Howie Kurtz misses the points about Obama/the press

Talk about day dreaming up narratives, take a look at this [emphasis added]:

Why is Obama's coverage different than that of every other president-elect? Plenty of reporters were enamored of President-elect Clinton and agreed with many of his views. But he was seen as an outsize figure, a man of enormous talent and appetites, and a Bubba-like figure from Hope, Arkansas. He was Not Like Us.

But the reason there are so many stories about Obama having to give up his normal life, surrender his BlackBerry, yadda yadda, is that reporters identify with him. He is a writer who produced two books. He lives in a big city. He was not born to a wealthy family. And yet he keeps his essential core hidden. So journalists, I believe, are as curious about Barack as the public at large.

First, notice how president Bush does not exist and has been erased by the Beltway media? Because I'm pretty sure Kurtz could have just as easily made the case that “plenty of reporters were enamored of President-elect” Bush. But that topic is not to be addressed.

Second, it's never a good sign when a journalist doesn't even bother to back up the central point in his piece. i.e. How on earth has Obama been treated different than every other president-elect. And is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is Kurtz actually suggesting the press, currently in day No. 10 hyping the paper-thin Blago/Obama “scandal,” has been showering the president-elect with good press?

Specifically, Kurtz is just amazed that the press is obsessed with the trivia (i.e. his BlackBerry) and minutia surrounding Obama's transition. The writer thinks that quite unusual.

Please. It's utterly predictable because the Beltway press has consistently advertised the fact, and only underscored it in recent weeks, that it revolves around trivia and minutia. It lives for distractions. As Politico recently noted (without an ounce of irony):

Reporters have been bombarding the president-elect's transition office and those close to Obama with the most detail-obsessed questions about his every move. Among the inquiries received in recent weeks: Does Obama prefer Macs or PCs? Who designed that tie he's wearing? Where does he buy his suits? What's his morning exercise routine like? How about his basketball techniques? What movie has he seen recently? Who cuts his hair? Will he sell his house in Chicago? What did he have for Thanksgiving dinner? What's his favorite food?

Behold your press corps at work.