Despite the vacant language of McCain’s op-ed submission to the New York Times (in response to the one on Iraq policy by Obama published last week), and despite the very amicable language of the email explanation to the McCain campaign by the Times’ op-ed page editor, the bastion of US print reporting didn’t do itself any favors.

The tenets of American journalism dictate that information should be presented in a manner that allows readers to draw their own conclusions.  Granted, this is the op-ed page, which should retain every right to adhere to its own editorial process.

But by refusing to publish a McCain op-ed as it was first submitted, after letting Obama’s rip (presumably) unfettered, all the Times has done is thrown another gas can on the bonfire of liberal bias accusations.  The shrewder choice would have been to publish the op-ed and let everyone else, including their own columnists, take it apart one “victory” vaguery at a time.