Outside of the 9-11 aftermath, when the press and Bush were on the same page for awhile, I don't ever remember Bush being ahead of the press. Ever. One of my pet peeves with Bush administration, total lack of public relations. It all starts at the top. I know some people would like to overlook the press completely, but that isn't possible. Ignoring them doesn't help either. Bush and Cheney have been poor communicators in many respects, failing to advance their message and keep pounding it home. Overall, however, nothing approaching total failure.
I agree it is not fatal. But it does weaken the ol' political immune system to where other problems become more virulent.