In the course of reporting on Barack Obama's aggressive new media operation, I heard some of the same gripes from traditional news outlets that The New Republic writes about today in an article titled "The End of the Affair: Barack Obama and the Press Break Up."

One D.C.-based reporter who covers Obama said that, even contrasted with the oft-bemoaned Clinton campaign, “the [Obama] press shop is unresponsive, unorganized and less accessible - taking a few questions on infrequent conference calls and bristling when you ask about something not on their agenda or talking points list of the day.”

“That said,” added the reporter, “If it was not so infuriating from a reporter's standpoint, I would almost admire their discipline and ability to rapid respond and the like in a way that controls the news cycle better than their opponents.”