Still at her Bush-bashing AP post

Jennifer Loven, the wife of a well-placed Democratic lobbyist AND a reporter for the Associated Press, continues her hatchet beat on the president with a snide little piece entitled, "Of All Gas Consumers, Bush May Be Biggest."

Getting President Bush from here to there consumes an enormous amount of fuel, whether he's aboard Air Force One, riding in a helicopter or on the ground in a heavily armored limousine. The bill gets steeper every day as the White House is rocked by the same energy prices as regular drivers. Taxpayers still foot the bill.

Almost every vehicle Bush uses is custom-made to add security and communications capabilities, and the heavier weight of these guzzlers further drives up gas and jet fuel costs.

The White House declines to discuss travel costs related to the presidential entourage, and did not respond to a request for the overall effect of higher fuel prices on its budget.

It isn't until the fourth paragraph that Loven mentions that

It is not Bush's choice to be ferried around in a less than fuel- efficient manner. Those arrangements are dictated by tradition and the Secret Service, whose mission is to protect him.

But then she adds:

But Bush is one of the nation's most-traveled presidents.

She gets into more detail, bashing Dubya's pickup, his motorcade driving habits, the fuel-guzzling propensities of Air Force One, etc. Every once in awhile she tempers her remarks with a limp balancing sentencing, but mostly you are given the impression that the President should do a Jimmy Carter and set a good energy-saving example for the nation. (Although she does admit that it didn't do Carter's image with Americans any favors.)

Do you get the feeling that the AP has a vested interest in driving down the president on energy costs, painting him as an unfeeling gas guzzler? Ah, the AP used to be such a fine organization, but it is clearly in the tank for the liberal agenda today.

The Blogosphere complained about Loven's reporting during the 2004 campaign because of her family ties to national Democratic politicians, but mostly because her style is to inject a great deal of "analysis" into AP dispatches, almost all of it critical of Bush and his policies.

For a refresher on Loven check out this Powerline archived story as well as this one.