CBS should do political attack ads

I saw this story from CBS about Congressional leaders making trades that seemed similar to insider trading, and it does fit the narrative that our leaders are crooked and out for money. It certainly raised my eyebrows.

However, The Huffington Post points out several problems with the story, focusing on the leaders of each party in the House. For Boehner, the "insider" knowledge they point to was knowledge that really anyone could figure out, and for Pelosi, they make it sound like she got preferential treatment when in fact it was her husband taking part in a Visa IPO just like any other investor, and similar to Boehner, there was no real "insider" information being used.


Most interesting was the final bit:

Operatives on both sides of the aisle, meanwhile, pointed out to The Huffington Post that Majority Leader Cantor (R-Va.) had dodged the "60 Minutes" bullet. The segment did not mention Cantor, who made several trades in 2005 that have come under scrutiny.

...

CBS may have pulled its punch because producers worried about access: "60 Minutes" is working on a profile of the Virginia Republican and was with him over the past weekend, and Lesley Stahl will visit him Monday on the Hill, according to a source familiar with the arrangements.

Sounds like CBS knows how to play politics with the best of them.