The New York Observer rewinds the drama leading up to the Osama bin Laden raid against the backdrop of Saturday night’s annual schmoozer known as the White House Correspondents Dinner. (CNN actually had an on-air panel sitting around analyzing the affair, as if it were the State of the Union.)Add: Here’s New York Times Washington Bureau chief (and one-time L. A. Times editor) Dean Baquet (the Observer misspells his name as Banquet) on why the NYT no longer participates:
"We are not being holier than thou, or criticizing anyone who chooses to go. But we came to the conclusion that it had evolved into a very odd, celebrity-driven event that made it look like the press and government all shuck their adversarial roles for one night of the year, sing together (literally, by the way) and have a grand old time cracking jokes. It just feels like it sends the wrong signal to our readers and viewers, like we are all in it together and it is all a game. It feels uncomfortable."
