I noted that in its fawning coverage of Republican Fred Thompson, the New York Times made a very clear effort to smooth over Thompson's time as a well-paid corporate lobbyist in Washington. Now, just a day later, the Los Angeles Times goes even lower than the Gray Lady. In a sprawling 1,700 word profile of Thompson's entire career that purports to investigate Thompson's real career motives, we get all an 11-word half sentence about his two decades on K Street:

"Despite his image as a down-home outsider, Thompson spent many years after Watergate in lobbying and law firms."

That's it. That's all we get about a 20-year lobbying career.

Let's break down this travesty in math terms. Since being pulled out of his mother's womb, Thompson has spent about one third of his entire existence on the planet Earth as a lobbyist. Yet, the Los Angeles Times devotes just 11 words - or, one half of one percent of its entire story - to Thompson's lobbying career. We get nothing about his work helping companies get out of compensating asbestos victims. Nothing about his work on telecom deregulation or his lobbying involvement in policies relating to the savings and loan crisis. Nope, the story "investigates" what the Beltway press corps apparently sees as more relevant to a Thompson Administration like such hard-hitting topics as this former lobbyist's cameo roles in Hollywood flops like "Last Best Chance" and "Born Yesterday."

For their part, Thompson's fellow Republicans are working overtime to keep Washington reporters focused intently on the fluff. Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL), one of K Street's closest House allies, is quoted in the Los Angeles Times story bending over backwards to divert attention both from Thompson's time as a paid corporate shill, and from Thompson's thin Senate record. "He comes straight out of central casting," Weller said. "First impressions matter in politics."

The latter part of Weller's comment is correct - first impressions matter in politics. And the power-worshiping Washington media is doing everything it can to make sure the first impression of Fred Thompson's political experience has as little as possible to do with the majority of Fred Thompson's political experience.