Let me give Joe Klein an example of why we are appalled by the insulated Beltway Villagers. Here's some typical Cokie Roberts trivial conventional wisdom that so infuriates the liberal blogosphere on NPR (h/t C&Ler Melissa):

INSKEEP: And you mentioned Yemen because this Nigerian suspect had a trip to Yemen in his past. There were other seeming warning signs before he boarded a plane and was stopped really just by incompetence and by the passengers. Is this mainly a political problem for the president or could this lead to changes in policy?

ROBERTS: Well, it's always politically difficult for Democrats when they are dealing with an issue like terrorism. It remained the Republican's only winning issue through most of President Bush's second term, and it's a particular problem for a Democrat who hasn't served in the military. But the policy problem is that it takes up a great deal of the administration's time, and will from here on out - particularly when the Senate Intelligence Committee starts hearings in a couple of weeks.

Here you have it. So sayeth Cokie, queen of the gasbags. All Democrats are weak, weak, weak on national security. It's fine with Cokie and the Villagers that most of the Bush and Cheney team refused to serve in the military when they had the chance, but during the Bush years the Villagers never questioned Republicans over their military experience or commitment to national security. Yet, it's just Jim Dandy to question a Dem's military creds.

When we were hit with 9/11, did the media or Democrats in Congress ever go on the air and, as a party, attack Bush and Cheney? They did not. Now of course, Republicans are fighting with each other to be first in line with as many insults as they can muster up to attack a Democratic president for his supposed national-security weakness. And Cokie Roberts gets to help push this old false narrative to the American people. Does Cokie remember how John Kerry was savagely attacked for actually serving in the military -- and receiving a Purple Heart -- by Fox News and the Swift Boaters?

If Cokie ventured off the set of This Week for a little bit, she would see Jim DeMint and his cronies behaving almost like traitors to America.

Howie Klein writes:

That hasn't stopped DeMint from actively doing everything he could to facilitate a national security catastrophe on Obama's watch, a catastrophe Republicans could use against Democrats in elections. He has put a hold on the confirmation of Erroll Southers, a widely admired anti-terrorism expert, until he comes out against unionizing TSA employees.

Bob Somerby has more background on Cokie in his archives too.