John McCain:

"Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed." [Transcript available from Congressional Quarterly]

What I don't understand is why reporters don't ask: If Senator McCain doesn't want payroll taxes to fund Social Security (as has long been the case), then how does he propose to pay for it?

Some have argued that payroll taxes should be scuttled and retirement funded from a carbon tax. Other plans abound. But what is John McCain proposing?

Obviously, the media gives a great deal of play to Karl Rove's comments. Not just Fox, but everyone reports with great attention his words. But meanwhile Mr. Rove refuses to testify to Congress. There's no law that I'm aware of which supports his position. He seems to be a willful lawbreaker. Does that not deserve mention when he is on TV or in newspapers?

I don't understand why the media, which should prize transparency as the lifeblood of reporting, doesn't seem to care about whether officials in the Administration explain themselves in public, and indeed welcomes such figures into the ranks of the media.