Discussing specialized business weeklies with an expert, I learned recently that reporters for one such chain are paid more than those for the dailies in the same cities.  Was not surprised, I said: they are better qualified and more sophisticated, writing as they do for a more discriminating audience.

Think Bay Fang in today’s Chi Trib, with her piece on Washington’s “Vulcans,” who find themselves on the hot seat in these days of the Democrat majority.  It’s foreign-policy coverage for dummies, rehearsing the rehearsed.

And for a certain kind of dummy at that.  What is there about the story that the “senior Democratic congressional aide” quoted anonymously would not like?  He who framed the story for Fang:

“There is a real sense among Hill investigators that, after six years with a Republican Congress, administration officials became accustomed to having their explanations accepted at face value,” said one senior Democratic congressional aide. “Many of the prior inquiries pulled punches, failing to ask the hardest questions, and now that’s coming back to haunt them.”

Moreover, whose idea was the story, Fang’s or the aide’s? 

Also, where in the story is “Democrats claimed” or “alleged,” to go with generic Republican objections — “Republicans called it a fishing expedition . . .  . have accused [Rep.] Waxman [chief interrogator] of partisan pettiness . . . “

Nothing so story-framing available from a senior Republican aide?

And how about this one? 

Vice President Dick Cheney, a charter member of the group, is still in office, but he has some of the lowest popularity ratings of anyone in the administration.

Charter member?  This is columnist’s language, not news writer’s.  Still in office, is he?  I wondered why he keeps turning up on Fox.  Popularity down the toilet?  Ah-hah, Waxman’s revenge.

One more carping criticism of this column-article.  “Prewar claims, later discredited, that Iraq sought uranium from Niger,” tossed off as easy as can be: That’s how WashPost’s Pincus said it in July, 2003, going with “a senior administration official.”  It’s how we say it these days in all the best noosepapers.

However, Bush’s claim was that Iraq tried to buy uranium in “Africa,” citing British intel that named Congo, Somalia, and Niger.  British press then focused on Congo, for what that’s worth, and the famous (infamous) Joseph Wilson reported that “a sale couldn’t likely be completed in Niger,” never disproving the attempt, according to DailyHowler.com.

By now in any other context but interest in the Democrat zeal to interrogate, it would be inside baseball.  Good enough for dummies, however.