Kurtz: Conservatives look at this barrage and say "when has Barack Obama ever gotten this kind of media scrutiny?

He really asked that. And he really asked it in the frame of what conservatives might be asking. You know, the conservatives who don't turn on Fox News. Those conservatives. Or would that be "that conservative." That one single conservative living in a treehouse in the middle of the smoldering remains of an Andean jungle, perhaps. That conservative.

Oh, wait.

Does Howard Kurtz not have an intern or two who could actually do some research before he asks ridiculous questions like that? He could just mosey on over to Crooks and Liars or Media Matters or ThinkProgress and browse the archives for a whole treasure trove of piling-on. Let me see what I can find for him without digging too deeply.

There is the recent Sean Hannity effort to smear the President with Breitbartian conspiracy theories in the name of "Vetting Barack Obama," of course.

Or the endless, sensationalized ridiculous stories run on Reverend Jeremiah Wright back in 2008, where Kurtz' very own network ran the most stories. 228 stories from CNN; 213 from Fox News, and a fed-up public who had seen quite enough of the erstwhile and sincere Reverend Wright.

Let's not forget the birth certificate stories, which were so ubiquitous they became the first-required question in everyone's arsenal of Important Things To Ask Barack Obama In A One-On-One Interview.

Keep in mind, the few examples I listed above don't even rise to the level of importance that Mitt Romney's offshore finances and tax returns do, but that doesn't stop Howie from asking the most ridiculous, off-the-wall question of them all as he lifts the heavy jug of conservative water and lugs it down the path for Mitt Romney.

But wait, there's even more.

The other remarkable moment is where Romney Press Secretary Wannabe Jennifer Rubin makes the claim that all of the stories about Mitt Romney's finances are really just press releases from the Obama campaign, echoed out into the news cycle with no foundation.

I realize Ms. Rubin may possibly be the most vapid neocon blogger on the planet, but does she not see the error of her claim? Even if the stories were leaked by the Obama campaign, she shouldn't ascribe conservative media values to them. We all know Fox News carries water for their causes and isn't ashamed to use Romney press releases alongside Breitbart conspiracy theories. The same goes for the Washington Examiner and other tabloid-esque conservative publications.

But is Jennifer Rubin really saying that her own employer, the Washington Post, simply republishes campaign press releases without verifying them for accuracy or fleshing them out? Isn't this really a chicken-and-egg question anyway? Be it campaign or citizen, sending a tip to a reporter isn't a guarantee it'll pan out or pass muster. Isn't that the duty of the reporter, editor and publisher?

Only that stupid question by Howie Kurtz could make the Rubin silliness less vapid. Either Howie's long term memory facilities are shot or he wanted to take the opportunity to absolve Fox News of any bias toward the conservative candidates in this race.

Either way, it's the stupidest question I've heard asked this morning and possibly all week. But then, I've not watched Candy Crowley's show yet, so there's hope.