Perhaps you’ve already seen this column by David Broder, Dean of the Washington Press Corps, in which he explains what he’s interested in:
But for all the delicacy of the treatment, the very fact that the Times had sent a reporter out to interview 50 people about the state of the Clintons’ marriage and placed the story on the top of Page One was a clear signal — if any was needed — that the drama of the Clintons’ personal life would be a hot topic if she runs for president.
Now, here’s the Broder on Meet the Press last December, explaining what he’s NOT interested in:
MR. RUSSERT: David Broder, is it possible for official Washington–the president, Democratic leaders, Republican leaders–to arrive at common ground, a consensus position on Iraq?
MR. DAVID BRODER: It’s possible, Tim, but they won’t get there by arguing about who did what three years ago. And this whole debate about whether there was just a mistake or misrepresentation or so on is, I think, from the public point of view largely irrelevant. The public’s moved past that.
Of course, by “the public’s moved past that,” Broder meant “I’ve moved past that.” Just days after he said this, a New York Times poll found that 80% of Americans felt it was “very” (56%) or “somewhat” (24%) important for Congress to investigate Bush’s use of intelligence on Iraq.
So to sum up Broder’s worldview:
Bill Clinton’s Wang And What It’s Doing Right This Second: HOT! HOT! HOT!
Lies That Have Killed Tens Of Thousands: EH. THIS MAKES ME SLEEPY.