Upside of Joe Klein

I have to give Joe Klein credit for his first three paragraphs today:

Over the past month, a foolish narrative has been abroad in the land: that this election is going to be a "referendum" on Barack Obama. ...

Quite often, ... the referendum gambit is a rationale for mudslinging. This year we have John McCain's attempt to paint Obama as aloof, messianic ... a celebrity, like Paris or Britney.

I may be missing something, but snark isn't a quality often associated with the presidency. "It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant," Obama said, laughing at the McCain campaign's crash-and-burn fighter-jock puerility.

There are points to critique, too:

• Klein's careful failure to notice that Republicans always sling more mud than Democrats
• His repetition of McCain's low points, though I suppose that's necessary for readers who just woke up from a 20-year nap or from Alzheimer's

But he's willing to say that the McCain campaign is trying to compensate for the weakness of its candidate, and that's something you don't hear from a mainstream pundit every day, even though it's as plain as the pallor on McCain's face.

Of course, I do critique, not so much compliments, so there's a downside, too, which I'll get into for my next item.