For those of us wondering who the Republican whispering sweet nothings into Joe Klein's ear, it was right-wing Republican and top-tier Bush apologist Rep. Pete Hoekstra.

Today, Hoektstra went to National Review to defend his good friend, "liberal pundit" Joe Klein, in what Hoekstra called the "venomous debate [that] has raged between Time columnist Joe Klein and his far-Left critics." As always on the pro-Bush Right, those who believe in the radical instrument called "search warrants" are deemed to be "far leftists." Hoekstra pronounces Klein correct in everything he said, and then confesses that he was "one of Klein's sources for the complex technical and legal points that seem to be in contention." So, in other words, it was Hoekstra -- one of Washington's most partisan GOP operatives -- who lied to Klein by claiming that the House Democrats' bill requires warrants for every foreign terrorist's call and that the bill thus gives the same rights to foreign Terrorists as American citizens. That's a real surprise. And Klein The Journalist then mindlessly wrote down Hoekstra's smears without bothering to check if they were true, and Time printed them as fact.

Democrats in DC think Klein is an ally, to the point where you have the likes of John Kerry "craving" his approval, yet he's no more than a dishonest shill -- quick to accept bullshit spin without taking the time or effort to understand what he writes. When called on his inaccuracies, he begs, off claiming that his tedious job of writing a column a week keeps him from, you know, understanding and verifying the words he writers. And Time rallies around him without regard to its ethical obligations as a major American news outlet.

Compare Time's refusal to play do the right thing and admit Klein's error to the Chicago Tribune's correction after it ran an excerpt from Klein's column on its op/ed pages:

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS A Time magazine essay by Joe Klein that was excerpted on the editorial page Wednesday incorrectly stated that the House Democratic version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act would require a court approval of individual foreign surveillance targets. It does not.

You'd think that wouldn't be so hard, but apparently Time is vested in the fiction that Klein is infallible. Bizarre.

When I turned in both my columns to Newsweek, editors demanded I justify every single line of the pieces. Every one of them. They even forced me to rewrite portions that might be construed the wrong way by readers, even if my words were still technically correct. Maybe Newsweek isn't that diligent with pieces written by their in-house columnists (like George Will or whoever), but you'd hope they would be. And if not? They'll get the similar treatment.

As for Time, it's clear they have nowhere near that level of control over Klein -- he says what he wants, when he wants to, and the magazine won't hold him accountable when he blows it. In fact, they'd rather have their entire publication publicly embarrassed than force Klein himself to suffer a little personal embarrassment. And Klein, ever the profile in courage, would rather see his publication take the lumps for his f' ups than engage in a little personal accountability.

Of course his Republican puppetmasters are applauding in the background. Mission accomplished! And DC Democrats, still desperate for his approbation and approval, remain mostly silent lest he -- what? -- not invite them to his next cocktail party? Lest he not call them as a source for his next anti-Democratic hit piece?

Klein represents most of what's wrong with the beltway media today. And the general Democratic silence in response (except for the one response by Rep. Rush Holt), is quite indicative of the general Democratic timidity in a hostile media and political environment.

How many times can you beat that abused puppy without it fighting back? With Beltway Democrats, the abuse they'll tolerate is apparently endless.