If blogs didn't exist....

....would this happen?

For the second time in less than a week, the White House has issued a rare public demand for The WASHINGTON POST to correct high impact stories about the cost of President Bush's domestic initiatives.

The POST caved last Thursday after the White House savaged reporter Jonathan Weisman's article on Social Security ("Benefit Cuts Would Offset Contributions"). Not only did the POST run a correction, but Weisman wrote an entire story correcting his earlier account.

The bad blood boiled over again today when the POST led its editions with a story about Medicare costs by Ceci Connolly and Mike Allen ("Medicare Drug Benefit May Cost $1.2 Trillion").

The White House issued a scathing attack on the story, coupled with a demand for a fresh correction. A second correction would be a major journalistic embarrassment for the POST, which the White House argues is providing ammunition to Democrats for use in baseless attacks against the president.

The WASHINGTON POST, however, stands by its story this time.

"We're satisfied that our story is quite accurate and don't see any need for a correction," said an editor.

I wonder.....