More From Dana Milbank

Yes, the Dana Milbank from the Washington Post who made the awful "Mad Bitch Beer" joke.  He wrote a column today pointing out recent instances of paternalism and patriarchy in both Republican and Democratic leaders:

The old boys are back in town.

Item: President Obama hosts a basketball game at the White House on Thursday evening for Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress. Of the 15 participants whose names are put out by the White House, not one is a woman — even though Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was a college basketball player and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, who was in town for the afternoon, played high school ball.

Item: On Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is asked about a news release, issued by the National Republican Congressional Committee, that expressed the party’s hope that Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, would put Pelosi "in her place." Says the speaker of the House: "That language is something I haven’t even heard in decades."

Item: In the White House driveway on Wednesday afternoon, Pelosi is addressing reporters when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, seeking to inject a point, puts a paternalistic arm around her shoulder. Pelosi recoils, making a pained grin and inching away from Reid. As Reid delivers his message, Pelosi raises her eyebrows — some call it an eye roll — to signal her disagreement.

I’m sharing this because a) regardless of the author, this is a good column in and of itself and b) I am a Milbank fan and was bummed at how much shit he caught caught for the Mad Bitch joke. Yes, it was in incredibly poor taste and he should have been called out on it, but I feel Milbank’s good journalism outweighs the one, idiotic comedic Fail.