Tom Shales, who can’t get enough of Obama’s charm (“too good to be true“) has had it with Liz Cheney’s “rudeness.” Her etiquette felony? Did she disparage her host or go off topic or use off-color language? Oh no! She had the nerve on a Sunday talk show to speak in “paragraphs” instead of the socially appropriate sound bites. He doesn’t actually quote what she said or take issue with her arguments, because, well, that would be hard to do. Does she know it isn’t the “Oxford Debating Society”?

Well, this is rich—and revealing. It used to be that the high-brow media critics deplored the sound-bite culture and pined for intelligent debate where guests could finish their thoughts. Well, what is really going on is a recognition among members of the Left punditocracy that Liz Cheney is a force to be reckoned with, and that their side lacks anyone with a similar command of detail on national-security matters and the ability to explain that detail to ordinary viewers.

So, let’s just call her rude and hope she goes away, they reason. Not a chance.