In a compelling interview on NPR’s Fresh Air yesterday, Jeff Sharlet talks about the continuing clout of fundamentalists in the US military, and the role they played in the Senate’s failure to repeal DADT this past Tuesday.

We all know media insiders thrive on gossip and style over substance and ideas–look at the way cable news has inhaled the Tiger Woods and White House gatecrashers “stories” over the past couple of weeks. Roll Call is doing its bit to make sure political coverage is more like People Magazine than serious journalism. An article on Wednesday asked whether Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is “presidential timber”. You might think the answer to that question would hinge on Sen. Thune’s positions on important issues–or that the answer might require at least mentioning one of Sen. Thune’s positions on any issue. No, the article studiously avoids digging into the dirty well of substance. You won’t find discussion of any position Sen. Thune takes on any issue in the article, which suggests that he is “increasingly being viewed as the Capitol’s most likely White House contender.” Readers are told, twice, that Sen. Thune is “telegenic”. Apart from that, the piece focuses on Sen. Thune’s fundraising abilities (he has “an impressive rolodex of donors”) and his role in the Republican leadership.