Pass the popcorn.

One reason the press could get away with not looking too closely at McCain is they didn't have to -- there were always other stories to be written. Even if we limit ourselves to this election cycle, reporters could conceivably excuse their laziness by pretending that Huckabee's guitar mastery, Romney's penchant for dog torture or Giuliani's cousin-fucking were actually Really Important Stories. They could, in other words, plausibly ignore McCain's glaring weaknesses in exchange for a good seat on the bus and still pretend they'd done their jobs. Now, no doubt to the chagrin of said hacks, there's only one man standing, paychecks to earn and column inches to fill. They have no choice but to scrutinize McCain.

This will no doubt be painful -- like a lubeless colonoscopy -- but it's gotta happen. Is it any wonder McCain is so pissy? He knows the honeymoon is over.