Totenberg hits back

Nina Totenberg had a piece about Dick Cheney on Morning Edition today.

Totenberg describes Cheney's political role: "In this campaign Dick Cheney is the hitman, whose task is to discredit the Democratic presidential candidate. It's an assignment he's carries out with a monotoned zeal."

She also mentioned Rick Lyman's recent article (below) in The New York Times about his attempt to cover Cheney which was made difficult because the Bush/Cheney Campaign has not allowed a reporter from The New York Times on Cheney's campaign jet.

From: The New York Times (free registration required)

Desperately Seeking Dick Cheney
By RICK LYMAN

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- They say that most stalkers imagine themselves to be the victim, and I guess I'm no different.

My first look at Vice President Dick Cheney was from a baking lawn on Ellis Island as he made his grand entrance into New York on a National Park Service tugboat, waving to the sweating crowd. I was just part of the small pack of reporters watching as he posed before the backdrop of Lower Manhattan, my first day on Cheney duty.

The vice president travels on Air Force Two, a tech-packed wide-body with private areas in the front, a Secret Service buffer in the middle and a media cabin in the back. A crew of about 10 reporters flies with him, representing all the networks, the wire services and two or three newspapers. There are snacks, cable television and camaraderie.

But there is not a seat for me.

Nor has there been a seat for the previous two New York Times reporters sent to cover the vice president. I am told not to take this personally. Nor, I am told, is this intended as a slight against the paper, which normally maintains a seat (paid for handsomely) on all campaign planes, presidential and vice-presidential.

Frankly, there are some colleagues who suspect that antipathy toward the newspaper may be behind it. Anne Womack, the vice president's chief spokeswoman, says such suspicions are baseless. There simply are not enough seats for all of the press, and other publications got their names on the list before us. If someone drops out, they'll let me know.
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Don't expect Totenberg or Lyman to be invited aboard that jet anytime soon.