Obama's Dose of Media Payback

David Brooks' New York Times column with its cutesy concept of "Obama Comedown Syndrome" is a sure sign that the familiar process has begun: media payback, wherein the over-hypers of MSM start a new cycle of anti-gush to meet their quotas of knowingness.

In filling his space today, Brooks describes Obama enthusiasts as victims of "intense surges of hope-amine, the brain chemical that fuels euphoric sensations of historic change and personal salvation" and goes on to criticize the candidate as "the most predictable liberal vote in the Senate" with a tendency to vacillate on issues.

Yet, in October 2006, Brooks was one of the first commentators in either party to enthuse over Obama. In a column titled "Run Barack Run," he encouraged him to do just that, noting that “a president who brings a deliberative style to the White House will multiply his knowledge, not divide it.”

But Brooks is only doing what comes naturally to columnists, trying to stay ahead of the public opinion curve to preserve his punditry credentials.

When he declared his candidacy last spring, John McCain complained of rough media treatment, failing to understand it as the predictable backlash to all the "Straight Talk" hype about his previous campaign.

In Obama's case, there may be some legitimate "buyer's remorse" out there as voters begin to see him as a possible president rather than a symbol of hope, but in the coming weeks, the media can be trusted to amplify those doubts ad nauseam.

Welcome to the big ring, Senator.