It's hard to put a finger on why this is happening but I think it points to a loss of credibility and a loss of power,

There's blood in the water. The press is very tribal, and once it seems the tribal elders don't know what they're doing anymore, the tone of the reporting changes.

Now, things have gone bad and I think the press criticism has crystallized. You saw it in Iraq, and the response to Hurricane Katrina and social security reform.