On CNN’s Reliable Sources yesterday, panelist Terence Smith asked about last week’s historic interview of President Obama by Robin Roberts of “Good Morning America”: “What about ABC simply agreeing that the White House could select the correspondent. Does that bother anybody?” Yes, me! Though I don’t appear to have much company. Smith’s question got a lot of pushback from defenders of the ways of Washington. Host Howard Kurtz noted that Roberts was a co-anchor of “GMA.” Panelist Lauren Ashburn: “In the press room, you look at this every day: The president will call on certain people who are on a list and that list is predetermined by whom? The president.... So I think that they get to choose whoever they want. He is the president.”

Karl Rove in the video above helps to consolidate a mantra. In a discussion with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News, Rove laments the Washington Post story on Mitt Romney’s prep-school days, which he calls “odd journalism” and a “waste of time and energy.” Then comes the logical segue:

Also: The New York Times suggests that the Romney-prep-school story might just kick up “questions” about whether going back that far in a candidate’s life is “fair game.” No need for debate on that topic; it is fair game.