Palin-free February? No way, say pundit's colleagues

Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank last week confessed an addiction to commenting on Sarah Palin and promised not to mention her during February. He also called on his colleagues to join him, but he's getting few takers. Even his Post colleagues think Milbank is misguided. Chris Cillizza of the Post says he'll be covering Palin until she announces she's NOT running for president. "Like it or not ... Palin is the prime mover in the 2012 presidential field. ... She is the person that every candidate mulling a 2012 bid of their own wonders about, gossips about and worries about." Jonathan Capehart of the Post says he hasn't followed the media hordes by covering every statement Palin makes on Twitter and Facebook. "But I have tried to hold Palin accountable and responsible for some of the things she says, does or writes. ... and I'll continue to do so when warranted." Adds former USA Today White House correspondent Richard Benedetto, writing for Fox News: "We are bound to report and comment on the news as we find it, not as we would like it." But Joe Coscarelli of the Village Voice says he'll take up Milbank's dare: "A cleanse sounds nice, even if it won't fix anything." Finally, bloggers at the U.K.'s Telegraph have declared February "Sarah Palin Month," promising to cover her (responsibly) every day.

ADVERTISEMENT