Balloon-Juice: Some interesting points regarding the Sununu-O'Brien dustup..

There are a few things going on here that are worth discussing. First, O’Brien’s show is CNN’s version of Today or GMA. She’s not on a political beat, which means that her job doesn’t rely on access, and she’s not marinated in the conventional wisdom. It’s pretty clear that she and her producers were well-prepped with actual facts, and that she didn’t give a shit whether she offended the delicate feelings of John Sununu. When he acted like a dick, she pushed back hard without worrying about the next time they run into each other at some DC bar. Second, I really do think the coddling they get on Fox is hurting the average Republican shill’s ability to appear reasonable on regular TV. Sununu just keeps repeating his weak-ass talking points instead of coming back with a follow-up, because Fox only expects its Republican guests to memorize and repeat what’s on the sheet that Sununu was waving around when he was trying to smack O’Brien down. Finally, there’s some limit to the number of lies the media will tolerate and that limit is probably being reached with the Romney campaign. There’s a general air of disrespect from the Romney people, they campaign almost totally on falsehoods, and they do so arrogantly. I think it’s the arrogance that finally triggered María de la Soledad Teresa O’Brien, and it’s going to be interesting to see who’s next.