Barack Obama’s attacks on Fox News are an abuse of power that shows contempt for the traditions of a free opposition press. Democrats insist this “war on Fox” is justified because of the cable network’s conservative orientation, while Fox executives insist that it’s their commentary shows, not their news reporting, that tilt to the right.

Moreover, MSNBC stridently speaks for the left, but no Republican officeholders have ever questioned their journalistic credentials. Some MSNBC commentators, in fact, compare Obama’s hostility toward Fox to the meetings in which President Bush invited friendly radio hosts to the Oval Office. I participated in each of those meetings, and there’s a world of difference between giving special access to your allies—which all presidents have done—and denying all access to your perceived enemies, which is unique to this administration.