"I'm starting to think there are a lot of little egomaniacs in the AP who don't want to be just journalists and writers, but instead they want to be kingmakers and big-time political players."
You don't seriously believe anyone who's entered journalism since Watergate lacks a huge ego, do you? Every last one of them is dying to be the next one to crucify a Republican President. Guilty? Doesn't matter. Just gimme the headlines and the bylines.
No question about it--there are a lot of huge egos in the news media these days who are eager to be the next Woodward or Bernstein. The strongest force that is stopping them in their quest to crucify Bush is the conservative media that didn't exist back in 1974, including bloggers like us. Without conservative bloggers and CBS's own blunder of posting apparently forged documents on their website, who knows how far Mapes' Bush ANG story would have gone. I also think the Israeli lobby and Israel's influence on the news media is helping Bush significantly to stave off the attack of the egomaniacs.