We’ve always had a thing for Bill Press, the insightful co-host of CNN’s Crossfire—even if Novak drove him into the ditch with a little demagogic car talk (see THE DAILY HOWLER, 5/24/99). Despite that small mishap, we’ve always seen Bill as the class of what we’ve long called the "Press" corps. Perhaps it was his ready wit. Perhaps it was his unblurred vision. Finally, we’re able to articulate the Bill Press Difference. For us, it all came clear as we perused his essential new book, Spin This!

Press’ argument is a bit slow to develop. But we felt he really hit his stride when he wrote this, on page 48:

After that, Spin This! peters out—but its nugget statement deserves repeating. Few have offered so trenchant a "take" on the state of our troubled western letters.

Press calls himself a "true American." To us, he lights a wider world. But whatever your views on Press may be, you’ll want to read and reread his page 48—a presentation the critics will poke at and ponder as long as the sophists rule Washington.

Note on our current intentions: We’ve been hard at work on our current effort—The Spinning of the President, Year 2000, in which we chronicle press coverage of the 2000 election. (And yes, it’s a jaw-dropping story.) In the process of that extensive labor, we’ve neglected the incomparable DAILY HOWLER. But a few silly stories have been piling up, ones we’ll look at in the next week. Continue to check this incomparable space. We think we owe it to one man—Bill Press.

All of a sudden, we agree with his thesis: Howard Mortman found a problem with Press’ fine book. You know what to do. Just click here.