Left in Pittsburgh: Journalist Maureen Dowd.

Maureen Dowd is a crazy motherfucker.

C-R-A-Z-Y. Legit. (I’d use the term “bitch” here but (1) that’s the term those nasty nasty conservatives use to describe her and (2) some of my feminist fans might be get offended. I hate offending people.)

She’s also one of the country’s most high-profile journalist-commentators. And this past week, she was barred “for the foreseeable future” from John McCain’s campaign.

Some quick non-partisan background: Dowd’s brash commentary style has earned her a ton of critics, liberals and conservatives alike. She has been accused of a lack of reporting and other serious offenses. Still, Dowd has been a columnist for the New York Times since 1995, is a best-selling author (I highly recommend Bushworld for some breezy anti-Dubya reading), and won a Pulitzer Prize. The lady’s got critics and chops to boot.

Revoking her press pass is extraordinary treatment. Apparently, McCain and company stranded Dowd at a Pittsburgh airport hotel. (I know, I know — not exactly the classiest.)

Isn’t this a massive slap on the ass of the First Amendment?

Our country has a long, proud history of journalistic freedom (with some notable exceptions). The fact that Maureen Dowd is a vehement critic of Senator McCain should have no bearing on her press credentials. If Doctor Gutmann expelled the DP’s administration beat reporter, we here at the paper would call for her resignation. Said Dowd: “It was disappointing because I didn’t think John McCain would ever be as dismissive of the First Amendment as Dick Cheney.”

Furthermore, Dowd is highly critical of everyone, often at once. Her style, like it or not, is probably best described as highly critical; she has skewered absolutely everyone: McCain, Obama, Clintons, Gore, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc., etc. ad infinitum. And if you hoped this was an accident (as I did), you were wrong:  A McCain spokeslady was heard gloating about it on Sarah Palin’s campaign plane later that day.

And finally, this situation depresses me on a very personal level: McCain and Dowd are both widely reputed smart-ass, quick-tempered hotheads. On occasion, I like to fancy myself of this breed, too. The lack of solidarity displayed here depresses me greatly.

I’m curious — thoughts on Maureen Dowd? I read her frequently… until she started ragging on my favorite politicos. Now, eh, she’s fine.

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